I am Stephen John Kowalsky, a composer and educator with 30+ years of involvement in performance and arts administration. I specialize in music composition, arranging, musicology, theory, and performance instruction, and I thrive in collaborative, high-energy environments. My work spans freelance composition, orchestral arrangements, and leadership roles in nonprofit and academic settings. I am committed to expanding access to the arts and to creating engaging, student-centered learning experiences for diverse populations.…

Stephen John Kowalsky

I am Stephen John Kowalsky, a composer and educator with 30+ years of involvement in performance and arts administration. I specialize in music composition, arranging, musicology, theory, and performance instruction, and I thrive in collaborative, high-energy environments. My work spans freelance composition, orchestral arrangements, and leadership roles in nonprofit and academic settings. I am committed to expanding access to the arts and to creating engaging, student-centered learning experiences for diverse populations.…

Available to hire

I am Stephen John Kowalsky, a composer and educator with 30+ years of involvement in performance and arts administration. I specialize in music composition, arranging, musicology, theory, and performance instruction, and I thrive in collaborative, high-energy environments.

My work spans freelance composition, orchestral arrangements, and leadership roles in nonprofit and academic settings. I am committed to expanding access to the arts and to creating engaging, student-centered learning experiences for diverse populations.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Freelance Composer at Self-employed / Freelance
January 1, 1991 - Present
Writes original compositions and arrangements for orchestra, opera, theater, chorus, and chamber music ensembles. Notable works include the CSO Centennial Composers Competition-winning 'Last Voyage' premiered on CSO Illinois tour and at Symphony Center, a one-act comedy 'Commuter' workshop at Chicago Opera Theater’s New Music Showcase, and the monodrama 'With Blood On My Hands' for Contempo at the University of Chicago. Commissions from Augustana College Symphony and Chorus, Du Page Symphony, West Suburban Symphony, and others; created custom arrangements for Liz Carroll and John Doyle for Cantigny Park performances.
BASSOONIST & CONTRABASSOONIST at Various ensembles
January 1, 1973 - January 1, 2013
Forty-year performance history with ensembles throughout metropolitan Chicago, including sixteen seasons with the Du Page Symphony Orchestra (DSO). Founded the DSO woodwind quintet; served on the Board of Directors and led committees in Performance Logistics, Public Relations, Marketing, Nominating, and Awards; organized chamber music events and managed subscriber seating and budgeting.
Board of Directors / Manager of Ticket Operations at Du Page Symphony Orchestra
January 1, 2006 - January 1, 2012
Led ticket operations and governance efforts; contributed to audience development, performance logistics, and communications strategies; managed subscriber relations and seating allocations.
Department Assistant, Graduate School Registrar’s Office / Graduate School Admissions Assistant at Northwestern University
January 1, 1992 - January 1, 2001
Supervised temporary staff during peak admissions season; maintained registration records and prepared departmental reports; provided customer service to faculty and students; liaison to the Medical Scientist Training Program; gathered graduate applications data and produced reports.
Coordinator of Scheduling at Northwestern University Traffic Safety School
January 1, 1988 - January 1, 1989
Created all documentation and maintained daily records for Traffic Safety School classes; prepared statistical reports for university and court personnel.
Assistant to the Dean at University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music
January 1, 1987 - January 1, 1988
Created and maintained databases for course listings and facilities management; provided front-desk customer service to faculty, visiting lecturers, and students.
Senior Clerk at Roosevelt University Office of Undergraduate Admissions
January 1, 1985 - January 1, 1986
Prepared credit evaluations of incoming transfer students; coded documents for data entry and reconciled resultant reports; provided front-desk service to prospective students.
Subscription / Single Tickets Sales Representative at Lyric Opera of Chicago
January 1, 1980 - January 1, 1984
Reconciled payments for subscribers and single-ticket purchases; supervised single-ticket phone order campaigns; arranged VIP ticket requests and liaised with Box Office and orchestra/chorus for ticket needs.
Intern, Office of Fine Arts at Augustana College
January 1, 1978 - January 1, 1979
Developed marketing materials and trained in negotiation and contract methodology; supported promotions and events.
Orchestra Manager & Librarian at Augustana College
January 1, 1975 - January 1, 1979
Booked accommodations for choir and concert band spring tours; set up rehearsals, marked/sorted parts, and documented rentals; liaison to resident professional ensemble, Quad City Symphony Orchestra.

Education

Doctor of Music (unfinished , dissertation pending ) at University of Chicago
January 11, 2030 - March 30, 2026
Master of Music , Composition at University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music
January 11, 2030 - March 30, 2026
Bachelor of Music, Composition at Roosevelt University
January 11, 2030 - March 30, 2026
Bachelor of Music, Composition at Augustana College
January 11, 2030 - March 30, 2026

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Education, Professional Services, Non-Profit Organization, Other
    paper Last Voyage - PDF of the full score

    Winning composition for Centennial Composers Competition of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The score is a premonition of a 1927 shipwreck on Lake Superior described from the point of view of the ship’s mascot, a dog who refused to board the ship prior to what was its fateful trip.

    uniE603 Arlington
    This work for string ensemble and bugler is a tour of Arlington National Cemetery. It traces the passage of an average weekday from sunrise, visits to landmarks across its spacious grounds, through nightfall. Included is a glimpse of an interment procession, focusing upon the hymn “Abide with Me” and playing of “Taps”. The bugler also performs calls for raising the American flag prior to opening the gates and lowering the flag as the cemetery closes. Near the shore of the Potomac River on land once owned by the grandson of Martha Washington, Arlington National Cemetery is a place for heroes. On June 15, 1864, Secretary of State Edwin M. Stanton approved the use of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s estate as burial site for Union soldiers dying in the Civil War. The house became unlivable as its land received thousands of interments. Over succeeding decades, service members from every part of the country and walk of life were also laid to rest here. They would be joined by Presidents, Supreme Court Justices, members from the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as individuals from national movements such as Civil Rights and Women’s Suffrage. A few of the most visited landmarks include Memorial Amphitheater, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, JFK’s Eternal Flame, monuments to the victims of 9-11, and the astronauts who perished in the Apollo 1 fire as well as the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters. Of equal importance is an average of eight to ten new interments occur on weekdays, with honor guards from the relevant service branch accompanying each burial detail. When visiting Washington DC, please stop by this place of transcendental beauty. Even on a cold winter’s day you might be fortunate to hear a bugler playing, “Taps”. Remember, while touring the grounds please show proper respect because everyone interred at Arlington National Cemetery has earned places within our nation’s Most Hallowed Ground. Arlington was composed to honor my father, Lubomir L. Kowalsky, who received the U.S. Army Bronze Star for heroism in World War II. He is interred at Bronswood Cemetery in Oak Brook, Illinois. No matter the location of eternal rest, I wrote Arlington for all heroes – past, present, and future – because each deserves special remembrance. instrumental music…
    paper Arlington - a visitation for string ensemble and bugler
    pdf…