James Michael Stevens

Birth: Ft. Worth, Texas
February 7, 1961

Education:

Doctorate – Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, August 2004

Graduate - Master of Church Music, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, May 1995

College - Bachelor of General Studies in Music and Humanities, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, August 1985

High School - Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Alabama, May 1979

Experience:

• Dean of the School of Music at Welch College in Nashville, TN June 2004 - present

• Voting member of the GRAMMYs at The Recording Academy

• Named a Whisperings Solo Piano Artist, July 2020.

• Film score composer with different networks/shows including "The Young & the Restless" CBS, The Discovery Channel, the documentary "The Cells of Baldwin County," and others.

• Winner of the Sheet Music Plus New Years Selling Contest for the solo piano book, “Prelude to a Wedding,” July 2016

• Winner of the 2015 Steinway Piano Contest

• Presented the Welch College Academic Advisor Award of the Year, 2012-2013

* Piano CD, "Romanza of the Heart," accepted to be included in Pandora Radio's listening list, May 2013.

• Columnist and Senior Music & Culture Advisor for Christian Today, a worldwide newspaper based in London, England, May 2006 - 2010

• Adjunct Professor of Church Music at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY teaching music theory, arranging, composition, and improvisation August 2002 – May 2003

• Published composer of over 8,000 compositions with numerous companies including: Alfred Music, LifeWay, Shawnee Press, Hal Leonard, Lorenz, Brentwood/Benson, Warner Brothers, Fred Bock, Abington, Monarch, Integra, Harold Flammer, GlorySound, Doxology, Piano Guild, Carol Press, Triune, Kirkland House, Belwin Mills, Hinshaw, Goliard, StevenSong, Sunmin Music (S. Korea), Choral 21 (South Korea), James M Stevens Music ASCAP, and others

• Winner of numerous ASCAP Standard Awards for Composition

• Over 1,200 recordings on Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and other streaming outlets

• Founder of StevenSong Publishing & Jimbo and Friends Music (purchased by Shawnee Press)

• Who's Who In America - Marquis' 60th Anniversary Edition, 2005

• Former President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA)

• Featured on Sirius XM Radio, KLM Air France, One World Music Radio, Business Overhead Radio, Games & Apps, and various other venues

• Conducting experience with choirs for adults, youth, and children as well as instrumental groups and hand bells

• Accomplished Pianist in many different styles of music including: classical, jazz, country, gospel, and pop

• National Music Clinician for various groups and publishers including: Shawnee Press, LifeWay, Sunmin Music, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, National Association of Free Will Baptists, Tennessee Baptist Convention, Arkansas Baptist Convention, Kentucky Baptist Convention, and the Mississippi Baptist Convention.

• Locations of Music Clinician sites include: San Diego, CA, Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI, Canton, OH, Nashville, TN, Louisville, KY, Cincinnati, OH, Stroudsburg, PA, Lexington, KY , Knoxville, TN, Jackson, TN, Jackson, MS, Ridgecrest, NC, Glorieta, NM, Seoul, South Korea, and others.

• Professional Music Engraving experience using Finale with companies such as Shawnee Press, Goliard, StevenSong, Sunmin Music, and Life Way for choral anthems and piano books

• Professional Music Transcription experience with companies such as Life Way, Brentwood/Benson, Karaoke, Combs Music, and Goliard by ear from recordings and by reducing orchestrations for piano and voices
 

• Music performed and purchased in over 100 countries including: USA, Canada, Mexico, Russia, England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Austria, South Africa, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Egypt, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Philippines, and many others

• Significant Teachers include: Mr. Randy Bolden (St Dominic Church, Mobile, AL, piano and organ), (Mr. Steve Nelson (Samford University, Birmingham, AL, Piano), Mr. Bob Burroughs (Samford University, Music Theory), Mr. Greg Sewell (Samford University, Private Music Composition/Arranging), Dr. Gerald Moore, (David Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN, Private Music Composition/Choral Arranging), Dr. Ronald Boud (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, TN, Private Piano, Private Composition/Arranging). Dr. Douglas Smith (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Orchestration), Dr. Maurice Hinson (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Piano Literature and Piano Pedagogy), Mr. Joseph Baber (Kentucky University, Lexington, KY, Private Composition/ Orchestration and Doctoral Advisor), Dr. Lance Bruner (Private Studies in Medieval/Renaissance History and Twentieth Century History and Compositional Practices), Dr. Richard Domek (University of Kentucky, Music Counterpoint), Ms.Veronica Joines (Welch College, Gallatin, TN, Violin Composition/Arranging), Mr. Gerry Senechal (Welch College, Organ Composition/Arranging), Mr. Thornton Cline (Welch College, Violin Composition).

• Over 100 piano workshops shared outside of Welch College since becoming a professor in 2004 dealing with piano arranging, composition, and improvisation. These include workshops at the annual Free Will Baptist National Convention, Ridgecrest, NC (Southern Baptist Music Week), Glorieta, NM (Southern Baptist Music Week), Tennessee Baptist Convention, Arkansas Baptist Convention, Mississippi Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (taught as a graduate level course for master and doctoral levels students), Baylor University, and in Seoul, Korea in 2008 and 2015 which was sponsored by Sunmin Music.

• Over twenty years of experience in church music ministry positions in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Grand Cayman, and Florida

• Eagle Scout