In the 2026–27 season, Stepan assumes the position of Bernard Haitink Associate Conductor with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Spanning two seasons, he will work closely with Klaus Mäkelä and other distinguished guest conductors, both in Amsterdam and on tour, while also coaching orchestra members in ensemble settings and contributing to the orchestra’s talent development initiatives. In the latter half of the 2027–28 season, he will spend a dedicated week with the orchestra, conducting several subscription concerts.

Born in 2000, Stepan began his musical training at the Secondary Special Music School of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, studying accordion with Professor Alexander Dmitriev. During this period, he became a laureate of numerous international competitions, including the Coupe Mondiale (Italy, 2017) and the Trophée Mondiale (France, 2017). He was also the recipient of the Cultural Initiatives Award presented by Maestro Yuri Temirkanov. As a performer, he appeared extensively across Europe, with concerts in Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, and Russia, and participated in festivals such as Kissinger Sommer, the Galakonzert der Internationalen Musikakademie im Fürstentum Liechtenstein, and the Classic Festival in Bad Ragaz.

In 2019, Stepan entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied conducting with Professor Peter Gribanov, later joining the Faculty of Opera and Symphony Conducting and graduating in 2026. In the summer of 2026, he was selected for the Gstaad Conducting Academy of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, where he spent three weeks working with the Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn and the Gstaad Festival Orchestra under the guidance of Johannes Schlaefli, Jaap van Zweden and Alexander Shelley.

As a conductor, Stepan has collaborated with orchestras including the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Festival Orchestra, the Orchestra of Teatro Massimo Bellini, the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, and the Rostov State Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. His recent appearances include concerts in Italy with the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini and cellist Mischa Maisky, which received strong critical acclaim in the Italian press.

Highlights of the 2026–27 season include engagements with the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, Orchestra dell’Arena di Verona, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini in Parma, the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra.