Honestly, I never thought I'd be writing this blog post anytime soon, and I'm sure I can honestly say all of us are in shock to hear that Steven Stucky is dead.
At 66.
From brain cancer.
(which can go f*ck itself if you want my honest opinion).
I can't claim that I've studied with Stucky nor can I claim that I had a direct relationship with him, but I can say this: he was the first "big" composer I met.
I met Steven Stucky in high school (yes—high school) thanks to a most-excellent conductor Christopher Russell who taught classes at the then-named Orange County High School of the Arts. Stucky was our guest composer who visited our symphonic lit class and presented his music.
And again, I never studied with the guy, but he had a profound (albeit indirect) upbringing as a composer. And everyone is right when they say he was the most generous and kind human being on this planet.
So, I will honor Steven Stucky in the best way I know how:
