stefan held

Performed and/or recorded with legendary singers B.J.Crosby, Darlene Love, W.Houston, Billy Porter (“The Broken Hearts Club”, ”Grease”, ”Smokey Joe’s Café”); Tony Award winner Deborah Yates; Kevin Aviance; Grammy nom. Saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman; Tony winner Harvey Fierstein; ASCAP/Sammy Cahn award-winning songwriter Larry "J.Phoenix" Loftin, David Shiner (Cirque du Soleil, Fool Moon, Seussical); Blue Note Records recording artist Elizabeth Withers; Pianist Manuel Valera; Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle("Legally Blonde"); Grammy nom. percussionist Raphael Cruz; Theatre World and Obie Award winner Euan Morton (lead "Taboo"-London and on Broadway); pianist John Hicks; American Idol’s Diana DeGarmo; Tony Award winners Melba Moore and Cleavant Derricks; Grammy-nominated trumpeter Claudio Roditi; Ari Gold("Love Will Take Over" Billboard Top 40 Dance hit); Grammy & Emmy award winner John McDaniel; master drummer Victor Lewis; Grammy nom.Flutist Dave Valentin; pianist David Hazeltine; legendary saxophonist Sonny Fortune; NBC’s “Queer eye for the straight guy” Jai Rodriguez (“Rent”, ”The Producer’s”, ”Zanna don’t”); Laurence O'Keefe("Bat Boy the musical","Legally Blonde"); DreamWorks recording artist Antonique Smith("Notorious" FOX Searchlight 2009); American Idol star Frenchie Davis; Karmine Alers(“Rent” ;”Aida”); Eden Espinosa (“BKLYN-the musical”); Shoshana Bean (“Wicked”); Shayna Steele (“Hairspray”); Rob Evan (Jim Steinman's the Dream Machine);Mandy Gonzales ("Lennon");Brad Little (“Phantom of the Opera”); Barbara McCulloh (“The King and I” ;”Peter Pan”) and countless more…

Worked with drummers Omar Hakim, Kim Plainfield, Buddy Williams, Clint de Gannon, Raymond Marchica, Victor Lewis, Pernell Saturnino, Vince Cherico, Lionel Cordew, Andrea Valentini, Rodney Howard, Pat Petrillo, Thierry Arpino, John Berger, Tony Cruz, Bill Lanham, Steve Hass, Antonio Sanchez and many more.

Played with Grammy winner Mike Stern, Saxophone legend Oliver Lake and drummer Joe Chambers.

Appeared at festivals in the US (JVC-jazz festival; Boston jazz festival), Japan (headlined the Ballentines festival in Tokyo), Korea (Trad.Korean Jazz and Folk Festival in Seoul; headlined the Monk festival in Pusan) and Austria (Donauinsel Rock festival; Jazz festival Wiesen; headlined the Jazz Sommer Graz festival with his band "GROOVEMERCHANT"-http://www.jazzsommergraz.at)

Performed on MTV, VH1, CBS, KBS (Korea), Munwa(Japan) and ORF (Austria) to name a few.

Produced and/or recorded for BMG, Warner Brothers and Columbia Records among others.

Publications: Bass Player Magazin; SA Bass Players Collective(http://www.bassplayers.co.za/interviewstefan-held.html)

Musicals:"Brooklyn-the musical"(1st nationl tour); on Broadway: “Hairspray”, "Mama Mia", "Jersey Boys", ”Lennon” Off-Broadway and regional: ”Little shop of Horrors”, ”Secret Garden”, ”The great American Trailer Park musical”, ”Bat Boy-the musical”, ”The joys of sex”, ”Mother Devine”, ”Streakin”, ”Zanna don’t”, ”Urban Cowboy”, ”Always, Patsy Cline”, "Are we there yet? " ; "Neil Berg's 100 years of Broadway" ....

TV, Movie Soundtracks, Jingles: "Millionaire Matchmaker" on Bravo; "Pimp my ride" on MTV; "Making the Band" on MTV and MTV 2; Comercials for Range Rover; Discovery Channel ("Road Trip"); FOX ("Union Jackass"); "Home Room" MOR Entertainment, 2003 Directed by Paul F. Ryan. Starring Busy Phillips, Erika Christensen, and Victor Garber; VPR Creative Group ("Building our future together", EISAI human health care) ; "Bay state Blues" ( Allyson Sereboff), 2008....

Affiliated artist faculty member at Sarah Lawrence College.

Local 802 member.

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“Stefan is an awesome Producer with amazing musicianship”

(Grammy winner Julie Gold)

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“He just burns, man, he’s a real mother******”

(Grammy winner Mike Stern)