''In a post-modern era often characterised by various aesthetic movements, it is especially enriching to encounter an artist like Roger Steptoe, who possesses a fresh and individual voice at once original, accessible and adventurous.''
The New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians 2000
''Son écriture, tout en affirmant l'independance d'un caractère original, ne renie rien de l'actuel contexte extraordinairement fécond, pas plus qu'il ne rejette les maîtres qui l'ont précédé et qui ne cessent de le nourrir.''
La Montagne, Centre France, Clermont-Ferrand
News 
version Française
Updated 28th June 2010
STOP PRESS
Roger Steptoe (by permission of Dwight Pounds
of the American Viola Society)
NEW ORGAN WORK FOR MICHAEL MATTHES
Michael Matthes, organist of the Cathedral in Troyes in northeast France is to premiere a new Toccata by Roger Steptoe in 2011. This distinguished French organist will also record the work for his latest CD which will also feature in 2011.
NEW WORKS FROM EDITIONS BIM
Five new works by Roger Steptoe have recently appeared in the Editions BIM catalogue. The most recent, the Sonatine II for cello and piano, Dance Music for brass band (a new version by James Gourlay), the Tuba Sonata, the Sonatine II for organ and Douranda as Trevas for two tubas and vibraphone (or horn, tuba and vibraphone) mark the on-going association between Steptoe and the internationally well-known Swiss publishers, Editions BIM.
Sarah-Jane Bradley, viola (left), Adrienne Murray, mezzo (right) with Roger Steptoe after the world premiere of the Three Paul Verlaine Songs for mezzo, viola and piano, Erin Arts Centre, Isle of Man, March 2010. Photo by kind permission of Dwight Pounds, American Viola Society.
STEPTOE IN NEW YORK IN SEPTEMBER
Theodore Roosevelt's Birthplace, Cornell University, The Juilliard School and The Smith Opera House, Geneva, are some of the venues for Steptoe's American Landmark Festivals tour of New York State in September.
With Rochester Philharmonic's principal cellist, Stefan Reuss, Steptoe gives the New York City premiere of Sonatine II in Roosevelt's Birthplace, 28 East-20th Street (5th Avenue) on Saturday 11 September at 2pm. In the same recital Steptoe also performs with the American baritone, Jimi James. The programme which is presented by the New York-based American Landmark Festivals (founder the late Francis Heilbut) includes Debussy's Cello Sonata and features music heard by President Roosevelt in a concert at The White House in 1904 at which Pablo Casals played.
Steptoe's Sonatine was given its world premiere by Stefan Reuss and Roger Steptoe last September in The Smith Opera House, Geneva, in Upstate New York.
The young American viola player, Luke Fleming, will give the US premiere of the Sonatine I for solo viola as part of his Doctorate recital at The Juilliard on Friday 10 September at 6pm. His all-British music programme includes music by Britten and Rebecca Clarke. The Sonatine I was the test piece for the 2010 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition held earlier this year at the Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin, Isle of Man.
On Friday 17 September and at the invitation of Professor of Composition, Steven Stucky, Steptoe visits the Music Faculty at Cornell University to give a class for the composers.
Saturday 18 September sees Steptoe appear for the fourth time at The Smith Opera House, Geneva, repeating the Roosevelt Birthplace programme at 8pm. The concert is organised and presented by The Smith Opera House in association with American Landmark Festivals, President Gena Rangel.
French premiere of the SONATINE I for solo viola in August
Adrien La Marca won the Editions BIM Prize for the best interpretation of Steptoe's Sonatine I for solo viola, and also the 2010 Uzerche Festival Prize offered to this outstanding young French viola player during the 2010 Lionel Tertis Infternational Viola Competition. He will give the Sonatine's French Premiere in the Abbatiale Saint-Pierre as part of the 2010 Uzerche Festival of Music in France on August 22nd.
Roger Steptoe with Adrien La Marca and Noël Cringle
Photo : Dwight Pounds (for the American Viola Society 2010). Used with permission
The Sonatine was decribed by Dwight Pounds, journalist for the Journal of the American Viola Society, as being ''... a beautiful, challenging and cogent composition and one that surely will find its way to the New World via the American and other contestants who learned it.''
Sonatine I was the test piece for the 2010 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and featured in Rounds 1 and 3 of this renowned competition held in the Erin Arts Centre, Port Erin, Isle of Man from 20th to 27th March inclusive. Already the work has been performed worldwide.
Roger Steptoe (far right) with the jury, team and competitors of the 2010 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, Erin Arts Centre, Isle of Man, March 2010.Photo reproduced: by kind permission of Dwight Pounds.
The work is dedicated to Dr John Bethell MBE, director of the Erin Arts Centre, who celebrated his 70th birthday on 9 April 2010.
The work is available from Editions BIM.
view an extract from the score
Sonatine I in London 2011
The London premiere of Sonatine I will be given on January 30th 2011 in the Wigmore Hall, by Milena Pajaro-Van de Stadt, the outright winner of the 2010 Tertis Competition. Ms Pajaro-van de Stadt is currently studying at the Curtis Institute of Music with Roberto Diaz and Michael Tree.
Milena Pajaro-Van de Stadt
Photo : Dwight Pounds (for the American Viola Society 2010). Used with permission
SONATINE III for organ
This, the third in an on-going series of instrumental Sonatines, was premiered by the French Chartres International Organ Competition winner, Emmanuel Hocdé, in Craon (Mayenne), France, on 5th June 2010.
This 8-minute work for organ solo continues the musical flavour established in the first two Sonatines. However it draws on a Chorale of JS Bach, ''Verleih' uns Frieden gnädiglich'' (Mercifully grant us peace), freely using thematic references before exposing an extract of the original Chorale at the end.
The work is published by Editions BIM.
NEW WORKS in the pipe-line
Sonata for viola and piano. Unanimously encouraged by the jury of the 2010 Lionel Tertis Competition,Steptoe's new work will be available for late 2010. It will form an invaluable contribution to the contemporary viola repertoire.
Ballade for horn and chamber orchestra (2obs, 2hns, timps, side drum and strings). Piano reduction will be available.
All works available from Editions BIM.
Roger Steptoe's Tuba Sonata has been selected as one of the set works for the 15th International Performers' Competition
– Tuba - Brno, Czech Republic - 27th September to 2nd October, 2010.
The Sonata replaces the Hindemith Sonata in Round 2. The work is now available from Editions BIM.
view an extract from the score 
Listen to an audio extract
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All of Roger Steptoe's recent music (2003 onwards) is published exclusively by the Swiss publishing house, Editions BIM. All enquiries should be addressed to Jeremy Mathez. jm@editions-bim.com
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All other works of Roger Steptoe continue to be published by the UK publishing house, Stainer & Bell, London, UK. All enquiries to Caroline Holloway. caroline@stainer.co.uk
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For more information and to buy copies of the works mentioned on this website you are respectfully asked to contact the publishers concerned. Please see the works list for full details.
