Stephen Tunstall recently joined the 1 East Guitar Quartet in July of 2009. Originally hailing from England, Stephen lived in the Chicago Suburbs for 15 years. His formal instruction on guitar began in 2000 with Steven Vasquez at Harper College in Palatine, IL. After being introduced to the music of Classical Guitar he soon fell in love with the instrument and its repertoire. Ever since then he has devoted himself to the study of guitar. Stephen completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in classical guitar performance at Northeastern Illinois University studying with renowned guitarist and scholar, Dr. Brian Torosian. A lasting memory of this time came in a performance of the Adagio from Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with his wife Bomi Lim at the piano.

Stephen holds graduate degrees in music from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. He has studied with world renowned guitarists Denis Azabagic and Julian Gray and taken masterclasses with Sergio Assad, Roland Dyens, and Nigel North. Stephen has appeared in recital at Frostburg State University, on the Harper College Guest Artist Series, and the Roosevelt University concert series. Stephen currently runs the guitar program at Frostburg State University and is an upper school music faculty at Severn School in Severna Park, MD. Stephen's main influences have been his dedicated teachers, the music of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Beethoven, and Christian artists Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, and David Crowder.