Stark, Bruce
Biography
Born: 1956
Country: California, U.S.A.
Studies: Juilliard School of Music (M.M.1984)
Teachers: Vincent Persichetti, Roger Sessions
Website: http://brucestarkmusic.com
The music of American composer/pianist Bruce Stark (born in San Diego and raised in Lakeside, California) reflects the varied elements of his musical upbringing: early studies in percussion, jazz piano, and classical composition. After three years in college as a physics major he left University Of California, Berkeley and began formal studies in composition at California State University, Northridge. There he studied with Aurelio de la Vega and Daniel Kessner, twice winning the school's composition prize, and went on to complete a master's degree at the Juilliard School as a student of Roger Sessions and Vincent Persichetti. Since moving to Tokyo in 1989 he has produced a collection of works which reveal a unique and compelling musical voice, drawing from a multiplicity of disciplines and sensibilities.
His music, ranging from solo piano and chamber music to choral and orchestral pieces, has been performed, recorded on numerous CDs and broadcast on radio programs worldwide. Awards include First Prize in the Composers Guild Contest, Second Prize in the Barlow International Competition, ASCAP composer awards and others. His compositions have been featured in the 2011 National Flute Association Convention, The American Piano Festival in Maryland, The International Trombone Festival, the Canberra International Chamber Music Festival and many times as part of the Keys To The Future piano music series in New York City, which has commissioned two new works from him. Performances and recordings include flutist Paula Robison, pianists Anthony DeMare, Lisa Moore and Guy Livingston, trombonist Megumi Kanda, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under David Charles Abell and Il Cantori Singers of New York. Recordings of his works have been released by Centaur Records (US) under a grant from the Alice M. Ditson Fund and Red Kite Records (UK), and separate works are included in releases by Colorado-based vocal group Ars Nova, the Tokyo Clarinet Ensemble, Japan Percussion Center and numerous performers.
Stark's performances as pianist/arranger can also be heard on many recordings (Victor Entertainment, ALM Records, Nami Records, MA Recordings and various independent labels). He has appeared as soloist, group leader and ensemble player in major concert halls throughout Japan as well as at Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Shanghai's Grande Theatre, and on a six-country tour of South America sponsored by the Japan Foundation for cultural exchange.
Stark currently serves as adjunct professor of music at Lakeland College, Japan.[1]
Works for Percussion
Farewell Song (withdrawn) – Vibraphone; Piano
Fugue (Stark) – Percussion Quartet; Marimba Quartet
Rituals – Percussion Quartet; Piano
References