Stephen Cook

Stephen Cook is a Doctor of Musical Arts piano performance candidate in the Arizona State University School of Music. A student of Robert Hamilton, Stephen recently was awarded funding from the Arizona Community Foundation to publish a book/CD recording of Rachmaninoff's "9 Etudes-Tableaux Op. 39" for piano entitled "Picturing Rachmaninoff." Designed as an interdisciplinary, multi-sensory experience, "Picturing Rachmaninoff" combines the "9 Etudes-Tableaux Op. 39" of Rachmaninoff with masterpieces of painting and Russian poetry. The work presents the writings of Russian literary masters linked with paintings from which Cook has taken inspiration throughout his own artistic immersion in Rachmaninoff’s piano music. The selected poetry is presented in translation by Alyssa Gillespie, a professor of Russian literature from the University of Notre Dame.

Cook has presented the project live across the country in venues such as the University of Notre Dame and DePaul University in Chicago. Cook has an upcoming performance at the Tempe Center for the Arts on Nov. 16, 2010. He also has been invited to present the project at Arizona State University on Jan. 25, 2011.