Northern Virginia Community Orchestra 

Stephen Shook grew up on a farm in Michigan. He holds both a bachelor's and master's degree in music from Western Michigan University. As a violinist, he has performed in orchestras, taught private violin and viola lessons, and directed public school orchestras in Michigan and Virginia. He also worked as an airline flight attendant.

Shook studied orchestral conducting with Mark Shapiro of New York through the Juilliard Extension program.

After retiring from the Fairfax County School system, some of Shook’s former students expressed how much they missed playing. There was no local orchestra available to them. Seeing a need for a community ensemble, he began gathering a small group of interested musicians in a church basement in 2021. That group eventually became the Northern Virginia Community Orchestra. In a relatively short time, the orchestra grew to more than 60 dedicated members, with many others on a waiting list—clearly fulfilling a community need for people of all ages to make orchestral music together.

One of ten children, Shook was raised by a pianist mother and a father who was both an airline executive and a farmer. He currently lives in Springfield, Virginia, with his spouse of 41 years, JoEllen. They have three daughters and two sons.