Stephan Charles Carroll was born in Wheeling, West Virginia on February 14, 1981. He was born into a family with a varied musical background – his grandmother had been a church organist, both his parents have played musical instruments, and his father plays piano by ear.

     When he was 5 years old, Stephan sat down at the old electric organ in his living room, and began to play Christmas tunes by ear. He was soon enrolled in piano lessons for several years, studying a wide repertoire of music ranging from classical to jazz to new age and contemporary. Through his years in school he served as a choral accompanist for several singing groups, participated for one year in concert band, as well as a year in the jazz band. He also participated in several competitions and recitals through the years, in solo and duet piano performance, as well as choral accompanist.

     Beginning in 1991 at the age of ten, Stephan began to compose original piano solos. He also began to explore orchestration using digital synthesizers and computers (Yamaha SY-22, Roland Juno-1, Roland U-220), and digital pianos at the Center of Music and Art (Kurzweil Mark 10, K2600). He used these synthesizers to record accompaniment for several drama performances at the center, as well as accompaniment for choral groups.

     In 1998 at the age of 17, he recorded and copyrighted his first album of original compositions, entitled “Eternity’s Embrace: Exaltation.” This album was recorded using a Kurzweil Mark 10 digital piano, Roland U-220 Sound module, and an analog tape cassette recorder. In 2001 another new album, “Digital Fantasy” was recorded and copyrighted.

     Between 2001 and 2004, Stephan worked independently to improve the realism and sophistication of his compositions. During this time, he studied various styles of orchestral music ranging from film soundtracks to classical compositions. He moved away from hardware-based sound generation (keyboards, sound modules, etc.) and began to create software/sample-based music. Software samples proved to be a much more realistic sound library to use in recording.

     What would arguably become the culmination of this self-taught methodology arrived in 2005, as Stephan released his Symphony No. 1 in G Major: "The Ocean Symphony." This full-length orchestral score represented months of composition work, planning, and orchestrating, and is perhaps the most realistic symphonic recording he has produced to date.

     In late 2005, Stephan was interviewed by the West Virginia PBS program "Outlook" for a special on electronic musicians which aired in mid-2006. In early 2006, Stephan submitted his Symphony to Keyboard Magazine, where he was later selected as the September 2006 Unsigned Artist of the Month. In early 2007, he submitted an entry to the Turner Classic Movies annual Young Film Composers Competition. His entry placed in the top 20 out of over 800 entries worldwide.

     Currently, Stephan is enrolled through the Film Music Institute in the Music for the Media course. He is continuing to search for assignments in the field of multimedia music – internet, television, film, video games, etc.