Stephen Karukas is a percussionist and composer living in Seattle. He is a graduate of Indiana University, where he studied percussion, composition, and electronic music. He has written percussion music for Paul Millette, Rose Lipham, Indiana University, Concord High School (Indiana), and others, and he received the Honorable Mention in the 2019 PASIC Composition Contest for his marimba solo blue-gray. He has also written chamber music for Fifth House Ensemble and Definiens, and he was the winner of the 2020 SCI/ASCAP Commission Competition, which led to the commission of a new work for trumpet virtuoso Stephen Burns and a percussion quartet.

He regularly collaborates with Andrew Hutchens and Daniel Myers to create music for percussion and saxophone, most recently leading to Third Rail / Revelation, a piece for marimba, bari sax, and electronics inspired by the city of Seattle seen through the lens of public transit. He currently works as a software engineer and enjoys participating in the local experimental and improvisation scene.