Steve Lebetkin is an American composer and musical descendant of the late Jewish composer Karol Rathaus, a leading early 20th century film and classical composer that emigrated to America during the Third Reich. 

Rathaus, a student of Franz Schreker, was a major influence on the three major American composers with whom Lebetkin studied – Gabriel Fontrier, Sol Berkowitz, and Leo Kraft. He also studied composition with Hugo Weisgal.

Lebetkin carries the torch of a great European musical composition tradition whose roots go back to Haydn. He is a leading advocate in his works and public presentations to distinguish between harmonic languages and compositional technique, regardless of style, venue, or era. Lebetkin's lecture series “What Makes Great Music Great” takes a fresh approach towards understanding musical composition for the general public, musicians, and media professionals. Lebetkin's most recent works include the album "Perpetuum Immobile", which stakes out new paths for the blending the best in class for New Age Chamber Music, classical, media and symphonic. Lebetkin's symphonic, choral, and chamber music works are performed by orchestras and groups throughout the world.

Among his recently completed works are Variations For Orchestra, Cycle of the Earth (ballet for symphony orchestra on the earth's environmental life cycle), Symphonic Songs – Six Songs On Poems By Walt Whitman, Piano Concerto (The “Classical”), Concerto for Soprano Saxophone, Vibraphone and String Orchestra, Elegy For Double (or divided) String Orchestra, Piano Sonata, Libera Me - Fanfare for Freedom for Symphony Orchestra, Piano Sonata, Symphony for Band, and Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.