Steven Barton

Biography

Steven Barton (b. 1954) is an American composer and percussionist.

Mr. Barton received his Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and his Master of Music in Percussion Performance from Virginia commonwealth University.

He began his public school teaching career in Iroquois, South Dakota, where he taught band and chorus for three years and Webster, South Dakota, where he taught band for two years. After earning his master's degree, he was director of bands for two years at Garner Senior High School in North Carolina. He then returned to Virginia, spending fifteen years as director of bands at Manchester High School and four years at Lloyd C. Bird High School and Salem Church Middle School in Chesterfield County, Virginia, near Richmond. There he taught symphonic band, concert band, marching band, jazz band, jazz improvisation, percussion, music theory, string orchestra and beginning guitar. In 1988 and 1989, he also served as interim conductor of the wind ensemble for the University of Richmond. He is currently band director at Thomas Dale High School and Specialty Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in Chesterfield County, Virginia, where he taught marching band, concert bands, the jazz ensemble, and music theory, retiring in 2016.

Barton is an active performing percussionist. He has performed with the Richmond Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony, the Huron (SD) Symphony, the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, and Currents(a contemporary music ensemble with the University of Richmond). While in Raleigh, he was the house percussionist for the North Carolina Theatre. He performs as a freelance percussionist in the Richmond area, playing with many community bands, churches, and dance bands. Currently, he performs with the Keystone Wind Ensemble, conducted by Dr. Jack Stamp.

Steven Barton has composed several pieces for band: an overture, Apologue (1991), a march, Freedom and Dominion (1992), a lullaby, Cradlesong (1994), a suite, Cathedrals (1995), a fanfare, For The New Day Arisen (1997), and Restless Spirit (1998), a programmatic work of moderate difficulty. A recent work, Twilight Shadows (1999), is a piece featuring the euphonium and was commissioned and premiered by the Michigan State University Bands in honor of the 100th birthday of director emeritus Leonard Falcone. He has continued to write works for band, including Ebeneezer Variants (2000) written for the Western Pennsylvania Commissioning Consortium, Hill Country Flourishes (2001) written for the Hill Country Middle School in Austin, Texas, and Fanfare, Elegy and Celebration for Butler (Penn.) Senior High School. He has also arranged several pieces for percussion ensemble, in particular La Fille aux Chevaux de Lin by Claude Debussy, arranged for marimba ensemble and published by Permus. His most recent works for band are Welcome to Holland and Kingsfold.

Mr. Barton is a member of the Virginia Music Educators' Association, the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors' Association, MENC where he held the designation of Registered Music Educator, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Pi Kappa Lambda, the National Honorary Music Society.

Works for Winds

Resources

Steven Barton, C. Alan Publications
Whitlock, Mark. "Hill Country Flourishes." In Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 9, edit. & comp. by Richard Miles, 354-361. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2013.