Stephen Morris is a composer based in Toronto, whose music strives to create musical experiences which separate the listener’s connection to the world through the expression of atmospheric and trance-inducing works. His music has been published in the SCI Journal of Music Scores and included in concerts, conferences, short films, theatre productions, and installations around the world. Stephen’s music has been performed in places such as Arizona State University, Carnegie Hall, Chateau De Fontainebleau, Trojhalí Karolina, Yancheng First Public Retail Market, New York University, and the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He has collaborated with ensembles and artists like the Prague Philharmonia, Imani Winds, Moscow Contemporary Ensemble, Hanzhi Wang, Odin Quartet, Lincoln Centre Theatre Directors Lab, and Theodor Milkov. 

Stephen has participated in various music festivals as a composer such as Ostrava Days (Czech Republic), Écoles d'art américaines de Fontainebleau (France), Impuls (Austria), reMusik (Russia), Don’t Sleep In Yancheng (China), Imani Winds Chamber Festival (USA), Charlotte New Music Festival (USA), Music At The Close (USA), and SCI Regional Conference (USA).  

Stephen is a graduate of Mannes School of Music where he earned his Masters of Music in composition. In his year of graduation, his work Nocturnal was performed by MACE, a school chamber orchestra under the direction of Lowell Liebermann. Stephen was also a part of the Glassbox Collective at Mannes, which consisted of fellow composers and performers. Stephen’s string quartet After The Light was included in the Carnegie Hall Concert Music At The Close, which included members of the Glassbox Collective.   

Stephen is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto, studying with Kotoka Suzuki. He has worked as the composer in residence for the University of Toronto Percussion Ensemble and Wind Symphony. Stephen Is the winner of the 2023 Karen Kieser Prize In Canadian Music, which is awarded to a graduate student each year whose work is judged to be especially promising.  

Stephen has previously studied with Reiko Füting, and Huang Ruo. He has taken lessons and master classes with Tristan Murail, Malin Bång, George Lewis, Christian Wolff, Bernhard Lang, Bright Sheng, Dmitri Kourliandski, Vladimir Tarnopolsky, Gary Kulesha, Deqing Wen, Ana Sokolovic, and Zosha Di Castri.