Stephen Bloomfield

Stephen studied Music at the University of Southampton before going on to embark on a career in music as a performer and music tutor. He has performed at venues and festivals in the UK, Europe and United Arab Emirates including shows at The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park and support slots for Calvin Harris, Maverick Sabre and The Rolling Stones. In 2012, his band won MTV’s UK Best Band in the House competition. Stephen still teaches in his spare time but has put live performance on hold ever since half of his last band emigrated to America!

Stephen joined the British Council in 2015, initially as the Music team’s Communications Manager, combining a love of music and writing. Stephen now oversees the British Council's arts presence across websites, newsletters, social media, film and beyond, across genres and regions around the world. Highlights of Stephen's work with the British Council to date include the 2019 relaunch of Selector Radio with the then-host Jamz Supernova, delivering Selector's twentieth birthday to the world in 2021 in the wake of Covid and the subsequent relaunch of the show in 2024 with Selector's latest host, Sian Eleri.

Stephen has a particular interest in the UK jazz and improvised music scene, a growing interest in folk and alt-folk music and an ongoing Beatles habit which shows no signs of abaiting.