Stephen Arthur is an undergraduate cello performance major at the University of Tennessee’s Natalie L. Haslam College of Music, where he studies under Dr. Wesley Baldwin. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, he served as principal cellist for seven consecutive years in Tennessee’s All-West Orchestra and held the same position in both the Germantown and Memphis Youth Symphony Programs. Since beginning his studies at the University of Tennessee, Stephen has earned numerous accolades, including being a three-time prizewinner in the Tennessee Cello Workshop’s collegiate competition, the winner of the Tennessee Music Study Club Competition, and the first-prize recipient of the UTK Celebration of Excellence Competition. He has also been awarded first prize in the Charleston International Music Competition, the Cleveland Orchestra of Tennessee Concerto Competition, and the University of Tennessee Concerto Competition. Stephen has spent the past two summers at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, where he was awarded a fellowship and named the first-prize winner of the Jacqueline Avent Concerto Competition. This summer, in addition to studying at the Ascent Cello Festival, Stephen will also be performing as an emerging artist at the Garth Newel Music Center. Currently, Stephen serves as principal cellist for the University of Tennessee’s chamber, opera, and symphony orchestras and performs regularly throughout the Knoxville area.