Adventurer-composer Stephen Lias writes music with a strong sense of place and an instinct for drama. His internationally performed orchestral and chamber works draw listeners into worlds shaped by wilderness, literature, theater, and firsthand discovery. Whether exploring a vast mountain landscape or the intricate textures of tundra, he approaches composition as an invitation to experience something extraordinary. Recent premieres include Wind, Water, Sand with the Boulder Philharmonic, It Stands Alone with the Auburn Symphony, and Concerto for Chamber Orchestra with the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra. His music brings the wonder of wild places into the shared experience of the concert hall.

Adventurer-composer Stephen Lias writes music with a strong sense of place and an instinct for drama. His internationally performed orchestral and chamber works draw listeners into worlds shaped by wilderness, literature, theater, and firsthand discovery. Whether exploring a vast mountain landscape or the intricate textures of tundra, he approaches composition as an invitation to experience something extraordinary.

Recent highlights include the Boulder Philharmonic’s 2025 premiere of Wind, Water, Sand and two 2026 premieres: It Stands Alone with the Auburn Symphony and Concerto for Chamber Orchestra with the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra. Mount Rainier National Park’s first official Composer in Residence, Lias has also held residencies at parks including Denali, Glacier, Gates of the Arctic, and Rocky Mountain.

Lias founded and leads Composing in the Wilderness, bringing composers into Alaska’s landscapes to inspire new music. He previously spent eleven years as Composer in Residence and Music Director at the Texas Shakespeare Festival. Based in Nacogdoches, Texas, he is Professor of Composition at Stephen F. Austin State University. His music is published by Alias Press and distributed worldwide by Theodore Presser. He is represented exclusively by Black Tea Music.

Adventurer-composer Stephen Lias writes music with a strong sense of place and an instinct for drama. His internationally performed orchestral and chamber works draw listeners into worlds shaped by wilderness, literature, theater, and firsthand discovery. Whether exploring a vast mountain landscape or the intricate textures of tundra, he approaches composition as an invitation to experience something extraordinary.

Recent seasons have brought major additions to his orchestral repertoire. In January 2025, the Boulder Philharmonic premiered Wind, Water, Sand, written in collaboration with Great Sand Dunes National Park. March 2026 saw the Auburn Symphony premiere It Stands Alone, an orchestral work with synchronized imagery resulting from his appointment as Mount Rainier National Park’s first official Composer in Residence. That June, the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra premiered his Concerto for Chamber Orchestra, a single-movement commission that unfolds over twenty-five minutes and shares its instrumentation with Mozart’s Symphony No. 40.

These works continue a sustained relationship with America’s national parks. Since 2009, Lias has created an extensive series of compositions informed by immersive exploration and collaboration with the National Park Service. He has held residencies at Rocky Mountain, Denali, Glacier, Glacier Bay, Gates of the Arctic, Bering Land Bridge, and Mount Rainier. Hiking, kayaking, and backcountry travel supply experiences that later become musical narratives, allowing audiences to encounter distant places through performance.

A milestone in that work came in 2017, when the Boulder Philharmonic performed All the Songs that Nature Sings at the Kennedy Center. Commissioned with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the piece grew from his connection with Rocky Mountain National Park. His music has also been performed by the Anchorage Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Maryland Symphony, Arianna Quartet, Russian String Orchestra, and Ensamble de Trompetas Simón Bolívar, among others.

Close collaboration with performers continues to shape Lias’s chamber music. Recent projects include Caribou Lichen, a flute-and-guitar work commissioned by Andrew Manka and premiered at the 2025 National Flute Association convention, and Orbital, written for flutist Marie Bennett. An upcoming commission from the Auburn Symphony carries the working title The Salish Sea. His Mélange of Neumes received the National Flute Association’s 2011 Best New Published Work award.

Theater and literature are enduring sources of inspiration. Lias served for eleven years as Composer in Residence and Music Director at the Texas Shakespeare Festival. His creative activities also include photography and the development of synchronized imagery for orchestral performance.

As an educator, Lias creates opportunities for others to make their own artistic discoveries. He founded and leads Composing in the Wilderness, offered by the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. Founded in 2012, the program combines exploration of Alaska’s landscapes with composition and performances of newly created works.

Lias is Professor of Composition at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. He earned degrees from Messiah College, Stephen F. Austin State University, and Louisiana State University. His music is published by Alias Press and distributed worldwide by Theodore Presser. He is represented exclusively by Black Tea Music.Description text goes here

• All the Songs that Nature Sings (2017) — Orchestral work commissioned by the Boulder Philharmonic with National Endowment for the Arts funding. Performed at the Kennedy Center’s SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras and by the Rochester Philharmonic.

• It Stands Alone (2025) — Thirteen-minute orchestral work commissioned by Mount Rainier National Park to commemorate its 125th anniversary. Your CV lists the world premiere by the Auburn Symphony on March 29, 2026.

• Wind, Water, Sand (2024) — Fourteen-minute orchestral work commissioned by Great Sand Dunes National Park. Your CV lists the world premiere by the Boulder Philharmonic on January 12, 2026.

• Concerto for Chamber Orchestra (2026) — Commissioned by the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra.

• Gates of the Arctic (2014) — Orchestral work premiered by the Boulder Philharmonic, conducted by Michael Butterman. Subsequent performances include the Rochester Philharmonic and the Shreveport, Fairbanks, Lancaster, and Williamsburg symphonies.

• Crown of the Continent (2015) — Orchestral work inspired by Glacier National Park. Featured on NPR’s Performance Today, recorded by the Moravian Philharmonic, and programmed on ten concerts in China during the Athens Philharmonia’s 2019 tour.

• Glacier Bay (2013) — Orchestral work premiered by the East Texas Symphony, conducted by Richard Lee, and subsequently performed by the Anchorage Symphony under Randall Fleischer.

• Denali (2011) — String-orchestra work premiered by the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin. Later performed by the Fairbanks Symphony and featured in the Voices of the Wilderness exhibition celebrating the Wilderness Act’s 50th anniversary.

• Pursued — String-orchestra work commissioned by the Louisiana Sinfonietta and selected as a finalist in the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin’s “Homage to Mozart” competition. Performances include Moscow, with a live Russian radio broadcast, and Weill Recital Hall in New York. Also performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic (2024).

• Blue True Dream of Sky (2022) — Chamber work commissioned by the Grand Valley State New Music Ensemble with NEA support, inspired by Great Basin National Park. Premiered on a tour through five national parks.

• …into the blue (2016) — Twenty-minute string quartet commissioned by the Trustees of the Saint Gaudens Memorial and premiered by the Arianna Quartet at Saint Gaudens National Historic Site.

• Electric Blue Sand (2018 premiere) — Work for string quintet or string orchestra premiered by Sybarite 5.

• Jeffrey Pine (2016) — Chamber work inspired by Ansel Adams’s photograph. Performed by the Wild Shore New Music Ensemble at Federal Hall in New York and on the National Mall for the National Park Service centennial.

• The Knobstone Trail (2019) — Orchestral commission for Carmel High School, premiered at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago.

• Mélange of Neumes (2009) — Flute-choir work premiered by the National Flute Association Professional Flute Choir in New York and recognized by the NFA as Best New Published Work. Subsequent performances include the United Kingdom, Canada, and Thailand.

• Range of Light (2014) — Twenty-five-minute sonata for alto saxophone and piano, written for Nathan Nabb. Performed at the 2018 World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia, and released on two recordings.

• Recent flute commissions (2025) — Echoes from the Deep, commissioned by Marie Bennett, and Caribou Lichen, commissioned by Andrew Manka, both premiered at the 2025 National Flute Association Convention.

• Theatrical scores — Composed original music for more than 25 productions as Music Director and Resident Composer of the Texas Shakespeare Festival, including works by Shakespeare, Molière, and Oscar Wilde.

“...no composer has been more synonymous with our national parks than Stephen Lias.” (Fred Child, Performance Today)

“Stephen Lias creates music that captures and translates a sense of place—both the physical qualities of a landscape and the emotional feelings evoked from experiences in wild places. His compositions are complex, rich, and inspiring.” (Jean Muenchrath, Rocky Mountain National Park Ranger)

“... immediate appeal and is brimming with lyricism.” (Rorianne Schrade, New York Concert Review)

“...an intricately woven masterpiece—a joy to perform, a pleasure to hear, and an important new contribution to the international classical music repertoire.” (Maciej Żółtowski, Conductor, Fenimore Chamber Orchestra)

“...a well crafted and skillfully designed piece that features strong contrasts and great musical drama, woven into an effective orchestral score.” (Peter Alexander, Music Critic for the Boulder Weekly)

“...great melodic and rhythmic momentum...” (Dominic Hartley - Fanfare Magazine)

“...a gorgeous sound world that flows with inspired melody...” (T. Stephen Wager, All Otsego)

“Lias’ harmonies are perfectly judged, just the right amount of spice.” (Colin Clarke - Fanfare Magazine)

“…lushly orchestrated…” (Alex Ross, The New Yorker)