Helping Students Create a Career in Music: Christopher Michael Stevens

The CCP Artist in Residence program is a project based out of Spring Garden Records and the CCP Music department. The residency is meant to give students and the greater community a direct connection to musicians practicing in the field. Each year, the artist is asked to participate in two public events in both the fall and spring semesters, and record an album with Spring Garden Records. Residents are also encouraged to include students in these and other smaller events and activities, enabling them to share knowledge and experiences with aspiring musicians.

“Spring Garden Records is an experiential learning platform for our students,” said Paul Geissinger, Music department head. “And one of the key drivers of why we do [the residency] in the first place is so that the students have real world experience and real-world credits when they graduate from CCP.”

Christopher Michael Stevens, the 2024–2025 artist, did exactly that and more. In addition to the performances and album recording, Christopher also hosted a film scoring workshop, participated in a handful of CCP ensemble performances, hosted a music production workshop and participated in a touring artist panel discussion.

All of these activities brought a new perspective on the music industry to students. And for Christopher, it was inspiring to watch how students grew and evolved. “There were some [students] that I met that were like kind of shy, you know,” Christopher said. “But beyond that shy exterior is like this brilliance, and to watch it come alive and then ... just to watch them blossom is really inspiring because I'm like, ‘Man, that's what we're supposed to do in the world.’”

Though Christopher hadn’t really worked in an educational role before, the concepts of teaching and sharing knowledge seemed to come naturally to him. “I've just really enjoyed the overall kind of learning environment and watching everybody in their different capacities,” he said.

Paul echoed Christopher’s natural ability to connect and engage. “I would say that Chris is a very good communicator and very strong at answering questions about his career and giving solid advice to those who are inquiring about what their next steps are in their career,” Paul said. “And his willingness to just dive in and get more immersed in what's happening in the department and at Spring Garden Records, you know, he doesn't have do to that.”

As for what’s next for Christopher, he is wrapping up the album he recorded with Spring Garden Records and then heading on tour with John Legend, which he’s been doing for the last 10 or so years. After that, he hopes to take his own album on tour; “From Then till Now” will be released this summer.

And up next for Spring Garden Records is finding a 2025–2026 Artist in Residence. Interested artists are invited to apply online by the May 31 deadline.