Biography
Powerful Voice and Acting Skills
Praised by the Washington Post as having a voice of “unearthly power,” The Houston Press as being a “blow away singer,” and the San Jose Mercury News as a “natural comic actor,” award winning bass-baritone, Nathan Stark, has performed on opera, concert and recital stages throughout United States, Europe and China.
Hailing from Hughson, California, Mr. Stark has performed over 50 professional roles with opera houses throughout North America, including The Metropolitan Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Arizona Opera, Atlanta Opera, Virginia Opera and Opera San Jose, among others. Some of his noted roles have included Mustafà in L’Italiana in Algeri, both Don Basilio and Don Bartolo in il Barbiere di Siviglia, both Leporello and il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, both Monterone and Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Colline in La Boheme, Fernando in Il Trovatore, Banco in Macbeth and Bottom in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Equally comfortable on the concert stage, he has performed as a soloist with leading ensembles including Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and the Holland Symphony Orchestra
Resilient During the Covid-19 Pandemic
During the 2020-2021 season, Mr. Stark became an artist in residence with Opera San Jose, writing and constructing online music programs and fundraisers for the company during the height of Covid-19 pandemic. He performed the roles of Leporello in Don Giovanni in a return with Dayton Opera, Fasolt in Das Rheingold in a return with Opera Santa Barbara, Simone in Gianni Schicchi in a return with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and appeared in recital with Opera Modesto in a digital performance. Cancellations included company returns to the Valdosta Symphony Orchestras as the bass soloist in The Defiant Requiem, Tulsa Opera as Henry Moser in Emmeline and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Dr. Podsnap for the world premiere of Todias Picker’s Awakenings.
World Performances
Mr. Stark has given recitals throughout the United States and Germany, concerts at the Great Wall of China, the U.S. Colombian Embassy, U.S. French Embassy, the U.S. Austrian Embassy and the Washington National Cathedral. In 2005 he was chosen to be the featured soloist for the nationally televised opening ceremonies of the Air Force One exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Library for former First Ladies, Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan, members of the United States Senate and Congress, and for, then President of the United States, George W. Bush.
Award Winning
Mr. Stark has been a recipient of several vocal awards including the 2010 Fort Worth Opera Marguerite McCammon Competition, the Opera Columbus Vocal Competition, the Brentwood Artist of Tomorrow Competition, the Sun Valley Opera Competition, Westwood Vocal Competition, Burbank Aria Competition, first place winner of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music’s Corbett Scholarship Opera Competition, the Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition, the Pasadena Opera Guild Competition, the Opera Buffs Competition, first place winner of the Classical Singers Association Vocal Competition in Los Angeles, and San Diego district winner of the Metropolitan Opera Vocal Competition. He holds degrees in vocal & opera performance from Modesto Junior College (A.A. and Theater Arts Certificate), California State University, Long Beach (B.M. & M.M.) and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (A.D.) His voice teachers have included Dr. Lewis Woodward, Dr. Cherrie Llewellyn, Ms. Shigemi Matsumoto, Ms. Marilyn Horne and Mr. Kenneth Shaw.
Summer 2022
During the 2022 Summer season, Mr. Stark returned to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, performing the role of Mayor George Moscone to critical acclaim in the premiere of the new two-act version of Harvey Milk written by composer, Stewart Wallace and librettist, Michael Korie.
2022/2023 Opera Season
Nathan Stark returns to The Metropolitan Opera in New York City for the 2022/2023 season covering the roles of The Prison Guard in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, The Fourth Noble in Lohengrin and Angelotti in Tosca.
Other engagements include The Narrator/Mysterious Man in Stephen Sondheim's musical, Into the Woods, in a company return to Tulsa Opera, FrèreLaurent in Romeo et Juilette with Valley Opera & Performing Arts and Count Monterone in Rigoletto in a company debut with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra .