Heather Stebbins is an internationally performed composer of acoustic and electroacoustic works with a background as a cellist. At the core of her music is a deep fascination with the inner structures and intricacies of sound. Whether they emanate from an instrument, an object, or a computer, Heather uses sounds that strike her viscerally and intellectually as the germinating elements of her music.
Heather’s music has been performed at festivals and conferences in North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe, including SEAMUS, FEMF, NYCEMF, ICMC, BEAMS, MANTIS, and the Third Practice Festival, where she has been a technical assistant since 2005. She has worked with ensembles such as eighth blackbird, loadbang, Ensemble U:, the JACK Quartet, the Wellesley Chamber Ensemble, Dal Niente, Sound Icon, Ensemble L’Arsenale, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and the SUNY Purchase Percussion Ensemble.
Heather’s principal teachers include Benjamin Broening, Joshua Fineberg, and Helena Tulve, with whom she studied during a Fulbright Fellowship to Tallinn, Estonia, from 2014-2015.
Heather completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2016 at Boston University, where she was a Center for New Music Doctoral Fellow, and taught classes in electronic music, MaxMSP, and aural skills. Heather graduated from the University of Richmond with degrees in Music Theory /Composition and Cello Performance in 2009. She has participated in masterclasses with such composers as Beat Furrer, Tristan Murail, Philippe Leroux, Salvatore Sciarrino, Olga Neuwirth, and Mario Davidovsky.
Working in music and composition has led Heather to teach and tutor students from grade 3 to graduate school. She is passionate about helping others explore new modes of creation. In addition to composing and teaching, Heather enjoys running, yoga-ing, reading, knitting, and exploring new places and spaces with her partner Mike, their son Elliott, and their four-legged companion, Rowan.