The works of Stephen Lias have b

The works of Stephen Lias have been performed in concert and recital throughout the United States and abroad by soloists and ensembles including The Louisiana Sinfonietta, The Capstone Quintet, The Monmouth College Chorale, The Red Stick Saxophone Quartet, the NYU New Music Ensemble, and the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin. His music is published by Conners Publications, ALRY Publications, Brassworks 4, Cimarron Music Press, and Southern Music, and his song cycle Songs of a Sourdough is available on Centaur Records. He was selected as the 2003 Commissioned Composer for the Texas Music Teachers Association, and has received ASCAPlus Awards every year since 1999. His chamber works are regularly premiered at regional and national conferences. In 2006, he was honored as a finalist in the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin's "Homage to Mozart" composition contest and his piece "Pursued" was performed in Moscow and at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. He was a finalist in the 2008 Art Song Competition sponsored by the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Dr. Lias is also active in the area of theatrical incidental music and has served for eleven years as composer and music director at the Texas Shakespeare Festival.

In recent years, Stephen Lias has become more and more focused on being an adventurer-composer. His passion for travel and the outdoors has led him to compose such works as “On the High Chisos,” “Prince William Sound,” “River Runner,” and, most recently, “Kings Canyon.” Continuing this pursuit, he was chosen to be an Artist-in-Residence for Rocky Mountain National Park in 2010 and will write a new trumpet sonata based on locations and experiences in this celebrated park.

As a teacher, Dr. Lias strives to lead his composition students to genuine and artistic musical expression, while incorporating a strong emphasis on contemporary media and cross-disciplinary collaboration. His students have scored films, been commissioned and published, and are the recipients of regional and national awards.

Stephen Lias received degrees from Messiah College, Stephen F. Austin State University, and Louisiana State University. His teachers have included Dinos Constantinides, Dan Beatty, and Darrell Holt. Dr. Lias currently resides in Nacogdoches, Texas where he is Professor of Composition and Theory at Stephen F. Austin State University. He is a Distinguished Arts Associate of Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity and a member of ASCAP, the College Music Society, the Society of Composers, Inc, and the American Music Center. He serves on both the Texas and national boards of the National Association of Composers/USA, and is the Founder and Director of The Composer’s Site. He is the Texas delegate to the International Society of Contemporary Music and serves on the editorial board of World New Music Magazine..