Artist Information
Biography
Steven's early musical influences were a couple of old guitar recordings of Andres Segovia and Narciso Yepes, and the classical piano playing of his father, Neil Seidenman. His first music lessons were in folk and classical guitar at Wheaton Music in Maryland. He subsequently studied with concert guitarists Jan Filip, Larry Snitzler, and Myrna Sislen, the latter of whom he studied with at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He steadily increased his knowledge of music history and the classical repertoire beyond that of the guitar through years of collecting records, listening to the radio, and reading.
He has performed in master classes with internationally acclaimed guitarists Frederick Hand, Michael Cedric-Smith, and Roland Dyens. He was among the musicians selected to perform in a series of master classes in music interpretation given by the late Uruguayan composer, Guido Santorsola during the Maestro's visit to Washington in 1988. He also attended Segovia's historic last master class and commemorative held at The University of Southern California in 1986. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Maryland, and studied harmony with composer Robert Parris at The George Washington University.
In addition to performing at cafes, restaurants, receptions and various special events, Steven has given numerous concerts, both as soloist and in duets with flute, clarinet, and violin, for the Montgomery County Arts Council, The Martin Luther King Memorial Library, The Washington Guitar Society, Church of the Epiphany, Strathmore Hall Music Center, Rockville Civic Center, and The Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, among others.
He performed as a winner of the Montpelier Recital Competition; one of only two musicians to first win in its guitar category. He performed twice for Montgomery County Cable TV. In 1996 he edited and performed the original guitar score with orchestra of the broadway musical "The Pajama Game" with the Damascus Theater Company.
In 2011 he was invited to perform at the 8th annual Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival in Southern Mexico.
Other musical activities have included his service as Vice-President of the Washington Guitar Society, and as founding editor of its newsletter. He has written several concert reviews of local and visiting artists, as well as articles on Andres Segovia, Christopher Parkening, Narciso Yepes and others. He has also made several guitar transcriptions of music by Bach, Vivaldi, Paganini, Mendelssohn, and other classical composers.
Steven's musical interests range from original guitar music from the Renaissance and Baroque through that of the 18th and 19th century guitar virtuosos, as well as the 20th century repertoire, including guitar greats such as Antonio Lauro and Heitor Villa-Lobos. He also performs less well known guitar music by composers such as Michael Berkeley (England) and Hans Haug (Switzerland). His repertoire also includes tasteful arrangements of vintage Jazz standards, as well as several works from the guitar chamber music repertoire, including music for guitar and flute, violin, and string quartet by Giuliani, Paganini, Sor, Berlioz, Boccherini, Schubert, Bach, Mozart and other outstanding classical composers.
Instrumentation
classical guitar
Discography
Prelude Impromptu - Guitar Gems From Bach to Berkeley
Guitar Recital
Official Website
Video
Photo Gallery
Setlist
Set usually divided into two parts, each one lasting approximately 45 minutes.
Varied programming selected from repertoire such as the following.
Bach: Prelude from "The Well-Tempered Clavier"
Violin Suite in B minor
Cello Suite No. 3
Lute Suite No. 2
Adagio for Organ
Scarlatti: Sonata
Handel: Sarabande
6 Renaissance Lute Pieces
Milan: Pavanes
Mudarra: Fantasy
S. L. Weiss: Fantasy (originally for lute)
Sor: Sonata in C, Op. 15
Grand Sonata, Op. 22
Variations on a Scottish Theme, Op. 40
Variations on a Theme of Mozart, Op. 9
Etudes
Minuets
Grand Solo, Op. 14
"Le Candeur" - Petite Reverie Sur Le Guitare
"La Romanesca" (transcription of version for guitar and
violin)
Giuliani: Rossiniana
Mertz: "To Malvina", Op. 13
"To My Distant One," Op. 13
Etude, Op. 13
Hungarian Fantasy
Paganini: Grand Sonata in A
Legnani: Caprice
Tarrega: Recuerdos de la Alambra,
Minuet,
Marieta (mazurka), Estudio Brillante (based on Alard), Preludes
Pujol: The Bumblebee (etude)
Turina: Fandanguillo
Castelnuovo-Tedesco:
Sonata (Omaggio A Boccherini)
Ponce: Andantino Variato (based on Paganini)
Balletto
Berkeley: Impromptu
De Falla: Homenaje Pour Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy
Villa-Lobos:
Prelude, Etude
Lauro: Venezuelan Waltes
Regondi: Etude
G. Sagreras: Una Lagrima (Etude)
J. Sagreras: "El Colibri" (The Hummingbird)
Haug: Alba
Catalonian Folk Songs (arranged by Llobet)
Albeniz: Leyenda
Tango
Cadiz
