Born in Beverley, Yorkshire, England, Stephen Binnington studied at the Royal College of Music, London. For many years, he combined work in education, and arts administration with freelance work as an organist, piano accompanist, and choral conductor. He has performed throughout the UK and abroad, giving concerts and recitals in the smallest of village churches to concert halls and cathedrals. For 16 years he was conductor of the Blandford Choral Society.

Since 2013 he has worked exclusively as a freelance musician. Stephen has written scripts, and composed and arranged music for a series of musical presentations which have been performed in theatres, concert halls and schools, under the umbrella of Musical Storytime and Beyond the Stave. His published compositions comprise mostly of chamber music, but include organ and choral music, some of which has featured in the ABRSM exam syllabus. His wife, Deborah, is a musician and they have two grown-up children and a grandchild.