An Early Interest in Music
Stephen Tirpak was born into a musical family and began studying violin and drums at a very early age. In middle school he became interested in the trumpet and started playing jazz and classical music. As a child, Stephen sang in the Philadelphia Boys Choir and toured the world, singing in many of the most prestigious concert halls including Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
Stephen attended the High School for Creative and Performing Arts. It was there that he discovered the drive to practice. As a young musician, he started playing trumpet at various clubs around the city. While in college, he played the bass trumpet and since then has gotten serious with the slide trombone. By this time, Stephen was frequently walking into studio sessions with both instruments in hand.
Experiences Composing,
Studio Engineering
Stephen studied composition at The University of the Arts and later went on to work with world renowned string arranger and cellist, Larry Gold. Beginning as a copyist and transcriber at “The Studio”, Stephen eventually began arranging and co-arranging with Gold. Some of the projects that they’ve worked on together include, R. Kelly’s “Happy People”, Boyz II Men’s “Throwback”, The Luther Vandross Tribute Album “So Amazing” as well as Disney / Pixar’s soundtrack for the movie “Robots” and Colombia / MGM’s “Yours, Mine and Ours”.
Live Performances, Touring the World
Some of Stephen’s live performances include stints with LL Cool J at Sony and BET, The Roots at Radio City Music Hall and The Spanish Harlem Orchestra at the international 2005 LA Salsa Congress. Stephen is currently the horn section leader and arranger for the John Legend Band where he has played both the trumpet and trombone chairs over the past 2 years. During that time he has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals including Madison Square Garden, NY, The Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, The Sun City Amphitheater, South Africa and The Blue Note Tokyo - Japan.
Stephen's young fame has already earned him some press coverage.
Click to see the «« Burlington County Times article »».
Click to read Steve's report from the «« Musician's Seminar at the LA Salsa Congress 2005 »».
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