Meet Guest Artist Dr. Steph Frye-Clark!

Written by: Dr. Justin Waller, ETSU Assistant Professor of Trombone and JCSO Musician

Dr. Steph Frye-Clark (he/they) is a highly sought-after and internationally recognized performer and educator. They are currently tenured Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at East Tennessee State University where he has been on faculty since 2013. Steph is also the Coordinator of the Brass Area, Interim Director of the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, and ETSU Faculty Trustee.

Steph is regarded as a leading commissioner and performer of queer-centered identity composers and is breaking ground for underrepresented commissions. Recently, he was awarded a Research Development Grant from ETSU, completing a qualitative research/recording project featuring the works of LGBTQ2S+ composers.

Steph has performed with the Milwaukee, Green Bay, Knoxville, Johnson City, La Crosse, Manitowoc, and Fox Valley Symphony Orchestras as well the Symphony of the Mountains.  A renowned chamber musician, they were a member of the acclaimed Mirari Brass Quintet for over ten years.  As a soloist, he has performed at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference and the International Women’s Brass Conference and as a featured soloist with the Lawrence University Wind Ensemble and Windiana.

In addition to their teaching at ETSU, Steph has served as low brass instructor at Lutheran Summer Music for 11 years and has been the tuba instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Summer Music Clinic for both middle and high school students.

They received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Tuba Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013. They received the Master of Music degree from UW-Madison and Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Tuba Performance and Biology respectively from Lawrence University. Steph is a Miraphone Performing Artist.

See Steph perform with the JCSO on Saturday, February 15 at the ETSU Martin Center. Purchase tickets HERE or at the ETSU Martin Center Box Office (423) 439-2787.