Milton Stevens papers
Collection
0098-SCPA
Milton Lewis Stevens Jr. (1942-2007) was an American trombonist who spent the majority of his professional career in the Washington, DC region. He earned a B.M. from Oberlin College, M.M. from the University of Illinois, and a D.M.A. from Boston University. Stevens joined the National Symphony Orchestra in 1978 and held the principal trombone chair for 29 years. In 1993, he co-founded the Washington Symphonic Brass. He was also an educator teaching at Catholic University of America and the University of Maryland. The collection consists of personal and professional papers including published and unpublished writings, clippings, articles, programs, correspondence, date books, photographs, scores, and recordings related to Stevens’s work as a musician and educator. A browsable listing of scores in the collection can be found at the SCPA Scores Database.
There are no restricted files in this collection.
Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Special Collections Room, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Contact the curator for an appointment: http://www.lib.umd.edu/scpa/contact
169.50 Linear Feet
The Milton Stevens Collection covers the period from 1901 to 2010; the bulk of the materials date from 1980-2007. The collection consists of both personal and professional papers including published and unpublished writings, clippings, articles, programs, correspondence, date books, photographs, scores, and recordings related to Stevens's work as a musician and educator, including his work with the Catholic University of America, the University of Maryland, International Trombone Association, Interservice Trombone Choir, National Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington Symphonic Brass, for which he was a co-founder.
Milton Lewis Stevens Jr. was born in 1942, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He began playing the trombone when he was twelve and continued playing through his attendance at Searles High School in Great Barrington. He graduated from the music conservatory of Oberlin College in Ohio in 1964 (B.M.). In 1966, he received his M.M from the University of Illinois and in 1975 he earned his D.M.A. from Boston University.
In 1978, Stevens joined the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. and was named principal trombonist, a chair he held for the next 29 years. In 1993, he co-founded the Washington Symphonic Brass, a brass ensemble that performs throughout the Washington D.C. area. Dr. Stevens also founded the Interservice Trombone Choir, a group of volunteer trombonists from various military bands in and around Washington.
In addition to performing with and conducting various music groups, Dr. Stevens also taught at the University of Maryland and the Catholic University of America. He also gave classes at many trombone and brass workshops such as Summit Brass. Dr. Stevens died while traveling in Denver, Colorado on July 30, 2007.
This collection is organized into seventeen series:
Gift of Mrs. Priscilla Stevens (Milt Stevens' wife) in December 2010.
Part of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library