Stephanie Lynne Smith

Somewhere along the way to becoming a concert pianist, Stephanie fell in love with singers and discovered her passion for promoting composers and new compositions. Stephanie promotes a life of balance that includes the arts, self-care, and stress reduction. She co-founded Newport Performing Arts Festival with Linda Knighten and is honored to make Linda’s vision for this festival a reality.

 

Born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance (1998) from University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Music in Chamber Music Performance (2001) from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In the Bay Area, she served as Artistic Director for the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, commissioning “Halloween in the Castro: A Horror Opera” by Jack Curtis Dubowsky and the musical “Group Therapy” by June Bonacich, along with countless pieces for choir and solo voice. She has accompanied luminaries such as Alan Cumming, B.D. Wong, Sharon McNight, and toured with Bugs Bunny at the Symphony as pianist/slide guitarist, performing with the New York Philharmonic in Avery Fisher Hall and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. In 2013, Stephanie was Artist in Residence at the Shari Carlson Studio and wrote, directed and starred in her original play titled “High Anxiety: One Woman’s Journey” that chronicled her performance anxiety. For the last 10 years, she has  toured with Broadway veteran Franc D’Ambrosio (The Godfather III/Phantom of the Opera) and had the privilege of witnessing and playing for the ceremony knighting him “Cavaliere” by the Italian government. Stephanie aka “Miss Smith” loves to encourage and support local, living composers and has produced “The Music of Paul James Frantz,” “The Journey So Far: Music of Jeff Becker,” and “My Magically Talented Friends” showcase of composers in the Miss Smith studios. During pandemic, the Miss Smith studios raised over $20,000 for non-profits through livestream concerts. 

 

In October 2021, she accepted a staff teaching position in Portland at Resound NW: A Place to Sing and maintains her performance studios in Salem, Portland and San Francisco. After several decades of touring, conducting and interim work, she returned to her first love of chamber music by joining the Northwest Piano Trio in Fall of 2023. Recent projects include Love Wins benefit concerts for Center for Hope and Safety, benefit concerts to raise money for the education fund for a local trans youth, and a grief cabaret in San Francisco using the songs of William Finn. Stephanie is deeply invested in the theme of this year’s festival and finds her own joy through teaching, visioning around staff and workshops, and ensuring every participant has a personalized experience. It is a privilege to serve this community.