Born into a musical and artistic family in New York City, Stephen was a natural in singing and acting, and hperformed in school plays and musicals from elementary school through college. He wrote poems and songs in his head and on paper before becoming a self-taught guitarist at the High School of Music and Art during the folk era of the 60’s. Greatly influenced by the songs of freedom and equality and the call for social justice of the Civil Rights Movement, Stephen developed his own unique folk music style, and while in college, did his first public performances in the Greenwich Village coffee houses, such as Gerde’s Folk City and the Bitter End. 

Stephen has been primarily an independent artist selling his products directly to his audiences and keeping a contact list. He is an engaging performer who loves to interact with his audiences and encourages people to sing-along. Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, he is a peace and environmental activist whose timely message in song, stories, and poetry have made him a popular performer, always warmly and enthusiastically received by his audiences.

Stephen has authored the poetic and artistic quality paperback The Art of Peace (New Paradigm Publishing), on the principles of peacemaking. The Art of Peace, which also features drawings by Stephen, offers a valuable antidote to the troubled and turbulent times we live in. Stephen also authored In Search of Henry Safford Fiske, a booklet published by the Rutland (VT) Historical Society, where Stephen researched the life and artwork of his great-grandfather, Henry Safford Fiske, a New England Universalist Minister and landscape artist of the nineteenth century. H.S. Fiske’s works appear in numerous museums throughout New England as well as the Smithsonian. Stephen has written numerous articles and essays, which can be read on his blog. He is currently in the finishing stages of his new book, The Call to Social Integrity and Wholeness: Interfaith, Earth Stewardship, and Democracy. A book of his poetry and selected songs and drawings, Vision Quest, is also in the works.

Stephen has always been a non-denominational but avid spiritual explorer. He was first exposed to Interfaith through his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King’s inclusive, ecumenical, and intercultural approach to social change. Through his deep involvement with yoga and his discipleship with well-known guru Swami Satchidananda, Stephen has followed the path of “Truth Is One, Paths Are Many.” Leaving behind the rock scene, in search of a deeper meaning in life, he embraced the yogic lifestyle and became a certified Yoga Teacher for the Integral Yoga Institute. in the 1970’s he became active in the San Francisco Interfaith organization “The Meeting of the Ways” and later was ordained as an Interfaith minister by the Reverend Leland Stewart, a Universalist Minister, graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a pioneer in the Interfaith Movement, and the founder of the Unity and Diversity World Council, based in Southern California. As a minister, Stephen has organized, produced, participated in, and led conferences, convocations, festivals, and services, emphasizing Interfaith understandings and peacemaking. He has appeared widely as a guest speaker, workshop leader, and performer across the U.S. and overseas.

Over the years, Stephen has produced many music videos and promotional videos for his various projects. These include The Peacemakers’ Conference (1980), the Venice Eco fest (2010), Peace Sunday (2014), and content for the Unity and Diversity World Council’s online streaming productions. Partnering with Los Angeles film maker Robert Corsini, Stephen is the founder and executive producer of The Jerusalem Prayer Project (JPP), a non-profit California multimedia production company. Through JPP Stephen and Robert produced the music videos Earth Anthem, We Carry the Dream (a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr), Close Guantanamo, and I Wish For You. For the past several years, JPP has been producing a feature documentary, Warriors of the Heart, telling the stories of grass roots peacemakers in Israel/Palestine and other parts of the world. Now in post-production, Warriors of the Heart emphasizes the imperative of Interfaith and non-violence in a turbulent and violent world.

Stephen has always had the gift of drawing, painting, and inventing art in various modalities and constructs. He attended New York’s High School of Music and Art for his art and was a fine arts major at New York University. Over the years, he has designed and art-directed multiple graphic designs in posters, flyers, notices, album covers, and publications. He has published art, along with his poetic writings, which have been offered for sale at his performances, workshops, and presentations.

View From My Apt. Bedroom Window Of The George Washington Bridge

“I grew up in Washington Heights, NYC, where the G.W. Bridge was an everyday factor in my life.”