sTem champions the aural and theatrical possibilities of vocal chamber music through dramatic performances, innovative commissions, and community outreach.


Qin Ding Photography

Qin Ding Photography

Hailed as interpreting with "profundity and power" (RuideroXXI, Mexico City), sTem’s electric performances bridge the gap between concert music and theater. sTem is a one-of-a-kind chamber ensemble with unique instrumentation featuring clarinetist Eric Christian Umble, soprano Meagan Amelia Brus, and pianist Silvie Cheng. sTem has performed recitals across North America, including engagements with the National Clarinet Conference in Mexico City; the Contemporary Undercurrent of Song Project in Princeton, NJ; Arts@Midday in Washington D.C., and Lancaster New Sounds in Lancaster, PA. In their native New York City, sTem has performed at Spectrum, the Actor’s Temple, Interchurch Center,  Firehouse Space, DiMenna Center, Brooklyn Center for the Arts, and the LGBT Center. They have held an annual residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute since 2015.

Committed to expanding the repertoire, sTem commissions new works through collaborations with living composers and re-imagines existing compositions. Since forming in 2013 at Manhattan School of Music, sTem has commissioned over two dozen innovative works by composers from around the world, including China, Canada, Colombia, Turkey, and the USA. In 2015, sTem presented a tour around the North Eastern United States of their commissioned transcription and English translation of Schoenberg’s epic monodrama Erwartung.

sTem is committed to sharing its passion for music and facilitating cultural dialogue through education. sTem was most recently a featured ensemble in residence at Cornell University (2017) and will be a featured ensemble in residence at Bucknell University in fall 2018. Since 2015, sTem has presented annual workshops with undergraduate students at Millersville University. They also presented masterclasses with students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the National Superior Conservatory in Mexico City (2014). Dedicated to collaborations with living composers, sTem will be collaborating with composers at City University of New York and Manhattan School of Music in 2017-18.

sTem released their debut album Lieder/Canciones in 2016. Derek Emch of The Clarinet writes "sTem's ensemble playing is beautifully executed throughout...". With Lieder/Canciones, sTem honors the old, explores the new, and reimagines what’s in between. Schubert’s oft-performed and recorded Der Hirt auf dem Felsen serves as inspiration for interpreting new works by living composers and our new collaborations give us fresh insight into the standard repertoire. The debut album serves as the first and definitive recording of sTem’s original commissions by Rex Isenberg and Giovanni Piacentini, along with sTem’s original arrangement of Daniel Catán’s aria, Escúchame.

sTem is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non‐profit arts service organization. Fractured Atlas will receive grants for the charitable purposes of sTem, provide oversight to ensure that grant funds are used in accordance with grant agreements, and provide reports as required by the grantor. Contributions for the charitable purposes of sTem must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax‐deductible to the extent permitted by law.