Hailing from Hughson, California, Mr. Stark has performed on the opera stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Atlanta Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera San Jose, Hawaii Opera Theatre and Arizona Opera - to name a few. Equally comfortable as a concert repetoire, he has performed as a soloist with leading ensembles in North America - including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Stark's most noted roles include Colline in La Boheme, both Leporello and il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, both Dr. Bartolo and Don Basilio in il Barbiere di Siviglia, both Sparafucile and Count Monterone in Rigoletto, Mustafa in L'Italiana in Alergi, and Dr. Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro.
In the 2019-20 season, Mr. Stark makes his debut with the Wendy Taucher Dance Opera Theatre as Frank in Die Fledermaus and makes company returns to Opera San Jose as Frank in Die Fledermaus and Ferrando in il Trovatore, Tulsa Opera as Henry Mosher in Emmeline, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Dr. Potsnap in the world-premiere of Tobias Picker's Awakenings, the bass soloist for Handel's Messiah with Cathedral Productions, and the bass soloist for The Defiant Requiem Foundation's concert "Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terzin" with the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra.
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.
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, the Westwood Vocal Competition, the Burbank Aria Competition, first place winner of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music 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 was the 2006 district winner of the Metropolitan Opera Vocal Competition, San Diego District.
He holds degrees in vocal & opera performance from 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.
