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

• Muscat Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

• Norwegian National Ballet 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. In 2020 was appointed Distinguished Professor of Conducting to the China Conservatory of Music, Beijing.

Ongoing commitments to the universities of the United Kingdom include regular performances with Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, Oxford University Orchestra and the University of London Symphony Orchestra

– 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 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

  2002-2018; 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