Stephen Butler(XVI)
Stephen Butler was born on September 17, 1966, in Maidstone, Kent, UK. He began studying music when just four years old with the violin, before quickly moving on to the piano. He continued to study music throughout his school career, eventually obtaining a B.A. (Hons) from the University of Surrey's Roehampton Institute in 1990. He married his wife, Jane, the following year. Stephen has played with a number of bands including Private Joke and Viper Squadron, both of whom have recorded several albums each. He co-wrote two musicals with his brother Julian Butler; the first, Space Family Robinson, was performed for three weeks at the Pleasance Theatre in London, with future Emmy Award winner Hannah Waddingham heading the cast. The second, Phantasmagoria, has yet to be performed.
When completing his degree, Butler developed an interest in film music, and wrote an essay on Max Steiner's musical style from his very early work in 1931 to the release of 'Gone with the Wind' in 1939. Later, Butler travelled to California for several months to study at the archives of Warner Bros. studios (at USC) and RKO Radio studios (at UCLA). Furthermore, Butler was given permission to study many of Steiner's handwritten scores which are held with the composer's other personal papers at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, which then were curated by James V. D'Arc and are now curated by Jeff Lyon and Brent Yorgason.
Butler lectured on Steiner at two academic symposiums - the first at the University of California Long Beach (UCLB) in February 2018 and again at Brigham Young University (BYU) at Provo in November 2019. Butler has written an article for an imminent edition of the Journal of Film Music called "Music Magic and Humor."
When completing his degree, Butler developed an interest in film music, and wrote an essay on Max Steiner's musical style from his very early work in 1931 to the release of 'Gone with the Wind' in 1939. Later, Butler travelled to California for several months to study at the archives of Warner Bros. studios (at USC) and RKO Radio studios (at UCLA). Furthermore, Butler was given permission to study many of Steiner's handwritten scores which are held with the composer's other personal papers at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, which then were curated by James V. D'Arc and are now curated by Jeff Lyon and Brent Yorgason.
Butler lectured on Steiner at two academic symposiums - the first at the University of California Long Beach (UCLB) in February 2018 and again at Brigham Young University (BYU) at Provo in November 2019. Butler has written an article for an imminent edition of the Journal of Film Music called "Music Magic and Humor."