, composes in a variety of genres, with a special emphasis on music for the voice, particularly for chorus and orchestra. His works have been performed by such distinguished ensembles as the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus; VocalEssence, Minnesota; and the Dallas Symphony Chorus.
His full-scale choral symphony, Sinfonia Pastorale, received its St. Louis premiere in 1997 with the Bach Society of Saint Louis, to critical praise: “the music does indeed have a painterly quality to it. The orchestration is complex and colorful, and the music is inclined to linger over beautiful images… [Mager] writes gratefully for the voice…” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
In 2004, he was appointed Composer-in-Residence for the Bach Society of Saint Louis, which has since commissioned and premiered several major choral works: The Lamb's High Feast (2005), an Easter choral cycle on Gregorian chants; I saw eternity (2006), a choral fantasia on a Bach chorale, after Henry Vaughan; and in 2008, Missa lucis (“Mass of Light”), for chorus and chamber orchestra. One critic aptly described the Mass as “lushly lyrical” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
His Christmas carol settings have also received critical attention: “Mager's settings… went well beyond mere arrangements; the Noël de la Vièrge had a simple dignity and deft orchestral touch that set it above the usual holiday fare” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). A collection of his carols is featured on the compact disc, Joy for Every Age, recorded in 1998 with the Arcangeli Chamber Chorus. “These excellent carol settings…exhibit a slightly different kind of charm and sophistication that owes much to their more expansive…fully integrated orchestrations… Mager is conscious of mood and meaning and is very good at drawing listeners into the particular character of each carol” (David Vernier, Classicstoday.com).
His opera, Dream of the Pacific, was commissioned and premiered by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition (2004). It was subsequently produced by Opera Omaha (2005), Kansas City Lyric Opera (2005), and Washington National Opera (2006). “Mager excels at conveying a wide variety of feelings…all in a musical language that is both lyrical and comprehensible” (Washington Post).
An active choral and opera conductor, Mager completed his master's degree at Indiana University, and later returned there for doctoral studies. His teachers have included Jan Harrington, Julius Herford, Thomas Binkley, Robert Shaw, Margaret Hillis, Robert Porco, Dale Warland, John Poole, and Carmen-Helena Tellèz. Stephen Mager is also an accomplished organist and pianist. His publishers include Oxford University Press and MorningStar Music.
