Clayton Stephenson informs and entertains during Notes and Narratives at the Artists Collective in Hartford.
Notes and Narratives with Clayton Stephenson
The Artists Collective
Hartford
March 18, 2025
I ventured back to my old stomping grounds in the North End of Hartford for a classical piano concert featuring Clayton Stephenson, and got so much more than I was expecting. Founded by the world renowned saxophonist Jackie McLean in 1970, the Artists Collective is one of the premier arts institutions in the state, and trains Black and brown children from Hartford in music, dance, theater and more. I went there when I was a kid, and so did my son when he got old enough.
So it made sense for the Collective to host Clayton Stephenson, the Joyce C. Willis artist in residence at the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. The residence program supports Black artists and aims to increase diversity in the arts community.
Unlike at a regular concert, Stephenson turned his performance into an educational experience. He began by showing the audience how Franz Schubert took one musical passage in his Impromptu and built an entire song around it.
Stephenson explains how Schubert did his thing
As someone who once fancied themselves as a classical composer, I appreciated the music theory lesson that Stephenson gave with his performance. Although it wasn’t his intention, it served to reinforce his own brilliance, by showing that he could both inform and entertain at the same time.
He also performed in a more traditional way. Stephenson displayed his virtuosic talent , transitioning between complicated runs and expressive passages with ease. It was clear why he was the first African American finalist for the prestigious Cliburn award.
We took a brief break from the music to allow one of the Artist Collective’s own to interview Stephenson. Ten-year-old London Randolph asked Stephenson five questions, ranging from his favorite piece to play to advice he would give to children of color who want to follow in his footsteps.
His most heartfelt answer came from a question about whom he admires.
“Well, it’s a hard question,” he started, “I would say my mom. She was a single parent so I know she sacrificed a lot. She worked for GE and Pfizer, and she quit her job to support me and made sure I had the best education I could.”
Stephenson performs "He Lives in You" with the Artists Collective's Praise Dancers.
The next performance was a piece in which Stephenson played accompaniment with the Praise Dancers, a group of young women who train at the Collective. Here again, Stephenson displayed another layer of his talent as he performed “He Lives in You” from The Lion King. While Stephenson’s skill was obviously on display, he played in a way that allowed the Praise Dancers to shine as the main attraction. The girls were crisp and precise in their movements, even at such a young age, and their performance was a testament to what the Collective offers to young people.
Stephenson performs "Petrushka" by Igor Stravinsky.
The finale of the evening was “Petrushka,” adapted to the piano by Igor Stravinsky. It tells the story of a hand puppet named Petrushka who falls in love with a ballerina. Unfortunately, the ballerina already has a lover. Love triangle shenanigans ensue, until Petrushka is killed by the ballerina’s lover at the end.
Stephenson infused the performance with the raw emotion of love and loss, thundering on the piano and then just as quickly switching to a delicate, tender dance on the keys to represent the euphoria of love. He turned the tragedy of Petrushka into a celebration, but the melancholy still haunts the sounds.
Notes and Narratives was a unique presentation that I greatly enjoyed, in one of the most important arts venues in Hartford, both to me personally and as a monument to sharing the power of the arts with everyone. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Clayton Stephenson’s performances during his residency.
NEXT
Jamil is going to see what all the buzz about Black Bag is about.
Stephenson is interviewed by London Randolph.