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Clayton Stephenson ’23 NEC/Harvard Wins 2022 Gilmore Young Artist Award

November 22, 2021

Clayton Stephenson

Stephenson, who studies piano performance and economics in the NEC/Harvard dual-degree program, is one of two recipients of this prestigious award.

Pianist Clayton Stephenson ’23 NEC/Harvard has been named as one of two recipients of the 2022 Gilmore Young Artist Award.

Stephenson and fellow recipient Janice Carissa will each receive a $15,000 stipend to further their musical careers and educational development, as well as $10,000 towards the commissioning of a new piano composition for which the artist will have exclusive performance rights for one year. The pianists will also give solo recitals and orchestral performances during the 2022 Gilmore Piano Festival in Kalamazoo—April 24 through May 15, 2022.

Executive and Artistic Director of The Gilmore, Pierre van der Westhuizen, commented:

“Seeing and hearing Stephenson play immediately reminds you of another element of youth: a sense of wonder. In addition to his technical abilities, he has managed to find his own creative voice early on and to maintain it.”

Stephenson studies economics at Harvard and piano performance at NEC with Wha Kyung Byun.

You can watch the virtual award presentation featuring Stephenson and Carissa in conversation with Jonathan Biss, a 2002 Gilmore Young Artist Award recipient and current Mildred Levinson Piano Artist-in-Residence at NEC, with performances by the recipients.

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