Steven Ward

About

A native of Washington, D.C., Steven A. Ward is an emerging composer and arranger whose work highlights the rich tradition of American art song and spirituals. He began his musical journey studying violin and piano before discovering his passion for singing in high school. Over the next two decades, he served as a soloist and section leader in churches across Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee.

Ward turned seriously to composition and arranging during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. His first public premiere came in 2022 with an arrangement of the African American spiritual Hammering in Memphis. In 2024, he was selected for the MNSong two-year composers fellowship with the Source Song Festival in Minneapolis, where his six-song cycle Invitation to Love premiered to critical acclaim. He recently completed his second choral commission for Augsburg University in Minnesota, and his music has been published in Gentry Publication’s Rock My Soul series, which celebrates soulful choral traditions. Most recently, Steven was selected as one out of ten outstanding composers to participate in the 2025-26 Mentoring Program for Composers through the National Association of Teachers of Singing which will result in the creation and premiere of a newly created art song through the Cincinnati Song Initiative.

In addition to his musical work, Ward holds a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Virginia State University and a master’s degree in School Administration from Trinity Washington University. He currently serves as a senior school leader in Washington, D.C.. Ward is a proud lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and an inaugural member of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship.

Related Information

Works by Steven Ward