Allan Stephenson


Allan Stephenson is a British born South African composer, cellist and conductor.

Life

Born in Wallasey, near Liverpool, he studied the cello in Manchester at the Royal Manchester College of Music before moving to Cape Town in 1973 to join the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. He retained the position of associate principal cello until the CTSO closed in 1997. After landing in Cape Town on 13 January 1973, he quickly became involved teaching cello at SACS, and managed these two jobs until his fiancée Christine arrived from England to also teach at SACS. They were married in July 1973.
He directed the UCT College Orchestra from 1978-88 and taught as a part-time lecturer of both cello and composition at the University of Cape Town.
A successful and well-known composer in South Africa, he composed one act of the Mandela Trilogy, a three act opera documenting the three stages of Nelson Mandela's life. Mike Campbell and Peter Louis van Dijk composed the other two acts of this Naledi award-winning production. Stephenson has written over 110 works including a large number of instrumental and chamber pieces, three operas,
two symphonies and concertos for Piano, Oboe and Piccolo. He is also noted for arranging a large number of ballets, including Tales of Hoffman, La Traviata and Camille for Cape Town City Ballet. He founded the Cape Town Chamber Orchestra and ran I Musicanti, a string chamber orchestra, for several seasons. He continues to play cello and conduct the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra when it accompanies Cape Town City Ballet.

Works

Operas