Stephen Kehner

Assistant Principal Percussion

Stephen Kehner joined the Oregon Symphony as Assistant Principal Percussion in September 2020, following his appointment by Music Director Laureate Carlos Kalmar.

Prior to his arrival in Portland, Stephen served as Acting Section Percussion with the Utah Symphony & Opera in Salt Lake City, and spent three years as a Percussion Fellow with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. Stephen has played as a guest musician with the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Vancouver (B.C.), Eugene, Tallahassee, the Boston Philharmonic, and the Malaysian Philharmonic. He has also performed on tours with the St. Louis Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and served as Principal Percussion for the Lakes Area Music Festival in Minnesota. An active chamber musician, Stephen has played contemporary and cross-genre music with the Silk Road Ensemble, Callithumpian Consort, Nu Deco Ensemble, and Sö Percussion, and he often takes part in various projects with 45th Parallel Universe here in Portland.

Stephen grew up in Marietta, Georgia, and earned his Bachelor of Music degree at Florida State University. He went on to obtain a Master of Music degree and Graduate Diploma in Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers were Will Hudgins, Dan Bauch, Dr. John Parks, and Charles Settle. Stephen’s education was complemented by summer fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center, Music Academy of the West, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, National Orchestral Institute, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, and the Texas Music Festival.