Career:
His interest in music, and especially in playing guitar, was awakened early with his discovery of AC/DC and their outstanding lead guitarist Angus Young when he was 12. At only 15, Stephan joined the band Vanden Plas. Since then, he has released 12 CDs and two DVDs worldwide with Vanden Plas, and performed in shows and tours in Europe and the USA (with bands including Dream Theater and Savatage) and worldwide renowned festivals like the Wacken Open-Air or the Sweden Rock Festival. For over 20 years he has been running his own music school where he teaches guitar (www.musikschule-lill.com).
Bands and Projects:
As both guitarist and songwriter, Stephan collaborated in projects with Missa Mercuria and the Consortium Project.
Theatre appearences:
To date, he and his Vanden Plas bandmates have composed 6 rock operas (Abydos, Ludus Danielis, Christ 0, Chronicles of the Immortals, Everyman, Last Paradise Lost), which were performed in several theatres in Germany and Austria. As a guitarist, Stephan has played throughout Germany in musicals including Jesus Christ Superstar, Little Shop of Horrors, Chess, Evita, American Idiot and Rocky Horror Picture Show, to name a few. In 2010, Stephan performed together with the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra in the German premiere of Yaron Gottfried’s Concerto for Electric Guitar, String Orchestra and Percussion.
Live highlights:
– European tour as support of Dream Theater 1997/98
– Sweden Rock 2006
Favorite bands:
Whitesnake, Blue Murder, Ozzy Osbourne, In Flames, Metallica, Dream Theater, Slipknot, Il Niño, Dokken, House of Lords, and of course, AC/DC.
Discography:
- VANDEN PLAS
- Albums
- 1994 – Colour Temple
- 1997 – The God Thing
- 1999 – Far Off Grace
- 2000 – Spirit Of Live (Live CD)
- 2002 – Beyond Daylight
- 2006 – Christ 0
- 2010 – The Seraphic Clockwork
- 2013 – Chronicles Of The Immortals (Path I)
- 2015 – Chronicles Of The Immortals – Netherworld II
- 2017 – The Seraphic Live Works (Live CD/DVD)
- 2019 – The Epic Works 1991 – 2015 (Box Set)
- 2019 – The Ghost Xperiment – Awakening
- 2020 – The Ghost Xperiment – Illumination
- 2022 – Live & Immortal (Live CD/DVD)
- Singles and EPs
- 1996 – AcCult (EP)
- 1996 – Des hauts, Des Das (Single, Frankreich)
- 1999 – Inside Of Your Head (Single, Frankreich)
- 2000 – I Don’t Miss You (Single, Europa)
- Albums
- PROJECTS:
- 1999 – Consortium Project
- 2001 – Consortium Project II: Continuum in Extremis
- 2002 – Consortium Project III: Terra Incognita (The Undiscovered World)
- 2002 – Missa Mercuria
- 2011 – Consortium Project V: Species
- 2020 – Ian Parry- In Flagrante Delicto
- 2020 – Telergy – Black Swallow
- THEATRE:
- 2007 – Abydos (DVD)
- 2009 – Ludus Danielis (DVD)