Crafton Hills College Names Pianist & Composer Stephen Prutsman as 2025 Outstanding Alumnus

Publish Date: Oct. 8, 2025

Crafton Hills College has selected internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Stephen Prutsman as its 2025 Outstanding Alumnus. Prutsman attended Crafton in 1981, taking general education courses before transferring on to continue his studies. After Crafton, he enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, and later earned a master’s degree and an artist diploma from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

“It is a wonderful honor,” Prutsman said. “I was fortunate to have had the chance to be a student at Crafton at a time when there would not have been any other institutional option for me. It will be nice to return there after more than 40 years since I was a student and graciously accept this recognition.

Prutsman’s career spans classical, jazz, and world music. He is a medalist at the Tchaikovsky and Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competitions and a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant. His work includes collaborations with the Kronos Quartet, Dawn Upshaw, Yo-Yo Ma, and leading orchestras worldwide; leadership roles with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Cartagena International Festival of Music; and acclaimed recordings ranging from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier to a solo jazz album. He currently serves on the faculty at Stanford University and works as a music producer with Phenotypic Recordings.

Prutsman will be recognized during Crafton’s Field of Dreams Fundraiser on Thursday, October 16, 2025, from 5:30–8:30 p.m. in the Main Campus Quad at Crafton Hills College (11711 Sand Canyon Rd., Yucaipa, Calif.). 

Tickets are $100 per guest (dinner included); reserved tables for 10 are available. Attire is casual, baseball-themed encouraged. For tickets, sponsorships, or details, visit the Gala 2025 page at www.craftonhills.edu/visitors-and-alumni/giving-to-chc/gala-2025.