Stef Conner
(composer and choir director)
How did you find your way into your current position?
Throughout my PhD and since graduating I have been a self-employed musician, combining teaching, composing and performing. Composition opportunities have come about through a mixture of competitive applications and contacts. I have just completed a residency with Streetwise Opera.
What are your strongest memories of your time at York?
Collaborating with other students and staff on ambitious creative endeavors, often led by imaginative students. There is a lot of freedom to pursue your own interests and develop unique projects in York.
How did York prepare you for your career?
York is an amazing place to study composition – students are exposed to a wide range of interesting music and given freedom to develop their own unique identities; there are also frequent opportunities to collaborate with performers, which help composition students to become more accomplished and practical in what they write.
What advice would you have for current students?
Get inspired and don't expect to be spoon-fed your degrees – my experience at York is that what you get out of it depends on what you're prepared to put in.