Music historian Jason Stell received his Ph.D. in 2006 from Princeton University with a dissertation on the functions of chromatic pitches in Classic era music. Previous degrees in music theory (M.A.) and astrophysics (B.S.) were from Pennsylvania State University, where he enjoyed opportunities to write and present research on topics from Beethoven and Scriabin to supernovae and quarks. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Staunton Music Festival and writes concert notes for SMF and other local and regional musical events. His notes have appeared in performances at the Kennedy Center and New York’s Merkin Hall as well as on commercial recordings for the Pentatone and Hannsler Classics labels. Stell has studied piano with Robert Taub, Cecilia Dunoyer, and Carl Blake and received harpsichord instruction from Wendy Young, Arthur Haas, and June Miller.