Allan Stephenson

Allan Stephenson (15 December 1949 – 2 August 2021) was a British-born South African composer, cellist and conductor.

Life Born in Wallasey, near Liverpool, he studied the cello in Manchester at the Royal Manchester College of Music before moving to Cape Town in 1973 to join the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. He retained the position of associate principal cello until the CTSO closed in 1997. After landing in Cape Town on 13 January 1973, he quickly became involved teaching cello at SACS, and managed these two jobs until his fiancée Christine arrived from England to also teach at SACS. They were married in July 1973. He directed the UCT College Orchestra from 1978 to 1988 and taught as a part-time lecturer of both cello and composition at the University of Cape Town. Stephenson has written over 110 works including a large number of instrumental and chamber pieces, three operas, two symphonies and concertos for Piano, Oboe and Piccolo.

Works Operas The dark tale (1991) Who killed Jimmy Valentine (1995), based on the novel with the same title by South African writer Michael Williams Animals, based on George Orwell's Animal Farm and written with Willem van der Walt and Michael Williams.