Steven C, whose original recordings have sold more than 2 million copies and have been streamed online millions of times, offers a moving and intimate experience with his newest album, Emotive. Recorded live in the center of the magnificent Cathedral of Saint Paul in Minnesota together with ethereal background voices and lush strings, the album features 12 original songs performed on Steven’s treasured 9-foot Bösendorfer piano.
Press release by Amy Danielson
Emotive was recorded in the round in September under the gorgeous stained-glass dome of the Cathedral, with Steven at his piano at the center, encircled by 17 string players and singers. ”I love the image of a circle. It’s like the dome. It’s infinite,” he says. The century-old Cathedral, designed by French Beaux-Arts architect Emmanuel Masqueray, also inspired a song on the album titled ”Masqueray’s Melody.” That piece features the Cathedral’s renowned pipe organ, played by the Cathedral’s director of sacred music, Lawrence Lawyer.
Through Emotive, composed during a reflective time in his own life, Steven hopes to help listeners draw out emotions in a fulfilling and healing way. The universal themes he addresses in his music have attracted listeners from around the world. His wish is for Emotive to resonate with his growing global audience.
Steven’s piano artistry is complemented by violins, cello, and wordless vocals, all of which were arranged, orchestrated, and conducted by local composer Sean Turner. String players and vocalists on the album include highly regarded local musicians, including some who perform with the Minnesota Orchestra and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
“I find that strings and voices are the most emotive instruments, because they can bend,” says Steven. ”We have to imply things on the piano.”
Steven, who has lived near the Cathedral for years and often slips inside for a few moments of refuge and contemplation, calls the space ”an emotional amplifier.” He is attuned not only to its physical beauty but to the energy of profound moments that take place in the church, from funerals shrouded in grief to weddings bursting with joy. ”When I go to the Cathedral, often people are sitting there in the pews—they need something,” he says. ”They go to that space for help. It’s emotive.”
Emotive is available for purchase on CDbaby.com.
Also, learn more about this great artist at stevencmusic.com
Background musicians on the album
Vocalists: Judi Vinar, Rachel Holder-Henning, Mallory Roberts, Emily Villano, Kerri Vickers, Krissane Weiss, David Weller, and Paul Wilson
Strings: Cara Wilson, Liz Decker, Nathan Wilson, Elizabeth York, Erika Hoogeveen, Stephanie Crabb, Emily Hagen, Charles Asch, and Ben Osterhause
About Steven C. Anderson
Saint Paul-based pianist and composer Steven C. Anderson lives a life overflowing with music. Listeners around the world have discovered him through literally millions of online streams of his solo piano pieces—compositions that are inventive, soothing, and performed with an exquisite touch.
The classically trained pianist, who goes professionally by the name Steven C, has a keen ear and a natural sensibility for a wide range of musical styles. Highlights of his extensive career include recording with the London Symphony Strings at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London; performing with Mannheim Steamroller on the TODAY show; and a personally meaningful release concert for his 2015 album Christmas Beyond , which drew a full 3,000-person house to the majestic Cathedral of Saint Paul in Minnesota on a sparkling December night.
Steven has sold more than 2 million copies of his own recordings, including Chasing Grace (American Gramaphone) and HeartStrings, the album he recorded in London. HeartStrings features all original compositions and was a collaborative effort with Grammy Award-winning arranger and conductor Arnie Roth, whose credits include working with artists such as Andrea Bocelli and Charlotte Church. Other original albums include C-Notes, Past to Presence, Signature, and Spiritual Piano . Among his most popular singles are “Signature,” “Deep Within,” “’Til Death Do Us Part,” and “Daybreak,” which has been streamed more than 14 million times from online sites such as Pandora. His 2016 video for ”Daybreak,” filmed on the steps of the Cathedral of Saint Paul, has received well over half a million views and his 2017 video for “’Til Death Do Us Part” has received 300,000 views.
