His piano teacher didn’t think he could do it. But Clayton Stephenson proved her wrong, becoming the first black pianist to become a finalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022. Not bad for the native New Yorker who started playing on a keyboard synthesizer because his mom couldn’t afford to buy him a piano.
Stephenson is making his Hawaiʻi debut with a series of islandwide concerts featuring music of Brahms, Stravinsky, and Gershwin. He stopped by Hawaiʻi Public Radio to talk to Evening Concert host Craig DeSilva.
Clayton Stephenson’s Hawaiʻi tour:
Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 pm at UH-Mānoa’s Orvis Auditorium
Friday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center
Sunday, March 2 at 2 p.m. at Kahilu Theater
Tuesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at the Kauaʻi Community College Performing Arts Center
