We recently connected with Sydney Stephan and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sydney, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
The entertainment industry can be a really tricky place to make a career at times. My production company exists to bring excellent entertainment into excellent venues- but also to create opportunities for other people. It’s really exciting to bring a bunch of artists from different, diverse backgrounds together to connect and create art.
I think as a kid in the arts, you quickly learn that your opportunities can feel limited to your neighborhood or suburb or city, but as artists in NYC we have a million different places to take our talents. I strive to create environments where respect is evident and artists feel supported and excited to get on stage.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a full time performing artist & I have my own production company!
I am a piano vocalist and I perform all around New York City. I have residencies at Bo Peep Cocktail & Highball Store (Mondays & Tuesdays 6-8pm) and The Piano Bar Upstairs at Fraunces Tavern (Friday & Saturdays 5:30-7:30pm). I also frequently play at ARORA- L’art Du Cocktail, The Ivy Room, The Russian Samovar, and many private gigs through my production company. My training is in musical theatre performance, so sometimes I flex those muscles as an actor and perform in new works, at regional theaters, and other venues around the world. Recently, I started playing for Howl at the Moon with their residency on 4 Norwegian Cruise Line ships. This was such a dream gig of mine- it’s great to have the relationship with them now!
Productions by Stephan is a women-led, New York City based, performer focused production company creating opportunities for singers as well as bringing excellent entertainment into excellent venues.
We serve nearly 10 different assisted living homes with our concert series, “Best of Times.” These shows vary in theme monthly and the residents get to know the singers and it’s a very special experience for everybody. We have signature concerts at 54 Below and Green Room 42. The British Invasion & Beyond VOL 2 was on July 5th at 9:30p at 54 Below and it was a huge hit for the second year in a row! Our next signature concerts are on September 22nd at Green Room 42 (Decade by Decade: 1980’s) and October 31st at 54 Below (The Spooky Spectacular VOL 2). We also have a series called Sydney & Friends- which is what it sounds like. This series consists of myself and other singers performing in bars and restaurants around the city and is a really fun way to introduce singers to gig work, which requires a different skill set as a vocalist!
I’m so grateful for each step I’ve taken on my journey up to this point. I made my professional theatre debut at age 14, and made my equity theatre debut at age 17. I appeared on my first album in high school and was featured on a cover of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2- this was my first time in a recording studio! I’ll never forget it. I went to a Disney Channel open call when I was 19, and booked the show- this was my television debut. My talents have brought me to over 50 different countries, 6 continents, and I’ve gotten to play with legends and soon-to-be legends. I received my BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Utah. I studied with Denny Berry, Eric Sciotto, David Eggers, and many more amazing mentors. I’m only 26 years old and I’m in the foundational time of my career. I am so thankful for the amazing opportunities I’ve had thus far. Being a full time artist in New York City is a dream come true already, but now I get to dream even bigger- Carnegie Hall, I’m coming for you!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
It’s hard to look back and pick the 3 most important skills! I think my journey has required me to be well rounded. The most important skill is the talent of music- piano, singing, and general musicianship. I wouldn’t be able to perform as regularly or at as high of a quality without my talent and training in performance and music! They say it takes 10,000 hours to master your craft- that’s 10 years of playing 3 hours a day/6 days a week. I’m pretty proud to tell you, I’m 5 years into that goal! Imagine who I’m going to be & how I’m going to play in 5 more years?!
The second most important skill has to be the business side of things. Any self-employed person or business owner knows how many hats you have to wear- accountant, marketing manager, sales, director, etc. You get it! I think knowing how to send a pitch email, how to make a promo video, how to get people to attend an event, it takes a skill and savviness that not all creatives have or want to learn how to have. I think what sets me a part as a creative is that I’m good at social media, and I’m good at graphics and pitching! It helps everything run smoother. I do have an executive assistant that I have to mention. Juliette Maners often helps with a lot of these types of things for Productions by Stephan when my hours in the week are often spread too thin! You can find us on instagram at @productionsbystephan.
The third most important quality has to be my resilience. As artists, we are constantly told no from different venues and opportunities. I have the ability to move on pretty quickly if something isn’t going to work out and find our next goal and plan. I think the arts are a much more manageable place to have a career if you have resilience.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
What a sweet question!! I wouldn’t be anywhere without my parents. They both sacrificed so much to give me all of the influential experiences I had as a young person. My mom would drive an hour both ways and hang out in a town (population: 364) for weeks on end so I could be a production of Footloose. My dad has always worked in the arts and shown me how fulfilling it can be as a place to spend your time and make your living. My dad and I saw over 20 Broadway shows together in the 2024-2025 season, and we got to close out the season by attending the Tony Awards together- it was my first time.
I have only one memory when one of my parents told me that it may not be practical to pursue music and performance full time, I was maybe 12 years old? And to be honest, I probably wasn’t as talented then! I can’t blame them for being real about it all! But ever since then- for the last 14 years, it has been unwavering support. They fly out to NYC every time something major is happening, they livestream shows from Idaho & Nebraska, my mom lets me talk her through all the latest news and tries to wrap her head around the 50+ artists and singers that I work with regularly. My dad told me that I could “maybe make a living singing and playing piano if I learned some standards” when I was in high school. He was absolutely right. I don’t know what my life would look like without my parents- but I’m very grateful I don’t have to know.
Contact Info:
- Website: sydneystephan.com
- Instagram: @sydstephan
- Other: @productionsbystephan
Image Credits
LoneAce Design Songbird Studio Annie Brown
