Stevens was born in Birmingham, the youngest son of J. Stevens who at 8 years of age was accepted as a probationary
chorister at
Worcester Cathedral. He went on to sing at Queen Victoria's
Chapels Royal in a choir of ten boys, one of whom was (later Sir)
Arthur Sullivan. Privileges included board and lodging and tuition by the
Queen's chaplain, Rev. T. Kilmore, M.A. He went on to serve as the first secretary of the
Birmingham Triennial Music Festival. Stevens became part of the musical fabric of Birmingham. He was known to all the great composers of the day, including Mendelssohn, Gounod, and Richter. He served for over 20 years as organist at
St Michael's Church, Handsworth, and was accompanist and assistant conductor of the Birmingham Festival Choir. He also conducted an elementary singing class at the
Birmingham and Midland Institute. He was closely associated with the Holte Musical Society and head of the music departments of
Handsworth College and the Girls' High School, Astor. then was appointed to
Christ Church, North Adelaide, for its new instrument, and was active in wiping out its debt. In 1886 music retailers
S. Marshall and Sons founded the
Adelaide Musical Association with Stevens as conductor, to produce Handel's
Messiah on
Christmas Night, 1886, though it clashed with a performance by the Philharmonic.
P. A. Howells considered that Stevens created the Association specifically as an opponent of the Philharmonic. On 10 February 1888 he opened an Exhibition Organ at the
North Adelaide Wesleyan Church, and conducted the Adelaide Musical Association in a Sacred Concert from the organ. • For over 20 years he conducted the 'Messiah' festivals which became a feature of the year's entertainments • He is reported as having founded in 1888 the
Adelaide Orpheus Society for the practice of male
part singing, The institution flourished, thanks to the fostering care of its founder and his successors. • He conducted the annual performance of the Adelaide Choral Society ever since. • He also took students privately, and in his capacity enjoyed a well-deserved popularity. • Stevens was the first president of the South Australian Music Teachers' Association. but returned after three months with impresario
P. A. Howells. In 1903 he made a tour of England and the continent, the highlights perhaps being • Reunion with his student
Peter Dawson, and together visited
Madame Albani • Introduction to the
Savage Club by
Percy Grainger • A concert at
Interlaken, Switzerland • A concert of Elgar's
Coronation Ode by the
Leeds Choir • Handel Festival at
The Crystal Palace and
Aida at the
Paris Opera His wife remained briefly in England, furthering her studies under a Royal Academy master. She was later awarded an
L.R.A.M.. During Stevens's absence, the organist B. Foxall Robinson acted as
locum tenens, directing both the Orpheus and Choral societies. Stevens died at his home in Clark Street, Wayville, after an illness of several months.
Compositions • Anthem "Behold, O Lord. Our Defender" • "The Child and the Bells" ==Family==