Stephen Demers-Composer
Contemporary chamber music inspired by literature, landscape, memory, and the meeting of acoustic instruments with electronics.
Selected Works
Uncertain Walls Recorder Quartet 2026 SATB 10:30 Minutes
This work was inspired by the quiet, dreamlike atmosphere of Haruki Murakami’s The City and Its
Uncertain Walls. In that novel, two worlds exist simultaneously: one familiar and ordinary, the
other enclosed by a wall that cannot be scratched or broken, yet slowly and almost imperceptibly
transforms.
Family Portraits: Three Memories-Flute & Piano 2025 8 Minutes
Character sketches for flute and piano inspired by family, memory, and personal connection.
Audrey Puschinsky, Piano Steve Tapper, Flute
A solo flute work balancing lyrical lines, rhythmic energy, and jazz-influenced gestures.
Steve Tapper, Flute
Nathan - Soprano Saxophone & Synthesizer 2025 4 Minutes
A work for soprano saxophone and synthesizer exploring the meeting of acoustic and electronic sound.
Pursuing Happiness
Solo Violoncello 2026 6 Minutes
A solo cello work exploring aspiration, uncertainty, and moments of hard-won calm.
Blue Ming String Quartet 2026 5 Minutes
Layered textures and lyrical fragments unfold through a constantly changing sound world.
Adventures Suite 2024
piano 6 Minutes
A five-movement piano suite tracing a path from first light through motion, momentum, and reflection.
Solo Works
Piano
Adventures Suite--2024 —
piano 6 minutes
A five-movement piano suite tracing a path from first light through motion, momentum, and reflection.
Audrey Puschinsky, Piano
Blue Ming Piano 5:45-6 minutes
An atmospheric piano work shaped by shifting colors, suspended motion, and subtle swing.
Audrey Puschinsky, Piano
Blues Dreams Piano 1.5 Minutes
A short piano reflection drawing on blues-inflected harmony and lyricism.
Motive 8 Piano 3:05 Minutes
A concise piano work built from the transformation and development of a single musical idea.
Audrey Puschinsky, Piano
Somehow We Will
A brief reflection on persistence, resilience, and the determination to move forward despite adversity.
Soundings
Solo Piano 2025 3 Minutes
A piano meditation exploring resonance, color, and the lingering life of sound.
Score available on request
Flute
Steve Tapper, Flute
Blues Flight — 6 Minutes
A solo flute work balancing lyrical lines, rhythmic energy, and jazz-influenced gestures.
Cello
Pursuing Happiness
Solo Violoncello 2026 6 Minutes
A solo cello work exploring aspiration, uncertainty, and moments of hard-won calm.
It Must Be — Voices in Time 2026
violoncello, voice and electronics 15 minutes
Contrabass
C'est la vie -
Contrabass + Singing or speaking 2026 4 Minutes
A work for contrabass and speaking or singing voice reflecting on resilience and acceptance.
Violin
Lament -
Solo Violin 2026 7 Minutes
A prayer for peace for solo violin, moving between reflection and quiet intensity.
Chamber Works
Duos
Somehow We Will (Available for Flute, Violin, Clarinet, and Alto Saxophone with Piano) 1:30 Minutes
A brief reflection on persistence, resilience, and the determination to move forward despite adversity.
Also available for piano with violin, flute, clarinet, or horn.
Aqua Vitae - Piano and Electronic Media
Aqua Vitae unfolds in a fluid, luminous sound world, where piano and electronics shimmer, drift, and refract like light moving through water.
Blue Ming - Vibraphone, Marimba 3:51 Minutes
An exploration of color, resonance, and gentle motion for vibraphone and marimba.
Family Portraits-Three Memories-Flute
• Piano 2025 8 Minutes
Character sketches for flute and piano inspired by family, memory, and personal connection.
Audrey Puschinsky, Piano Steve Tapper, Flute
Nathan, Soprano
Saxophone & Synthesizer 2025 4 Minutes
A work for soprano saxophone and synthesizer exploring the meeting of acoustic and electronic sound.
Trios
Conversation,
Flute, Harp & Percussion 2025 10 Minutes
A dialogue among flute, harp, and percussion, balancing contrast, exchange, and collaboration.
Early Morning (2025)
Flute • Cello • Electronics — 7 Minutes
Inspired by walks through Arlington, Cambridge, and Belmont, combining flute, cello, and electronics.
Quartets
Strings
Blue Ming String Quartet 2026 5 Minutes
Layered textures and lyrical fragments unfold through a constantly changing sound world.
Soirée Dansante - String Quartet 2025 7 Minutes
Flute
Ancient Dream Flute Quartet 2026 5:30 Minutes
A chamber work inspired by memory, imagination, and the persistence of ancient stories.
Recorder
Ancient Dream Recorder Quartet 2026 SATB 5:30 Minutes
A chamber work inspired by memory, imagination, and the persistence of ancient stories.
Uncertain Walls Recorder Quartet 2026 SATB 10:30 Minutes
Inspired by Haruki Murakami's The City and Its Uncertain Walls, for SATB recorder quartet.
Saxophone
Ancient Dream Saxophone Quartet 2026 SATB 5:30 Minutes
A chamber work inspired by memory, imagination, and the persistence of ancient stories.
Let Freedom Ring
Saxophone Quartet SATB 2025 6 Minutes
A spirited saxophone quartet celebrating freedom, community, and the enduring ideals of democracy.
Vocal
Celebration Piano, Soprano 2025 1.5 Minutes
A setting of Cornelia Veenendaal's poem celebrating connection, gratitude, and the enduring beauty of life.
Chariot, Soprano, Piano 2025 3 Minutes
A setting of Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death" for voice and piano.
Orchestra
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Do You Hear What I Hear? explores a shifting world of sound, where fragments, colors, and rhythms emerge at the edge of awareness. The orchestra gathers, transforms, and disperses, inviting each listener to hear the same moment a little differently.
Video Forthcoming
Stephen Demers is a Boston-based composer whose music blends contemporary classical language with cultural memory, natural imagery, and personal storytelling. His work frequently explores the meeting point between acoustic instruments and electronics while remaining closely connected to the expressive voices of the performers he writes for.Collaboration is central to his creative process. Writing for chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and mixed media, Demers approaches composition as a conversation between composer, performer, and listener. His music balances exploration with clarity, inviting performers into creative dialogue while creating vivid and emotionally resonant experiences for audiences.Recent works include Nathan for soprano saxophone and synthesizer, Blues Flight for solo flute, and a saxophone quartet that reimagines fragments of patriotic themes with irony and reflection. Current projects include Soirée dansante for string quartet and Pursuing Happiness for solo cello.His musical influences include blues, jazz, and folk traditions alongside composers such as Charles Ives, George Crumb, Mario Davidovsky, and Henry Cowell. His work also draws inspiration from nature, language, and modernist experimentation.Demers previously taught Suzuki piano and studied jazz with Charlie Banacos, later performing as a jazz pianist. Outside music, he finds inspiration in gardening, language study, and cultural history—slow and attentive practices that mirror his approach to composition.
Contact me about performances, scores, or collaborations.