Stephen's musical career began at age 2 or 3 (he doesn't remember) when he was spotted singing the major scale at the top of his lungs while standing on the dining room table. The setting of this was Palermo, Italy, where he went on to study violin for four years and classical guitar for one year before moving to Harrisonburg, Virginia in 1992. In Virginia he began to be exposed to choral ensembles during his middle and high school studies. He participated in the Eastern Mennonite High School (EMHS) Junior, Senior, Touring and Chamber choirs. He also studied acoustic guitar for four year under Michael Geddes.

In 1999, after spending seven months in Albania and Italy through Youth Evangelism Service (YES), a ministry of Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM), Stephen spent a year at Rosedale Bible Institute (now College) where he sang with the Rosedale Chorale. He then returned to working with EMM through a summer youth program in Queens, NYC, called K-Teams and then leading a YES team to Central Asia in 2000-01.

In 2001, Stephen's trail led him back to Virginia where he worked various jobs, including working maintenance at Western State Hospital in Staunton, VA, working in the ski office of Massanutten Ski Resort , and in grounds keeping at Bridgewater College. In the Fall of 2002 he moved to Durango, Mexico for a year of studies at Instituto CanZion, where he studied classical guitar, music theory and skills, Biblical studies and the Spanish language.

In 2003, Stephen again returned to Virginia, to study at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), earning in 2006 his Bachelor's Degree in Bible: Culture, Religion and Mission, and Music: Vocal Performance. During his time at EMU he sang with the Chamber Singers, while studying voice with Anne Gross and Jennifer Cooper.

As of July 21, 2007, he is married to Bethany Joy Tobin, with whom he lives in Harrisonburg, VA. He also took a job at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church as their Interim Director of Worship in Praise Fellowship and Director of Young Adult Ministries. He continues to entertain the idea of going on to grad school to study ethnomusicology and tries to be on the lookout for ways to expand his musical horizons.

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