The Fox Valley Academy of Music Performance welcomes Stephen Thurlow as its new Music Director in 2018.

Mr. Thurlow has a broad base of experience in musical composition as well as directing concert and marching bands, jazz ensembles, chorus, and musicals.  He received his Bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education and a Master’s degree in applied French horn from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He Pursued post-graduate work at Yale University in applied horn under Paul Ingraham and continued studying with Helen Hirsch, principal horn for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera.

From 1984 until his retirement in 2016 Mr. Thurlow held the position of the Department Chairman of Music at Marmion Academy in Aurora, where he was awarded the teacher of the year twice during his tenure there.  He was, and still is, a member of the American School Band Director Association, having been twice selected to conduct the I.M.E.A District 7 jazz ensembles.  In addition to being an are clinician, he has also directed the Aurora All-City Jazz Program, conducted semi-professional stage performances in Naperville’s Summer Place, and taught in a youth enrichment program in multi-cultural musical exploration.

Aside from teaching French horn students at North Central College and Blue Lakes Fine Arts, Mr. Thurlow was principal horn for six year out of the eleven he performed with the Fox Valley Symphony.  He has also performed with the C.O.D.’s New Philharmonic Orchestra, Wheaton’s Summer Symphony & Summer Band, as well as in numerous other Chicago are engagements.