Biography


Stephan Kane is an international classical guitarist based in Berlin, San Francisco, and Kailua, Hawaii whose unique style combines virtuosic skill with an interest in classical and popular music. Raised on the sunny shores of Kailua, Hawaii, Stephan developed a reputation playing for weddings in the jungles and beaches of Oahu, Kauai, and later in the San Francisco Bay Area. His sound has been described as embodying the passion of Spain and having great sensitivity and lyricism. Stephan has performed and toured as soloist and with chamber groups throughout Hawaii, Oregon, California, Iceland, and Germany.
With a diverse music library that ranges from Bach, Schubert, and Granados to Jason Mraz, John Legend, and The Beatles, Stephan has reached audiences of over 300 weddings and events, including celebrity couples and high-end corporate events hosted by Ferrari and others. He was a member of the Ashland Guitar Quartet and has played as principal guitarist in various community musical productions, including Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story.
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, Marc Teicholz, Larry Ferrara, and John Dearman of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. During his time at the conservatory, he was selected as the guitar department Teaching Assistant for two consecutive years and served as the guitar department representative for student council.
Stephan has performed in master classes for some of the most prominent guitarists in the world, including Zoran Dukic, Pavel Steidl, Benjamin Verdery, Scott Tennant, Jason Vieaux, Andrew York, and Martha Masters, among others. He received his bachelor's degree in music-business from Southern Oregon University, where he studied with David Rogers, James Bishop-Edwards, and Joseph Thompson.
In 2018 and 2019, Stephan was a featured soloist in Joaquin Rodrigo's concerto Fantasia para un gentilhombre and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Concerto No. 1, Op. 99 conducted with live orchestras.
In addition to his performing career, Stephan is a dedicated educator who has taught at the California Conservatory of Music and has given private guitar lessons to students of all ages since 2009. He was a guest lecturer at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's guitar pedagogy class and now manages his own private teaching studio full time in Berlin and San Francisco, where he shares his passion for music and helps students of all levels develop their skills and find their own unique voice on the guitar.