Stephen Wylks is a freelance clarinet player and teacher residing in Brisbane, and part of new music group Collusion. Collusion have just released their debut CD on the Move records label, titled In Depth, are part of Musica Viva's 'In Schools' program and are active on the Queensland music scene. Stephen holds a Bachelor of Music with Honours from the Australian National University, Canberra, and has recently finished some further study at the Queensland Conservatorium. He had two principal teachers, Alan Vivian in Canberra and Paul Dean in Brisbane. Stephen has played with the Queensland Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Sinfonia, Australian Youth Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Southern Cross Soloists Chamber Orchestra, the Canberra and QLD Youth Orchestras, QLD Con and ANU symphony orchestras, ANU Big band, and has appeared as soloist with the Northern Rivers Symphony Orchestra and the National Capital Orchestra, and participated in the Australian Youth Orchestra's National Music Camp.
Along with orchestral playing he enjoys chamber music, and has played at The Bangalow Music Festival, the Canberra International Chamber Music Festival with the Canberra Wind Soloists, and has played with Clarity Clarinet Quartet and the Eingana Ensemble. He also toured rural Queensland for the QLD Arts Council as part of a wind quintet that won the Gertrude Langer prize at the conservatorium. He has won various prizes and competitions, and was finalist in the 2005 under 30 National clarinet competition held in Melbourne. He teaches for the Queensland Institute of Technology, the Central Queensland Conservatorium and for Young Conservatorium, and in July of 2007 he toured to Germany, France and the Netherlands playing with the Australian Youth Orchestra.