Musician Bio

Stephen Hawkey won a position in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s cello section in November of 2019. A few months after claiming the ISO position, he completed his master’s degree in cello performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying under Dr. Melissa Kraut.

During his time at CIM, Stephen was engaged in a wide variety of chamber, orchestral, and solo performing arrangements. He was accepted into the Advanced Piano Trio Program and Intensive Duo Program, and regularly served as principal cellist in CIM’s orchestra. Stephen also was a prize-winner in the CIM Concerto Competition and performed Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with the school orchestra as a result.

Outside of school, he maintained a busy performing schedule as principal cello of the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, and section cello in the Akron, Ann Arbor, Canton, and Firelands Symphony Orchestras. Prior to attending the Cleveland Institute of Music, Stephen received his bachelor’s degree from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. In his sophomore year, he won the university’s concerto competition and performed Bloch’s Schelomo with the school orchestra. While in school, he performed with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra as a member of the cello section.

Throughout his undergraduate experience, Stephen was privileged to attend multiple summer music festivals, including the National Repertory Orchestra twice and the Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy, where he was a concerto competition prize-winner and performed Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with the academy orchestra.

Stephen is the youngest of five musical children and is the proud uncle to twelve wonderful nieces and nephews. Outside of music, he is an avid fan of soccer and tennis, and also enjoys spending time with his orange tabby, Simba.