Living By The Stream

Living By The Stream enjoys bringing venues a variety of entertainment options, fulfilling a plethora of event needs and desires. The group performs for many different kinds of events, such as wedding ceremonies, receptions, graduations, private parties, concert series, etc.

Living By The Stream can perform background music for an event, play music while wandering among the guests, or give an engaging performance that requires the group to utilize a stage and talk to an audience.

Bios of Living By The Stream Members

Sarah: Violinist, Fiddler, & Vocalist

Sarah graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.M. in violin performance from Grand Valley State University. At GVSU, Sarah studied classical music under the leadership of Gregory Maytan (graduate of the Jacobs School of Music) and Megan Crawford.

Prior to that she received training under Erica Michaud and Carla Trynchuk (graduate of the Juilliard School of Music and former student of Dorothy Delay), head of the strings department at Andrews University. Sarah studied jazz performance under professors Michael Drost (graduate of Western Michigan University), Kurt Ellenberger, and Tim Froncek at GVSU.

She has served in various orchestras, including the Andrews University Orchestra, Grand Valley State University Orchestra, and the Battle Creek Symphony. Sarah served as principal first, principal second, and co-concertmaster in the GVSU orchestra. She has been involved in several violin master classes, performing for Stephen Shipps, Elizabeth Holowell, Walter Verdher, Philip Greenberg, Felix Olschofka, Jonathan Sturm, and Kia-Hui Tan. Sarah also performed in an orchestra master class with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt.

She has attended a variety of violin camps and conferences, including the Starling-Delay Symposium, Mark O’Conner Fiddle Camp, and Leahy Music Camp. She has also attended several violin master classes, featuring Jennifer Koh, Roland and Almita Vamos, Ayako Yonetani, Ming Feng Hsin, Rudolf Haken, Renee Skerik, and Jeffrey Lastrapes.

As of 2021, Sarah has been focused on working in tandem with Steve in creating new music for Living By The Stream’s next album, which the duo plans to release in 2022. As venues begin to open up again across the country, she is excited about upcoming performances and being able to again share with audiences in person.

Steve: Guitarist & Vocalist

Steve has been a guitarist just short of his entire life. Influenced by many music styles and guitarists during that time, his musical ear remains piqued for sensing and creating special and unique musical expressions he can infuse into the sound art he paints with his guitar. A guitar chord, rhythm or riff can fingerprint a song into indelible memory and this is what’s on Steve’s mind when he seeks to personally own any song or instrumental he creates or interprets.

Steve’s musical prowess was jelled into existence as a result of many experiences. His early years reveal him studying the piano, his first instrument, and studying the coronet soon after that. Percussive tones created by piano keys and brass melodies created with his own self-generated wind gave him a basic understanding and perspective of music and musical instruments. In his early teens Steve’s life was presented with a guitar and from it he never wandered. Studying both the Mel Bay guitar instructional series and the classical guitar, Steve took private lessons from music teachers who were professional musicians.

With inspiration from the contemporary music and guitarists of his youth, Steve organized with local area friends who played instruments and together they generated a number of different garage bands that performed in many venues and events. Since that time, Steve has played professionally with many musicians. He has also played with worship teams at churches he attended. Through these experiences and more, Steve’s musical abilities evolved and matured now producing the sounds of experience he demonstrates in playing and performing professionally today.

Steve characterizes his personal music style as a fusion of influences from rock, classical, jazz, rhythm and blues plus Christian worship and Christian contemporary. In the first “Living By The Stream” CD you can hear him generating anticipation, tension, contemplation, relief and joy with various chorded rhythm patterns, lead riffs and a classical guitar tag eclipsing the song titled “Life Awaits Me.” Also, with his engineering background and using professional recording software, Steve recorded the sounds heard in that CD.

During 2021 he has been working on material for the duo’s second CD with the hope of completing the pre-studio composition work in 2022. Steve would like to emerge into 2022 with new musical creations fully arranged and ready for studio recording and growing performance opportunities for sharing what both he and Sarah love to do.

If performing in the outdoors, Living By The Stream requires protection from the elements, such as direct sunlight, rain, extreme cold, and heavy wind.