Stephen Seidenman

Steven's most important 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. He began folk and classical guitar lessons at a local music store in Wheaton, Maryland. He subsequently received years of lessons, both in the U.S. and abroad, with concert guitarists Jan Filip, Larry Snitzler, and Myrna Sislen. He has performed in master classes with internationally recognized 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 with the late Uruguayan composer Guido Santorsola. He also studied harmony with composer Robert Parris at the George Washington University. He has performed at a variety of venues, including Maryland's "Dining With The Arts" series, Strathmore Hall Music Center, Lisner Auditorium, The Montpelier Recital Series, The Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, and the Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival (Zihuafest) in Mexico. He has made numerous guitar transcriptions of classical composers, and has released two CD's. His repertoire, in addition to solo guitar music spanning from the Renaissance through to the present, including music written for him, also includes tasteful arrangements of vintage Jazz standards, as well as music from the chamber music repertoire for guitar and violin, flute, and string quartet. He has also taught guitar for many years.