Steven Schmidt (‘17, BM Commercial Music) is a composer and educator. He is currently the Music Instructor and Vocal Methods/Choir Teacher at Balboa Magnate Elementary, and has recently written the music and lyrics for a new musical, Bravo!. Bravo! won New Musicals Inc.’s search for new musicals, and was a finalist in the Ball State University Discovery Musical Theater Festival. Steven won a Kennedy Center Award for Best New Work in the Country.
Bravo! is set at the height of the Nazi invasion of Italy during World War II, when a young Italian man hides six Jews and refugees to spare them from extermination. When their secret hiding place is discovered by an adolescent Fascist soldier, an unlikely bond is formed. Chamber Singers performed a live reading of the show on Saturday, February 1st, and was well received.
When did you feel you had found your professional calling?
“In high-school. I remember the end of my sophomore year making decisions to have more music in my life. Whenever I did anything else I found myself thinking about music. Whenever I was in a musical environment I wasn’t thinking about anything else. My Dad was also a film composer so I had a living example of a composer and saw diverse opportunities.”
Describe your career and relate how APU helped you succeed.
“Since graduating I’ve had the opportunity to work on a lot of different projects, choirs, schools, etc. Tangibly none of those things would have happened without the tools and literal connections that I got through the APU network.”
How has your Christian-based college education impacted your career?
“I have difficulty separating ‘Christian’ and ‘education.’ The Christian tradition has provided me with values that were handed to me and that impact everything that I write. It’s a lens that accompanies me everywhere I go.”
How did you suggest APU should prepare current students for life after graduation?
“One of the best parts of my liberal arts education was my thesis class on music and ethics. It started a conversation about how deeply important it is to think ethically about everything. That’s a part of certain classes and programs but not a requirement. These tangible philosophical principles deeply affected my life and compositional career. I wish that they would bring that back in a more systematized way. Students need to know that there are places to have those discussions if they haven’t already.”
If you could give a word of advice to future and current students, what would it be?
“Say yes to every opportunity. Audition, try out, and go for every opportunity that is available to you. Most of what you learn in any higher-ed environment is the product of what you put into the process. If you have opportunities to work with your peers on things outside of the classroom say yes to those things because the classroom only equips you with tools.”
To learn more about Steven’s latest projects, visit stevenjamesschmidt.com.
Date: January 25, 2020
