Stephen Katz is a cellist, composer, guitarist and teacher. He has premiered his cello compositions at Carnegie Hall and has performed with the Paul Winter Consort. He has been a pioneer in the art of what he calls Counterpoint Strumming techniques for the cello and continues to develop a repertoire of right/left hand pizzicato pieces which incorporate melody and accompaniment into a single, idiomatic cello part. He is music director and composer for the Pioneer Valley-based company Wire Monkey Dance, has collaborated and performed with members of Pilobolus Dance Company, and has been a Visiting Artist at Amherst College. As a co-founder of the cello/movement/theater company Seen & Heard with dancer/monologist BJ Goodwin, Stephen literally danced with the cello while accompanying the dramas they played out on stage. Stephen's solo recording First Person Singular features his songwriting, singing and guitar playing in addition to the cello, and was hailed by Connecticut Songsmith as "an incredible debut album by a new and important artist." His recent releases (Looking Up and Earthdance) feature his looped compositions and improvisations. His multi-tracked, multi-instrumental Works for Dance and Theater CDs are also available. A native of San Francisco, Stephen received a Master of Music degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and lives in Haydenville, Massachusetts.

sk@stephenkatzmusic.com