Stephen Kopp

As a child Stephen always loved music and enjoyed playing with his toy keyboard for hours. When he turned 8, he began weekly piano lessons. By age 12, Stephen was sight-reading pieces in his music class – entertaining fellow students and his teacher.

At age 14, the press cited him as a "Keyboard Player of Incendiary Genius" following his first performance at the Kleinert/James Art Center in Woodstock. The same year, Stephen began lessons with Blanca Uribe, an artist of international distinction, who is occupant of the George Sherman Dickenson Chair in music at Vassar College.

Stephen had his New York City solo recital debut at Steinway Hall on January 16, 2001, at age 15.

He most recently became a 2nd prize winner of the 6th biennial Pinault International Piano Competition and will be performing January 31, 2004 at Cami Hall in New York City.

Stephen will soon turn 18 and is being recognized for his outstanding talent having performed for the Saugerties Pro Musica series, Kingston's Artist in residence program at Holy Cross Church, and at the Uptown's Kingston Fine Arts Music Series at the Old Dutch Church. He has also offered many benefit concerts to student and adult audiences.

Some reviewers have called Stephen a prodigy.

"Kopp displays electric, joyous and mysterious aspects; there is an inhuman, ageless quality to his play, profoundly moving to mortals who share his flight."

"Kopp tripped to the infinite, where music comes from, carrying his audience, shocked to tears along for the ride…with a psychic energy surpassing power, an assimilated fusion of myriad noted complexities and a lyrical sensuality, This artist soars in the realm of great Slavic pianists..."

Kitty Montgomery
The Kingston Daily Freeman.

"And in the most memorable playing of the afternoon, Debussy Preludes 'Fireworks', all the elements came together in a shower of color and dazzle that could easily have brought cheers from an audience at Carnegie Hall. It was really that good."

Leslie Gerber
Woodstock Times