A lack of compositional training doesn't show in Carroll's sweeping modern classical works, which bear that most essential symphonic quality: sheer courage. A film scorer's feel for drama and a classicist's sense of balance shine through the brazen timpani runs and whirling string movements.
Stephan Carroll is a contemporary classical artist who has been playing the piano for nearly 20 years. He has been recording original compositions for over 10 years, and has recently begun composing full orchestral scores.
Although he has played piano for nearly 20 years, he has had no formal music education outside of piano lessons. He has not studied composition or classical orchestration techniques. Rather, he has spent the last several years listening to a wide range of orchestral music and learning to recreate various styles on his own. The results of this self-taught methodology speak for themselves.