Stephen Hinton

Stephen Hinton serves as the Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities at Stanford University, where he holds joint appointments as Professor of Music and Professor of German. A leading authority on Kurt Weill and modern German music, his academic journey began at the University of Birmingham, where he earned his BA in Music and German and PhD in Musicology. His illustrious career spans over three decades at Stanford, where he has served as Department of Music chair, Senior Associate Dean for Humanities & Arts, and Denning Family Director of the Stanford Arts Institute. His scholarly work has earned significant recognition, including the 2013 Kurt Weill Book Prize for his groundbreaking monograph "Weill's Musical Theater: Stages of Reform." Beyond his extensive publications on music theory and history, Hinton has made significant contributions to music education through innovative projects like the edX online course series "Defining the String Quartet," developed in collaboration with the St. Lawrence String Quartet. His expertise encompasses aesthetics, music theory history, and the works of composers like Weill, Hindemith, and Beethoven. An accomplished musician himself, he maintains his passion for chamber music through viola and piano performance, though his demanding academic schedule limits his practice time.