Biography
Stephan Kane is a classical guitarist based in San Francisco, CA. He grew up on the sunny windward shores of Kailua, Hawaii and built a niche playing for weddings deep in the jungles and beaches of Oahu and Kauai and now the San Francisco Bay Area. His sound has been described as “…embodying the passion of Spain” and having “… great sensitivity and lyricism.” Stephan is a unique classical guitarist marrying virtuosic skill and an interest in popular music for weddings, specifically. His music has reached audiences of over 300 weddings and events including celebrity couples getting married and high-end corporate events hosted by Ferrari and others. His music library contains an eclectic list for all listeners to enjoy by Bach, Schubert, and Granados to Jason Mraz, John Legend, the Beatles and more. Stephan was a member of the Ashland Guitar Quartet and has played as principal guitarist in various musical productions, including Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story." He was a founding member of the contemporary Hawaiian group, Ha'ena performing as the opening act for the Makaha Sons, Amy Hanaiali’i Gilliom, and Hawaii’s award-winning group, HAPA. Stephan was a member of the Kailua Guitar Duo, with guitarist Luke Trimble, and was featured in the online publication, This is Classical Guitar.
Stephan holds a Master of Music degree and Professional Studies Diploma in classical guitar performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he graduated summa cum laude studying with David Tanenbaum, John Dearman, Marc Teicholz, and Larry Ferrara. He was selected as the guitar department Teaching Assistant for two consecutive years and served as the guitar department representative for student council. Stephan performed Joaquin Rodrigo's concerto "Fantasia para un gentilhombre" and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "Concert No. 1, Op. 99" conducted with live orchestras at his graduate recitals.
Stephan has performed in master classes for Benjamin Verdery, Scott Tenant, Jason Vieaux, Andrew York, Martha Masters, Thomas Viloteau, David Leisner, Bill Kanengiser, Rafael Cuen Garibi, Ralph Towner, and Angel Romero. He received his bachelor's degree in music-business from Southern Oregon University where he studied with David Rogers.
In addition to performing, Stephan is a committed educator and was formerly on faculty at the California Conservatory of Music for two years before leaving to manage his own private teaching studio full time in San Francisco. He was a guest lecturer at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's guitar pedagogy class and has given private guitar lessons to students of all ages since 2009.