‘She Dried Her Tears’ was written for Meghan McGinty’s Masters recital. The piece was part of a project to collaborate with composers who are current students, or graduates of Temple University’s composition department. We all had to choose a poem by Emily Bronte to set. The poem I selected, ‘She Dried Her Tears,’ captures the suffering of isolation and the desire to express one’s suppressed emotions. The work was premiered by Ms. McGinty and Jean Francois Proulx on March 26th at Temple University. The piece won the Composer's Concordance 8th Annual 'Generations' Composition Competition in May 2018.

This piece was written for the Silk Ruby Trio as part of the Peabody Honor Ensemble Project.  For this project a student ensemble is featured for the year, and a composer is selected to write a piece for them. When researching the string trio repertoire, I was surprised to see how small the output is for this ensemble, especially when compared to the closely related string quartet. Therefore, I wanted to write a piece that demonstrated that this ensemble deserves to be on equal footing with the string quartet. It seemed to me that three string players were capable of producing a lush and full-bodied sound. It was this sentiment that inspired the opening of the piece, a series of double stops. I was in a way interested in aurally concealing how many performers were in this piece, and therefore double stops permeate the entire composition. For full program not click here 
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S T E V E N  C R I N O

SHE DRIED HER TEARS (2018)

COLLEGIUM OVERTURE (2015)

SONATA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO (2014)

SOLO

C O M P O S E R

SMALL ENSEMBLE

VELVET SHOES (2018)

EMERGENCE (2019)

MUSIC FOR ORCHESTRA (2016)

the cerebral training of counterpoint and harmony naturally followed...[I] have a strong feeling that this young artist’s future work will keep music where it belongs: on a higher plane than so much of what we experience in this life."   -Eric Shumsky, Epoch Times 

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Christopher Ciampoli, violin

​FEATURED COMPOSITION

Contact Steven regarding 
commissions, lessons, scores, and recordings. 

Steven offers private lessons in composition, music theory, keyboard harmony, ​​counterpoint,
solfege, piano and drum set.

CONTACT

'The Alchemist in the City' is a single movement piece written for Baritone and mixed chamber ensemble. The piece sets the poetry of Gerard Manly Hopkins and depicts an alchemist who has reached the end of his life, and is lamenting the fact that he has failed to accomplish the two primary goals of alchemy; to turn metals into gold, and to create an elixir of immortality. He also reflects on the modernization of the city around him, where he sees that alchemy no longer has a place. With this realization, the Alchemist cannot decide whether to blame the city and modernization for turning him into this anachronism, or the pursuit of alchemy itself for leading him down a path destined for defeat. For full program click here

EXCERPT 1

for string trio

WBJC, 91.5's STUDENT COMPOSER OF THE MONTH – JUNE 2018: 
Featured on Maryland's Classical Radio Station, WBJC, 91.5's Student Composer of the Month. A podcast where they talk with a composer each month that is currently studying or has recently studied in the greater Baltimore area. Hosted by John Scherch. 

To Listen to Full Interview Click Here

ABOUT

VIDEOS

for orchestra (2+picc.2+eh.2+bcl.2+cbsn-4.3.2+bass.1-timp.3perc.-hp-str)

​Music for Orchestra was written during my first semester at the Peabody Conservatory. This reading of the composition by the Peabody Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Alan Buxbaum. 

CATALYST (2018)

"In looking over the composition—much to my pleasure—I saw at once the mind of a composer at work...The romantic nature of the work is appealing, and his soul is obviously in the music.  Leading from the heart,

Conducting The Lord is My Shepherd at the Peabody Conservatory

for Baritone, flute, clarinet, Harp, Percussion, and String Quartet

​EMERGENCE (2019)

for string trio

This piece was written for the Silk Ruby Trio as part of the Peabody Honor Ensemble Project.  For this project a student ensemble is featured for the year, and a composer is selected to write a piece for them. When researching the string trio repertoire, I was surprised to see how small the output is for this ensemble, especially when compared to the closely related string quartet. Therefore, I wanted to write a piece that demonstrated that this ensemble deserves to be on equal footing with the string quartet. It seemed to me that three string players were capable of producing a lush and full-bodied sound. It was this sentiment that inspired the opening of the piece, a series of double stops. I was in a way interested in aurally concealing how many performers were in this piece, and therefore double stops permeate the entire composition. For full program not click here 
. 

O BEAUTIFUL END (2012)

‘Velvet Shoes’ was written for Casie Marie Girvin, and is intended to be part of a set of songs. I began the piece in 2016 and finished it one year later, after setting the work aside for several months. The piece sets to poetry of Elinor Wylie, and paints a scene of two people walking together through a quiet snow-covered town. Although this poem has been interpreted in many ways, it is clear that this simple walk though the snow is a metaphor for a greater journey to be taken with a significant person in one’s life. The piece was premiered at the H.E.R.E. Theatre in New York City by Casie Marie Girvin and Steven Crino as part of the Sparks and Wiry Cries 2017 Song Slam Competition, where the piece was awarded third prize. The work was recorded at the Peabody Conservatory with Roc Xu as the audio engineer. 

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD (2018)

PRESS

Catalyst (2017) is a single movement piece for solo violin. The composition was written for a master class with Peter Sheppard Skaerved at the Peabody Conservatory. A catalyst is something that causes or accelerates a reaction. It is this image that inspires the drama of the piece. As a composer who greatly values voice-leading and the independence of contrapuntal lines, I enjoyed the challenge of retaining these elements of my music with an instrument that typically plays one or two notes at a time. The passagework at the end of the piece was inspired by my upbringing as a drum set player. As a child, I used to enjoy playing drum solos in my band and when I decided that this piece needed a flashy ending, I essentially composed a drum solo for the violin. My experience as a drummer has rarely influenced my past compositions in a direct way, but I was happy to make an exception for this piece.

EXCERPT 3

EXCERPT 2

Conducting O Beautiful End  at the Peabody Conservatory

THE ALCHEMIST IN THE CITY (2017)

'The Lord is my Shepherd' is a choral piece written for SATB. The piece was written as a dedication to the memory of a close family friend. The piece was premiered at the Peabody Conservatory in Griswold Hall and was conducted by Steven Crino. 

"An impressive collection of Temple University students affirms the quality of its school's theater and music departments with an ambitious new musical based on a legend from the 18th-century Prince Edward Island."  -Debra Miller, Phindie

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Sonata for Violin and Piano is a three movement work performed by Ryan and Matthew Kiple.

SELECTED COMPOSITIONS

CHORAL

for chamber orchestra (1.1.1.1-1.1.1.0-.1perc.-3.3.3.2.1)
​Collegium Overture is a one movement work for Chamber Orchestra. The piece was premiered by the Temple Composer's Orchestra and conducted by Adam Vidiksis.

LARGE ENSEMBLE

O Beautiful End is a single movement choral piece for SATB choir. The piece sets the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore and was premiered by Temple University Singers under the baton of Ianthe Marini. The paintings in this video were painted by Tagore himself. 

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VOCAL