Alfred R. Stevenson

Alfred R. Stevenson. (* 20. September 1973 in Obervellach, real name Stefan Rothschopf) is an Austrian composer and conductor. The emphasis of his work is up to the symphonic wind orchestra but he is also known for his compositions for brass ensemble.

Education & Career

Since his early childhood he has been inspired by music. So he got Trumpet lessons from Prof. Christoph Vierbauch and later Trombone lessons from Peter Vierbach. After the change to the Kärntner Landeskonservatorium in Klagenfurt under Prof. Rupert Hörmanseder and the graduation from technical college he became a member of the Carinthian military band as a Bass Trombonist. He served there until 2010. In this time he also studied concert band conducting and graduated with distinction in 1995. Numerous master classes led him a.o. to H. Robert Reynolds, Maurice Hamers, Jan Cober, Dennis Johnson, Felix Hauswirth, Jan van der Roost and Karolos Trikolidis. Stevenson also studied composition under Karl Safaric, Thomas Doss and Franz Kühnel.

In 1995 he was appointed as the conductor of the Trachtenkapelle Rangersdorf and worked as a guest conductor with numerous amateur orchestras such as the Stadtkapelle Feldkirchen, the Werkskapelle of the Knauf AMF Heradesign Ferndorf, the Kärntner Gebirgsschützenkapelle, the Stadtkapelle Spittal an der Drau and the Bundesbahner Stadtkapelle Klagenfurt.

In 2004 he won the 3 prize in the composition competition of the Austrian Concert band association with his work Overture to Avalon.

In 2014 his work Fragments became the test piece of the 9 Austrian Concert band competition.

Stevensons musical works are published by Molenaar Edition, Tirol Musikverlag, Adler Musikverlag and Seeber-Film. His compositions for Brass ensemble are also well known, so his work Carinthian Music Academy (CMA) Fanfare had been performed by the Brass of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO Brass) and by the European Brass Ensemble.

Works

Works for Concert band (selection)

• Tamaras Song (A Tune without Words)

• Open the Doors!

• A Song for Beth (For Solo Soprano Saxophone and Band)

• Silence around the Lake (Symphonic Poem on a Theme by Günther Mittergradnegger)
• Fragments (Based on motives by Rudolf Kummerer)
• The Power of Love
• King of the Skies
• Odin
• Overture to Avalon
• Episodes (Tales from the South of Carinthia)

• Bis zu den Sternen (March)
• Springer Marsch
• Gipfelstürmer (Concert march)
• Der Zukunft Voran! (Concert march)

• Aufzugsmarsch (March from the operetta "Eine Nacht in Venedig" by Johann Strauss II)
• Caroussel-Marsch (March by Johann Strauss II)
• Prozeß-Polka (Polka schnell by Johann Strauss II)

Works for Brass ensemble (selection)

• Im Biergarten (Polka)
• Meine Kinder (Polka)
• Mährische Freunde (Polka)
• Ein neuer Tag (Waltz)
• Die flotte Lotte (Polka)
• In da Großfragant
• Carinthian Music Academy (CMA) Fanfare

Works for Quartet

• Quartet book No. 1 "Highlights der Unterhaltungsmusik"
• Quartet book No. 2 "Oktoberfest"
• Quartet book No. 3 "Bis zu den Sternen"
• Quartet book No. 4 "Disney & more"
• Quartet book No. 5 "Das Weihnachtsalbum"
• Quartet book No. 6 "Hollywood"

Discography (selection)

• Goldene Blasmusik (SoundService; 2006-2007), Trachtenkapelle Rangersdorf - Dietmar Thaler (Conductor)
• Overture to Avalon (Molenaar Edition; 2013), Conservatório de Música do Porto Wind Orchestra - Manuel Fernando Marinho Costa (Conductor)
• Odin (Molenaar Edition; 2015), Academia de Música de Costa Cabral - Luís Carvalhoso (Conductor), Altena Brassband - Jan Gerrit (Conductor), Banda de Música da Força Aérea - Rui Silva and António Manuel Cardoso Rosado (Conductors)
• Concerto pour Grand Orchestre d'Harmonie (Molenaar Edition; 2015), Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa - José Rafael Pascual-Vilaplana (Conductor)
• Au Cirque (Molenaar Edition; 2019), Banda Sinfónica da Polícia de Segurança Pública - José Manuel Ferreira Brito (Conductor)

• Strauss & Co. (Seeber Film; 1998), Bundesbahner Stadtkapelle Klagenfurt - Michael Janesch (Conductor)