St. Louis-based composer, Stephanie Berg, was heralded in 2014 as a “promising new compositional voice” (St. Louis Post Dispatch).  Since that time, she has delivered on that promise, producing a sizeable repertoire of music for ensembles large and small that has been consistently met with “enthusiastic ovations” worldwide and has been described as “fun, creative” (St. Louis Post Dispatch), “vivid,” “unabashedly cinematic” (KDHX), and possessing “a tremendous energy” (David Robertson).  She has had pieces professionally recorded and released on five separate albums, including saxophonist Gail Levinsky’s award-winning album, Quiet Hearts.  Her Oboe Concerto was performed at the 2024 International Double Reed Society Conference by Celeste Johnson, oboe, and members of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.  In 2012 she was selected as a resident composer of the Mizzou International Composers Festival, where her piece Ravish and Mayhem was premiered by the internationally acclaimed ensemble, Alarm Will Sound.  This work was also performed on subscription concerts by the St. Louis Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, and the Arkansas Symphony, where she was named “Composer of the Year” for their 2016-2017 season, and has continued to be performed every year since.  She has received countless performances with organizations such as Symphony Tacoma, Broadway Bach Ensemble, Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, the 484th Army Band, Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association, Texas Tech University Orchestra, Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, and a multitude of universities and conservatories, including Juilliard, Eastman, Oberlin, Royal British Conservatoire, and Indiana University.  Her music has also been performed on numerous chamber series as well, such as the St. Louis Symphony chamber series, including multiple performances of Three Prayers with Grammy Award-winning soprano, Christine Brewer, the Arkansas Symphony chamber series, and Chamber Project St. Louis.  She has received commissions from the Arkansas Symphony, St. Louis Civic Orchestra, Quincy Symphony, St. Louis Low Brass Collective, Chamber Project St. Louis, Ninth Street Philharmonic and the Columbia Civic Orchestra.  Her chamber work, Of Air Sweet and Water Deep, earned her a spot as one of eight national finalists in the 2011 MTNA competition in composition, and in 2013 she was selected as the winner of the Missouri Composers Orchestra Project.  In 2009, she won the prestigious Sinquefield Composition Prize, which resulted in the commissioning of a work for the MU University Philharmonic.

 

Berg has also enjoyed a rich performance career, playing clarinet, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet regularly with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.  For two years she was a member of the Mizzou New Music Ensemble, where she performed regularly throughout the state including annually at the Mizzou New Music Festival, and at venues like the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum, and the World Chess Hall of Fame.  She has also enjoyed performances at Sheldon Hall in St. Louis, on the Odyssey Chamber Music Series, and extensive orchestral experiences, having performed with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Philharmonic, University Philharmonic of MU, Ninth Street Philharmonic, Columbia Civic Orchestra, Missouri Symphony, and Philharmonia Columbia.

 

She also maintains a private studio, teaching composition, clarinet, and saxophone students in the St. Louis area, which she deeply enjoys.  Her students are primarily middle and high school aged, however she welcomes all ages and ability levels.  She has had numerous students participate in the All Suburban and All State honor bands, and achieve “I” ratings at the suburban and state level Solo and Small Ensemble contests.

 

Berg earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Missouri, where she studied with W. Thomas McKenney, Stefan Freund, Paul Garritson, and Edward Dolbashian.  She was selected to participate in composition masterclasses with Armando Bayolo and Andrew List, and has performed in masterclasses with Jane Carl, Anthony McGill, David Shifrin, and Tina Ward.  During her coursework at MU she also served for four years as the graduate assistant for the Creating Original Music Program, where she organized a state-wide composition contest and festival for children of elementary through high school age.