Composer...concert and film music
Conductor...Los Angeles Youth Orchestra
Lecturer...Los Angeles Philharmonic, New West Symphony, La Jolla SummerFest, Stephen Wise Music Academy
Russell received a Ph.D. in Music from Harvard University, an M.M. from the New England Conservatory, and a B.A. from UCLA. He studied composition most notably with Leon Kirchner, Arthur Berger, Elaine Barkin, and Kenneth Klauss. His works range from solo to chamber and orchestral and have been performed worldwide.
The 2011 HEAR NOW Festival in Los Angeles featured his string quartet performed by the Lyris Quartet. His Daniel Pearl Foundation commission STORIES FROM MY FAVORITE PLANET was performed on a 2010 West Coast tour with LA Philharmonic violinist Mitchell Newman that included the premiere of its orchestral version with narrator Theodore Bikel and the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra. Recent awards and commissions include an ASCAPLUS Award, Diversions for Brass Quintet for the Colorado Brass Quintet, a Gold Medal Jury’s Choice at the Park City Film Music Festival for SOMETHING TRUE, The Net of Indra performed by over 400 young musicians for Youth Orchestra Day in Los Angeles, and Heart of the World for the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT). The Westchester Symphony in New York and the Hopkins Symphony in Baltimore jointly commissioned Steinberg’s first symphony CityStrains.
Steinberg is Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, a group that includes students from over 60 schools in the LA area and performs at the Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles. A recent Lecturer on the UCLA Faculty, Steinberg is also a popular speaker for pre-concert events with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the New West Symphony, and the La Jolla Music Society SummerFest.
This past winter he offered public lectures on Mahler’s symphonies and performed the first piano recital to feature the complete Brahms Intermezzi. Steinberg is the creator of AudioMaps®, an innovative approach to music listening intended for beginners as well as connoisseurs. His books AudioMaps® To The Beethoven Symphonies, vol. 1 and 2 were published in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Available recordings of Steinberg’s music include Stories From My Favorite Planet, produced by the Daniel Pearl Foundation, Flute Sonata recorded by Michelle Stanley and produced by Centaur Records, and Desert Stars, a recording of Steinberg’s music for piano and classical guitar.