Curriculum Vitae

Peter Stark

Conductor, Educationalist, Consultant

Training

• Royal College of Music, London; 1973-7. Conducting with Norman Del Mar, violin with Leonard Hirsch
• Canford Summer School of Music, England; 1976-8. Conducting with George Hurst
• Vienna ’Meisterkurse’; 1980. Conducting with Sir Charles Mackerras

Violinist

• Orchestra of Welsh National Opera; 1978-88. (Principal 2nd Violin, 1985-88)
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; 1981-3

Conductor

• Orchestras including:
• BBC Concert Orchestra
• BBC National Orchestra of Wales
• Berlin Symphony Orchestra
• Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
• English Chamber Orchestra
• English Northern Philharmonia
• Flanders Radio Symphony Orchestra
• Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra
• Hallé Orchestra
• London Mozart Players
• London Symphony Orchestra
• Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
• Norwegian National Opera Orchestra
• Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
• Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
• Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra
• Welsh National Opera
• West of England Philharmonic Orchestra (Artistic Director; 2000 – 2010)

– Assistant to:

• Vladimir Ashkenazy
• Pierre Boulez (Schoenberg – ‘Gurrelieder’. BBC Promenade Concert, 1987)
• Sir Colin Davis
• Sir Andrew Davis
• Bernard Haitink
• Lord Menuhin
• Sir Roger Norrington
• Tadaaki Otaka
• Vasily Petrenko
• Sir Simon Rattle
• Mstislav Rostropovich
• Klaus Tennstedt

– Soloists:

• Nicholas Daniel
• Peter Donohoe
• Lynn Harrell
• Stephen Isserlis
• John Lill
• Tasmin Little
• Vadim Repin
• Pascal Rogé
• Martin Roscoe

– Venues:

All major concert halls in London and U.K.

Tours to; Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Japan, Italy, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sultenate of Oman, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and USA.

– Media:

• Series Consultant to BBC ‘Maestro’, BBC television, 2008
• Many recordings for BBC Radio, including; Mahler ‘Resurrection Symphony’, Shostakovich Symphony no 10, Arnold – Symphony no 5, many contemporary programmes, ‘Discovering Music’ etc
• Subject of a television film made for HTV about a tour to Denmark and Sweden in 1993
• CDs with music by Britten, Copland, Elgar, Mahler, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Sibelius and Vaughan Williams
• 2006 recording of Edwin Roxburgh’s ‘Saturn’, NMCD119

– Conservatoires and Universities:

In demand from all the senior conservatoires in London. He has conducted concerts with all on a regular basis, particularly Royal College of Music (Professor of Conducting, 2007-present), Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Trinity College of Music (Senior Fellow of Conducting and Orchestral Studies, 1997-2004); Junior Academy, Royal Academy of Music. (Professor of Conducting, 1988-2010). He is also frequently used as adjudicator. From 2019 he takes up a post as Special Term Prfessor at the Zhejiang Conservatory, Hangzhou, China

– Youth Orchestras:

• Youth orchestras Peter has conducted:
• Arabian Youth Orchestra; Principal Conductor (2016 – present)
• Derbyshire County Youth Orchestra; Principal Conductor (1985 – present)
• European Union Youth Orchestra; Rehearsal Director (2009 – present)
• Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra; Principal Conductor (1994 – present)
• National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain; Conductor-in-Residence (1985 – 2010)
• Singapore National Youth Orchestra; Principal Guest Conductor (2018 – present)
• Has also conducted:
• National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain
• National Youth Orchestra
• National Youth Chamber Orchestra
• Also many of the world’s finest youth orchestras, including the New South Wales Public Schools’ Symphony Orchestra, Australia, the Toyota City Junior Orchestra, Japan, and the Ung Filharmoni of Norway.

– Repertoire:

In part due to his work with youth orchestras, (where he is often able to choose his own repertoire) his repertory is impressive. He has conducted most of the standard repertoire of all major composers. Composers from Monteverdi to the present day are covered – please see Repertoire List

Animateur

Peter Stark is become very well known for his work as an animateur and consultant.

Through his work with the English Chamber Orchestra, Concilium, the Ernest Read Children’s Concerts, the Stilgoe Saturday Concerts and the West of England Philharmonic Orchestra he has developed a style of interaction with audiences that is beguiling and approachable.

Informative yet light-hearted introductions are an important part of his work as he believes passionately in the need to encourage and nurture the players and audiences of the future.

With the West of England Philharmonic Orchestra he was the leader of an extensive programme of educational work, ‘Musication’, working with thousands of primary school children

Appointments

• 1985-2010; Conductor in Residence, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
• 1985-present; Conductor, Derbyshire County Youth Orchestra
• 1988-2010; Professor of Conducting, Junior Academy (Royal Academy of Music)
• 1989-2010; Principal Conductor, Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra
• 1994-present; Principal Conductor, Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra
• 1997-2004; Senior Fellow of Conducting and Orchestral Studies, Trinity College of Music, London
• 1999-2009; Artistic Director, Parnassus
• 2000-2010; Artistic Director, West of England Philharmonic Orchestra
• 2002-present; Principal Conductor, Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra
• 2007-present; Professor of Conducting, Royal College of Music
• 2009-present; Rehearsal Director, European Union Youth Orchestra
• 2016-present; Principal Conductor, Arabian Youth Orchestra, Dubai
• 2018-present; Principal Guest Conductor, Singapore National Youth Orchestra

Competitions

• 1980; Finalist; Vittorio Gui International Competition, Florence
• 1987; Prize-winner; Third Leeds Competition for Conductors

Awards and Degrees

• 1976; Graduate of the Royal Schools of Music
• 1977; Adrian Boult Conducting Scholarship, Royal College of Music
• 1977; Arthur Bliss Prize, Royal College of Music
• 1977; Associate of the Royal College of Music
• 1977; Tagore Gold Medal, Royal College of Music (for the most outstanding student of the year)
• 1977; Theodore Stier Conducting Prize, Royal College of Music
• 1979; Allcard Grant, Worshipful Company of Musicians
• 1996; Honorary Associate, Royal Academy of Music, London
• 1996; Honorary Fellow, Trinity College of Music, London
• 2000; Honorary Doctor of Music, University of the West of England