By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Pianist Clayton Stephenson, who made history as the first Black finalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will move from Bach and Prokofiev to Bill Evans, Duke Ellington and Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi in a recital Thursday in Coral Gables.

Stephenson performs at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6 at Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ as part of the Community Arts Program’s 41st Summer Concert Series.

The program reflects the range of influences that shaped him. It begins with Ferruccio Busoni’s transcription of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chaconne in D minor, followed by the first book of Isaac Albéniz’s Iberia. After intermission, Stephenson will perform Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 7 before turning to jazz.

The closing sequence includes Bill Evans’ meditative Peace Piece, Duke Ellington’s Take the “A” Train in an arrangement by Oscar Peterson and two compositions by Hiromi Uehara: Green Tea Farm and The Tom and Jerry Show.

From a discarded piano to the Cliburn finals

Stephenson began piano lessons at age 7 while growing up in New York City. The following year, he entered Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program, a full-scholarship initiative serving students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in classical music.

He advanced to Juilliard’s Pre-College division at 10, studying with Matti Raekallio, Hung-Kuang Chen and Ernest Barretta, with additional support from his earlier teacher Beth Nam.

His instrument at home was less distinguished.

Stephenson initially practiced on a synthesizer before finding an upright piano that an elementary school had discarded on the street. He used it for six years, until the Lang Lang International Music Foundation provided him with a new piano at 17.

He has credited a network of community and educational organizations with giving him the training, confidence and exposure that allowed his talent to develop. Those programs included the Third Street Music School, Young People’s Choir, Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program, Morningside Music Bridge, Boys’ Club of New York and the Lang Lang foundation.

The Boys’ Club introduced him to jazz, while the Lang Lang foundation, he has said, helped transform him “from a piano student to a young artist.”

That combination of rigorous classical training and early jazz exposure can be heard in Thursday’s program, which moves from monumental works of the European piano tradition to three generations of jazz composition.

Recognition followed his Cliburn breakthrough

Stephenson reached the final round of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, becoming the first Black pianist to do so in the competition’s history. He was also named a Gilmore Young Artist that year.

His career has accelerated since then. He received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2024, won the inaugural Nina Simone Piano Competition that year and received a Sphinx Medal of Excellence in 2025. He also served as artist-in-residence with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra during its 2024-25 season.

Recent engagements have included performances with the Houston, North Carolina and Cincinnati symphonies; appearances at the Grand Teton, Grant Park and Tippet Rise festivals; and recitals at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

Stephenson completed the Harvard-New England Conservatory dual-degree program in 2023, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard and a master’s degree in piano performance from the conservatory, where he studied with Wha Kyung Byun.

A free master class Friday morning

Stephenson will return to the church from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Aug. 7, for a free public master class titled “Keying into Musical Efficiency.”

The session will focus on how professional musicians practice and develop strategies for learning music more quickly. Prepared pianists may register to perform during the class, while those who simply want to observe do not need to register.

The session is one of four free master classes and jam sessions accompanying this summer’s concerts.

Four decades of summer music

The Summer Concert Series began in 1985 and is now in its 41st season at the Spanish Revival-style church across from the Biltmore Hotel. Organizers have presented classical, jazz and crossover performers in the sanctuary while also building education programs for young musicians.

This year’s six-concert schedule has included cellists Empire Wild, saxophonist Langston Hughes II, vibraphonist Warren Wolf and guitarist Leonela Alejandro. After Stephenson’s recital, the season will conclude Aug. 20 with jazz vocalist Kate Kortum.

If you go…

Clayton Stephenson
Community Arts Program Summer Concert Series

Thursday, Aug. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ
3010 De Soto Blvd., Coral Gables

General admission: $35 in advance; $40 at the door
Patron seating in rows 1 through 9: $50 in advance; $55 at the door

Free master class: Friday, Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. to noon at the same location.