Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Parsons.
Hi Steve, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My family has always been musical, but I didn’t think of music as a career choice until high school when I started writing for bands and choirs. Encouraged by my various directors, I started to compose diligently and consider a degree in composition. I attended Kent State University, where I earned a Bachelor of Music (1995) and Master of Arts (1998) degree, both in music composition, and at that time started to conduct and play piano/keyboard for various theatrical productions. Near the end of achieving my first degree, I started to music direct, play keyboards, and compose incidental music for plays at The Players Guild Theatre in Canton, OH, soon taking over full-time as the resident music director.
Along with the Players Guild, I became the full-time music director at the Carousel Dinner Theatre in Akron, working on all of their productions (and arranging a lot of music) until they closed in 2009. This connection also allowed me to arrange and orchestrate for numerous shows produced in LA and at NYMF (New York Musical Theatre Festival,) as well as develop my own work.
My own musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol has been produced at the Players Guild for 15 years, as well as having productions in Florida, California, Iowa, New York, and Vietnam. In 2016 the show was published by Stage Rights (an imprint of Broadway Licensing) in Los Angeles and is constantly being produced by new theatres.
I had my first published works for concert band in 1997 for RBC Publications, and now have almost 40 works in print for concert band, symphony orchestra, string orchestra, jazz band, and choir through Exclelcia Music Publishing, Wingert-Jones Publications, and RWS Music Company. Many of these works have been named to J.W. Pepper’s “Editor’s Choice” List, and two of my works were selected for Bandworld’s Top 100 pieces of the year.
Additionally, I am on the music faculty at Kent State University – Stark Campus where I teach piano, musicology, conducting, and direct the studio ensembles, am a member of ASCAP and also am a member of The Dramatists Guild of America.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Music is never completely a smooth road, and the challenges are many times financial. I’ve been very fortunate over the years to have a supportive family (particularly my parents) and many colleagues and friends who have recommended me or otherwise hired me to work in those lean times. Being a musician in theatre has helped to find work, but also can be a bit fragmented in needing to hustle for the next “gig.”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I wear many hats job-wise, but I am first and foremost a composer and arranger/orchestrator. Sometimes that means helping others to fully realize their own songs or pieces, other times it coming up with fresh new material of my own for publication or theatrical production. I’ve done everything from writing full charts for a symphony orchestra to creating vocal parts “on the fly” in a recording studio. Aside from writing music, I’m also a conductor for theatre/studio recording/live orchestra performance, which requires not only skill with leading groups but also the ability to teach and balance vocal parts and serve the project to the best of my ability. This many times means that I have to play piano for rehearsals and performance, depending on the needs of the team.
I’m best known for my complete commitment to music and being a very prolific writer who has been told I “Make the largest, most challenging projects look easy.” I’m also known for my sense of humor and treating people of all skill levels with respect and understanding so they feel like they’re legitimately contributing.
I’m probably most proud of my music and the ways people have told me it’s touched them, but also arranging one of my late mother’s pieces and managing to get it published under her name this year. I believe in honoring those who gave so much to me.
The main thing that sets me apart from others is that despite all of my degrees and honors, I’ve never lost the “thrill of discovery.” Music isn’t just a job for me, but a principal component of my life that brings me joy and satisfaction, and I never tire of learning more and more.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
The full fruition of creativity, and the love and support of my wife and baby daughter and family and friends. One must have both to feel complete.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.steveparsonsmusic.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steveparsonscomposer
