Stephen Longfellow Fiske – Biography
Short Bio
Stephen Longfellow Fiske is a musician, author, poet, Interfaith Minister and long-time peace and environmental activist. He is a multi-talented individual whose dedication to peace, humanitarian, environmental and spiritual concerns has always found expression through his artistic pursuits. Since his first album release, Seeds of Peace, in 1980, through his current CD (11th) Flow, Stephen has established himself as an inspired performer and veteran poet/spokesman of the times. He has authored “The Art of Peace” (New Paradigm Books) and “The Call to Interfaith”, and has performed and spoken widely across the US and abroad. “Flow” is a selection of original orchestrated, melodic guitar compositions with guest recording artists. The featured track is “Jerusalem Prayer”, which has become the soundtrack for a film in development by that same title which forms the foundation for The Jerusalem Prayer Project (JPP), a music, film, and multimedia venture, of which Stephen is the founder and executive director/producer. Most recently, Stephen and his JPP partner, filmmaker Robert Corsini, have produced the music video tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., “We Carry the Dream”, based on Stephen’s song co-written with Sophia Roberts, and released in February. 2018.
Long Bio
STEPHEN LONGFELLOW FISKE is a multitalented individual whose dedication to peace, humanitarian, environmental and spiritual concerns has always found expression through his artistic pursuits. Since his first album release, Seeds of Peace, in 1980, through his current CD (11th) Flow, Stephen has established himself as an inspired performer and veteran poet/spokesman of the times. Stephen is an Interfaith Minister and the Executive Director of the Unity-And-Diversity World Council, a California non-profit organization. Stephen’s current main endeavor is The Jerusalem Prayer Project (JPP), which is a non-profit music, film and multimedia venture designed to create a self-sustaining interactive global peace building platform, from a uniquely interfaith perspective. Most recently, Stephen and his JPP partner, Robert Corsini, have produced the music video tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “We Carry the Dream”, released in February, 2018.
An award-winning singer/songwriter, Stephen has also authored the poetic & philosophical handbook, The Art of Peace, A Personal Manual on Peacemaking and Creativity (New Paradigm Books), now in its second printing. The Art of Peace also features 40 of his drawings. A long time student of peace and advocate of non-violence, Stephen was formerly the director of The Institute For Peace Studies and the coordinator of the Peacemakers Camps/Retreats of the l980’s. He has an extensive background in yoga and is a senior disciple of Sri Swami Satchidananda, the founder of Integral Yoga and Satchidananda Ashram/Yogaville in Buckingham, Virginia. Stephen performs and lectures at yoga retreats, conferences and Ashrams throughout America and overseas in his mission to spread peace and harmony throughout the world.
A relative of the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Stephen is a poet in his own right, giving expression and insights through his music, writings and presence wherever he goes.
Stephen grew up in the Washington Heights area of New York City. His mother was an opera singer and voice and piano teacher, and his father was a writer/editor. Stephen flourished in the arts and at the High School of Music and Art, he became a self taught guitarist composing his own original songs.
A gifted athlete, he attended NYU on a basketball scholarship and majored in art. But music became his main calling, and in 1968 he traveled to San Francisco and formed an acid-rock band “The Bycycle.” As the lead singer and songwriter of the band, “The Bycycle” performed in all the major rock palaces on the West Coast including The Fillmore, Winterland, and opened for such acts as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jimi Hendrix, Canned Heat, The Grateful Dead, among others.
After two turbulent years in the rock scene, he embarked upon his solo career and became a traveling troubadour-minstrel man. Since then Stephen has performed widely, entertaining and uplifting audiences with his insightful, poetic and often humorous songs and stories. His music has been featured in various films and videos, and he has written for, sung and done voice-overs on TV and radio commercials.
In addition to producing his own music, Stephen has produced music for other artists and projects, and has produced events and videos. Along with his performances, Stephen is also a lecturer and workshop leader.
For the past three years, Stephen has teamed up with videographer Robert Corsini, to initiate The Jerusalem Prayer Project (JPP). This new non-profit multimedia endeavor got started based on the musical composition of that name, written by Stephen inspired by his visits to Jerusalem. The project has expanded, becoming a full team effort using technology, the arts, and social media, producing a documentary series, ‘Warriors of the Heart: Peacemakers in the Holy Land’. JPP utilizes its website (jerusalemprayerproject.org) as a hub (Peace Portal) that connects peace activists and artists worldwide in collective creative action.
Most recently, Stephen and his JPP partner filmmaker Robert Corsini have produced the music video tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., “We Carry the Dream”, based on Stephen’s song co-written with Sophia Roberts, released in February, 2018.
On a personal note, he has raised a family of three children with his wife Nikki and lives in Venice Beach, California.
Stephen has won numerous awards including The International Peace Music Award in 1994, and has had his songs recorded by Luther VanDross and Jose Feliciano, among others.
For more information about Stephen Longfellow Fiske, bookings or to order a signed and numbered edition from the author, contact;
Fiske Music/Publishing:
635 California Ave.• Venice, CA 90291 • USA • Phone: 310-396-8205
Email: stephen@stephenfiskemusic.com