Pianist and educator Stephen Mulvahill, a native of Houston, is an active performing artist and experienced teacher at both the collegiate and pre-college levels. Stephen is Adjunct Professor of Piano and Music History at St. Ambrose University and Adjunct Professor of Music Theory, Aural Skills, and Piano at Kirkwood Community College. He is an ABD doctoral candidate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa, where his primary mentor is Dr. Rène Lecuona. Stephen is certified in the Suzuki method and teaches piano at Centrally Rooted in Dubuque. Before that, he taught piano and conducted orchestras for six years at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City. In his teaching, Stephen uses a strengths-based and supportive approach to help students develop a beautiful piano tone, a sensitive ear, and a fluid and effortless piano technique.
As a pianist, Stephen has won top prizes in the Rosen-Schaffel Concerto Competition and University of Iowa Concerto Competition and has performed at music festivals around the United States and in Europe. He completed a secondary area of study in orchestral conducting at UI and has been invited to give master classes and judge competitions at the college and pre-college level. Stephen’s doctoral research centers on building social equity in piano pedagogy.
Stephen holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a Bachelor of Music degree in Applied Piano from the University of Houston. He is married to clarinetist and educator Ana Maria Locke and has a five-year-old daughter, Anastasia Sophia. When he’s not teaching, practicing, or teaching some more, Stephen enjoys being out in nature, cappuccinos, reading, and playing pretend with his daughter.
