Stephen Oberheu (b. 1976) is an American/Canadian musician, composer/songwriter, educator, and writer. Born and raised in Danville, Virginia, he started on trumpet in fifth grade and switched to tuba two years later. He also picked up guitar, bass, and saxophone. He attended Virginia Tech where he was active in marching band, wind ensemble, orchestra, brass quintet, tuba-euphonium ensemble, and tuba quartet as well as a variety of rock bands. He graduated in 1999 with a BA in Music Education.
Stephen then spent three years in Switzerland at the Conservatoire de Lausanne where he studied with Roger Bobo and obtained the Diplôme de Virtuosité in 2002. While in Switzerland he performed with brass bands, orchestra, and the Swiss Tuba & Baritone Association (STUBA). During this time in Switzerland, he became more interested in writing and composition, completing his first works for brass ensembles as well as writing and editing articles for tubanews.com.
Stephen then headed to Los Angeles to work on his Master’s degree at the University of Southern California where he studied with Tommy Johnson and Jim Self. He spent the 2003-04 season as principal tuba of the Orquesta Sinfónica UANL in Monterrey, Mexico.
In 2005, Stephen moved to Winnipeg, Canada. As a performer he has appeared with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, and the Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra where he was featured as a soloist, performing the Vaughan-Williams Tuba Concerto.
Stephen is a founding member of the Dirty Catfish Brass Band and has recorded for Canadian artists such as Begonia, Royal Canoe, Ashleigh Ball, Steve Bell, and Jeff Presslaff.
From 2006-2009 he was Instructor of Tuba & Euphonium at the University of North Dakota. He taught band and music in Winnipeg public schools from 2010-2025.
In 2026, Stephen decided to shift his focus from performing to composing. He began scoring for film and TV
