Hailed by Classical Guitar Magazine as "an accomplished young performer" whose "work is always of note" and by www.thisisclassicalguitar.com as "a fearless and exciting young guitarist with daring virtuosity and an intimate touch on the instrument”, Liverpool born Steven took up guitar at the early age of 5.
In 2005 he was awarded a place at the world famous Chetham’s School of Music and 2007 saw him being offered a coveted entrance scholarship to study at the RNCM with Craig Ogden and Gordon Crosskey. In 2013 he graduated from London’s Royal College of Music with a Masters Degree in Performance with the help of generous scholarships from The Draper’s Company, John Lewis Fund and the Countess of Munster Trust.
Joseph has performed extensively throughout the UK as a soloist and chamber musician, giving recitals in prestigious venues including Bridgewater Hall, Capstone Theatre, V&A Museum and Bolivar Hall.
He has also been the featured concerto artist with many orchestras and ensembles, giving his debut concerto performance (Vivaldi's Lute Concerto in D) in 2011 whilst at the RNCM and going on to give his first performance of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with Southampton Youth Orchestra in 2013, to critical acclaim. In the same year he performed the ‘Aranjuez’ again in the opening concert of the Heswall Arts Festival with L’Orchestra dell’Arte. Steven has also performed with Luton Symphony Orchestra, Sheffield New Ensemble, Bedworth Symphony Orchestra, New Forest Orchestra and Cheshire Sinfonia.
In February 2014 Steven won the Westbourne Symphony Orchestra Adult (21+) Concerto Competition with his performance of the 'Aranjuez' concerto. He went on to perform the piece in several concerts with the orchestra in their summer concert series.
Steven has also been one of the featured entertainers on Cunard and Fred Olsen cruise liners, including performances on the prestigious Queen Mary 2. In early 2016 he was featured in a TV advert for a premier league football match, shown in 185 countries around the world.
As a lover of contemporary music, Steven has had the privilege of giving many world premieres of solo and ensemble works. Composers Duncan Ward, Yunhee Lee, Mark Houghton and Daniel Green have all dedicated works to him.
Steven is also rapidly gaining recognition for his own compositions and arrangements. His debut solo guitar work ‘Voyager’ was described in Classical Guitar Magazine as “a worthy debut in this field by a young player whose work is always of interest”.
Steven has recently released his debut album ‘Firewire’.
