Marcus Stevenson

Violist Marcus Stevenson is an avid chamber musician and educator based in New York City. Originally from New Jersey, Marcus is an alumnus of The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program and the Manhattan School of Music Precollege. In 2018, Marcus won the Rondo Young Artist Competition with the Neptune Piano Quartet, and the National League of Performing Arts Chamber Competition with the Milan String Quartet. Marcus was also previously a member of the Elless Quartet, who won Grand Prize in the 2020 Coltman Chamber Music Competition and was a finalist in the 2022 Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition. Marcus has performed with renowned artists, including Margaret Batjer, Jaime Laredo, Philip Setzer, and Sharon Robinson. As an educator, Marcus has given masterclasses and coachings for numerous programs, including the Music Institute of Chicago, Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Civic Youth Ensemble Program, and Interlochen Arts Academy. Marcus holds a bachelor’s degree in viola performance and eurythmics pedagogy from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Jeffrey Irvine. He also holds a master’s degree in viola performance from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Heidi Castleman. While in Cleveland, he was the recipient of the inaugural Sidney D. and Nina Josephs Chamber Musician Award and the Darius Milhaud Award. While at Juilliard, Marcus was awarded the Joseph W. Polisi Prize, and served as violist of the graduate string quartet in residence, studying with the Juilliard String Quartet. Currently based in Manhattan, Marcus teaches privately and serves as faculty for the Opportunity Music Project.