Associate Professor, Director of Commercial Music and Bands, Director of the CUI Recording Studio
Biography
Steve Young is Assistant Professor of Music and the Director of the Worship Arts Leadership Institute at Concordia University Irvine. He directs the commercial music program, leads the chapel worship bands, and teaches music theory, music technology, ensemble leadership, worship arts and keyboard performance. Steve also leads workshops and is a conference speaker throughout the country in the areas of music and worship arts.
Steve comes to Concordia Irvine with more than 25 years of professional experience as a studio and touring musician, composer, arranger, producer, creative consultant and church leader. An active music producer, Steve has produced projects in New York City, Nashville and Los Angeles, working with world class studio musicians and engineers. As a pianist and keyboard player, he has recorded and performed with recording artists such as Cheri Keaggy, Fernando Ortega, John Patitucci, Tony Award winner Nobert Leo Butz, The Maranatha Praise Band, Patty Cabrera and Crystal Lewis. An active arranger, Steve has written hundreds of arrangements for studio and stage. Steve also composes music for radio, film and television as well as concert music. His string quartet, American Hymn (2014) was recently premiered at the University of Pittsburgh. As a student at Concordia, Steve's original score for the play Hippolytus (1990) won a meritorious achievement award from the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival.
Steve is the architect of the music technology program at CU. He has been published in numerous publications such as Worship Leader. CCM, Roland User's Group magazine and his book All About Music Technology in Worship was published by Hal Leonard Publishing in 2004.
As a church leader, Steve has served as Creative Arts Director at a Southern California megachurch, and has served as co-planter for two start-up churches — one in Southern California and one in the New York City area. He has served on the advisory board for the Arts Movement at Willow Creek Community Church, been a speaker/clinician for Integrity Music, Maranatha Music, and a consultant and creative coach for dozens of churches in the U.S.
Steve has studied composition with Dick Grove, Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, Lennie Niehaus, Clare Fischer, Bill Conti, Jonathan Bailey Holland, John Fitz Rodgers, Roger Zahab and Rick Baitz. He has studied jazz piano with Dick Grove, Lou Levy, Victor Feldman, Russell Ferrante, Joyce Collins and Terry Trotter.
Education
- M.F.A. Music Composition — Vermont College of Fine Arts
- B.A. — Concordia University Irvine
- Graduate of Composing and Arranging Program — Grove Music (Los Angeles, CA)
- Graduate of Keyboard Instruction Program — Grove School of Music (Los Angeles, CA)