Derrek STARK
Hailed by Opera News for his “handsome sound” and described as a “standout” by the Wall Street Journal, tenor Derrek Stark is quickly establishing a reputation as an elegant performer with nuanced and stylish singing. Last season, Mr. Stark returned to Pacific Opera Project singing the Prince in Rusalka and Knoxville Opera as Fredric in The Pirates of Penzance, joined Opera Tampa in the title role of Candide and cover of Rodolfo in La bohème, joined Gulfshore Opera as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and made a debut with Amelia Island Opera as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. He also made his Carnegie Hall debut with MidAmerica productions as the tenor soloist in Schubert's Mass in C and Vivaldi's Magnificat. In 2025-2026, Mr. Stark returns to Opera Tampa to sing the Narrator/Quint in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, sings as the tenor soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Billings Symphony, and joins the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra as the tenor soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Engagements for next season include returning to Pacific Opera Project to sing as Pirelli in Sweeney Todd and Prunier in La rondine, performing as Fenton in Falstaff with Opera Tampa, and covering Rodrigo in Otello and Trin in the new production of La fanciulla del West at the Metropolitan Opera. On the concert stage, he will sing as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Worcester Chorus and Orchestra.
During the 2023-2024 season, he made his company debut with Pacific Opera Project to sing Alfred in Die Fledermaus, his house and role debut with Knoxville Opera as Fenton in Falstaff. He also returned to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Prunier in La rondine – a “Met Live in HD” production.
In the 2022-2023 season, he joined The Metropolitan Opera roster to cover the Trojan Man in Idomeneo, the Royal Herald and Lerma in Don Carlo, and Flavio in Norma. Mr. Stark also returned to Eugene Opera as Rodolfo in La bohème, a role he has performed with the Bar Harbor Music Festival, the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Opera, and Miami Lyric Opera. Other recent roles include Adolfo Pirelli in Sweeney Todd (Opera Tampa), Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi (Opera Tampa, Opera Fusion), Tamino in Die Zauberflöte (Eugene Opera), Alfred in Die Fledermaus, (Gulfshore Opera), Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (Opera Tampa, Eugene Opera), Percy in Anna Bolena (Baltimore Concert Opera), and Arturo in La straniera (Teatro Nuovo). In 2019, Mr. Stark made his international debut with Opernhaus Zürich as the Italian Tenor in Der Rosenkavalier and returned to Palm Beach Opera as Alfredo in La traviata. Previous season highlights include Giasone in Medea in Corinto with Teatro Nuovo, The Governor in Candide with Palm Beach Opera, Harry in La fanciulla del West with Santa Fe Opera, and Remendado in Carmen with Lyric Opera Kansas City.
Equally at home in concert repertoire, Mr. Stark recently joined the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance for a New Year’s Eve concert, performed as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, and made his New Jersey Festival Orchestra debut in their Holiday Concert. Mr. Stark has performed with the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, the Boise Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Saint Luke’s in repertoire ranging from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony to Orff’s Carmina Burana and Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle.
In 2019, Mr. Stark won 2nd place in the Giulio Gari International Voice Competition and 3rd place in the Opera Columbus Cooper-Bing Competition. A 2018 Sullivan Foundation Grant Winner, his past awards include a Campbell/Wacther Scholarship from Santa Fe Opera, a Bel Canto Vocal Scholarship Foundation award, and 3rd place in the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
Stark is an alumnus of the Benenson Young Artist Program at Palm Beach Opera, Bel Canto at Caramoor, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and the Santa Fe Opera. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Mansfield University, PA, and a Master of Music degree from The Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University.