Bruce Stark is an award-winning American composer for the concert stage, and as composer/pianist he has also released several solo piano albums. His music embraces influences of jazz, classical and contemporary masters.
I strive for beauty, lyricism, subtle shades of harmony and rhythmic layers, sometimes meditative, sometimes vibrantly energetic. I try to create music that has an organic profile, combining my diverse influences into a singular creative voice—the one that inspires and informs me, the one I hope inspires listeners.
BIO
Bruce Stark’s music reflects the varied elements of his musical upbringing. He grew up in Lakeside, California where he began with drums and percussion, migrated to jazz piano, and while in college dropped out of the physics program and began formal studies in classical music, going on to complete a masters degree in composition at the Juilliard School. After graduation he moved to Tokyo where he resided for over 20 years making a living as arranger and jazz pianist, all the while producing a collection of works that reveal a compelling musical voice. In 2013 he returned to the U.S. and joined the music faculty of DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington.
From solo piano to chamber and orchestral works, Bruce Stark’s music has been performed on the concert stages of four continents and recorded on numerous CDs. His Sonata for Piano was awarded Honorable Mention by the Music Teachers National Association in the Distinguished Composer of the Year competition, and he was winner of the South Texas Brass Symposium Competition for Adagio and Allegro for horn, trombone and piano. Other awards include First Prize in the Composers Guild Contest, Second Prize in the Barlow International Competition, and ASCAP composer awards.
His compositions have been featured in the National Flute Association Convention, American Piano Festival, International Trombone Festival, Canberra International Chamber Music Festival and MasterWorks Festival. Performances have included the Baton Rouge and Lansing symphonies, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Jakarta Symphony, Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Beaverton Symphony, Portland Youth Philharmonic, Rapides Symphony, numerous pianists and other musicians including trombonists Megumi Kanda and Don Lucas who have commissioned and championed multiple new works.
NEWS
News Highlights 2024
A written interview with Bruce Stark is now featured on the Meet the Artist website. The interview explores Stark’s influences, roots, creative process, advice for young composers, and more. Here is the link to the interview.
On January 5, 2024 the Portland Youth Philharmonic strings under David Hattner gave the world premiere of Stark’s Serenade for Strings at Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton, Oregon.
On March 16, 2024, Antera 2 Radio in Lisbon, Portugal will broadcast a special feature of Bruce Stark’s album Tapestries on Jorge Carnaxide’s show, combining music with comments by the composer.
On March 28, 2024 members of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra performed 2 movements from Stark’s Trio Suite at the Robin Theatre in Lansing, Michigan, featuring Michael Bechtel, violin, Guy Yehuda, clarinet, and Patrick Johnson, piano.
On April 12, 2024 pianist Shu Li will give the world premiere of Colors of Peace, a large work for solo piano by Bruce Stark. Dr. Li commissioned the piece with support from Augustana University. The recital will be in Hamre Hall at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Pianist Nariaki Sugiura, with support from the University of North Dakota, has commissioned a new work for left hand piano from Bruce Stark, and will give the world premiere in the spring of 2024. The piece, entitled If Stars Could Speak, is a collection of 8 short compositions.
Tapestry No. 1, from the album Tapestries (2023)
News Highlights 2023
On January 22, 2023 the premiere performance of Variations for Piano and Strings was broadcast on All Classical Portland radio.
On January 13, 2023 Tapestries, a solo piano album of Bruce Stark’s original compositions performed by the composer, was released on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
On January 27, 2023 Megumi Kanda and Matt Ernst (principal trombone and trumpet, Milwaukee Symphony) led the world premiere of Stark’s Five Short Pieces for trumpet, trombone and piano at San Diego State University.
Duo Cantabile (Simona Barbu, cello and Nariaki Sugiura, piano) performed Stark’s Promise on March 16 at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, March 18 at Warsaw Evangelical Church in Warsaw, Indiana, March 20 at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, Illinois and April 3 at University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
On March 27, 2023 Stark’s Suite for Horn, Trombone and Piano was performed by Angela DeBoer (horn), David Loucky (trombone) and Arunesh Nadgir (piano) as part of the Stones River Chamber Players Faculty Series at Middle Tennessee State University.
On April 8, 2023 trombonist Sal Quaratino led a performance of Stark’s Suite for Trombone and Piano at Rutgers University (Brunswick, New Jersey)
On April 23, 2023 Akinori Ikegami (trombone) and Rii Koyama (piano) performed Stark’s Sketches of Japan in Mr. Ikegami’s recital at Nadeshiko Arts Center in Kobe, Japan.
On June 25, 2023 Stark’s Five Short Pieces was performed at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, Massachusetts by Terry Everson (trumpet), Don Lucas (trombone) who commissioned the work, and Haram Kim (piano).
On October 24, 2023 cellist Simona Barbu and pianist Nariaki Sugiura performed Bruce Stark’s Promise in their recital at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.
On November 20, 2023 Simona Barbu and Nariaki Sugiura performed Stark’s Promise for cello and piano at East Oklahoma University in Ada, Oklahoma.
News Highlights 2022
On November 12 pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic in giving the world premiere of Bruce Stark’s Variations for Piano and Strings under the baton of David Hattner. In a live broadcast for All Classical Portland radio on November 10 Sanchez-Werner also performed selections from Stark’s Six Dances for Piano.
On September 9 German pianist Mark Kantorovic performed Stark’s Variations on Ode To Joy in Nastätten and on September 10th in Fulda, Germany.
Megumi Kanda (principal trombone, Milwaukee Symphony) performed Stark’s Sketches of Japan (a work she commissioned for trombone and piano) at University of Nevada Las Vegas on March 10, 2022. Ms. Kanda also championed the work during a tour of Japan this year, with concerts in Osaka (July 26), Tokyo (July 28 at Hakuju Hall) and Okinawa (July 30).
On March 27 the ensemble Some Asembly Required performed Stark’s Adagio and Allegro for horn, trombone and piano at First Baptist Church of Medford, Massachusetts, and March 28 at MIT.
Trombonist Don Lucas and pianist Haram Kim performed Stark’s Suite No. 2 for Trombone and Piano at Marsh Chapel of Boston University on March 14.
In 2022 Duo Cantabile (Simona Barbu, cello, Nariaki Sugiura, piano) championed Stark’s Suite for Cello and Piano (a work they commissioned) with performances February 23 at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, CA, February 25 at University of Nevada Las Vegas, March 16 at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, April 7 at Trinity Free Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND, May 23 at Gheroghe Dima National Academy of Music in Clui, Romania, June 22 at Greencastle Summer Music Festival in Indiana, September 8 at Augustana University, September 9 at South Dakota State University, September 10 at Poppler Music Sioux Falls, September 22 at College Music Society National Conference in Long Beach, CA, and September 24 at California State University in Fresno.
Flutist DeShaun Gordon-King performed Bruce Stark’s American Suite (flute and piano) in his recital at the Longy School of Music at Bard College on April 24, 2022.
REVIEWS
Stark is an artist of the highest caliber
— Jim Aiken, Keyboard Magazine
strikes a rare balance between musical literacy and pure emotion
— Linda Kohanov, CD Review
a confident, fresh-voiced composer
— Daron Hagen, EAR Magazine
(Adagio and Allegro) …Stark shows his mastery of writing beautiful lyrical lines for the brass, with witty and pianistic interjections…The innate lyricism with which Stark writes, along with his clear presentation of characters in each movement makes this delightful piece a fun and audience-pleasing program staple.
— Heidi Lucas, The Horn Call
Bruce Stark’s Americana Wind Quintet (2009) is the takeaway discovery on this CD. A jewel, Stark’s quintet is gorgeous, engaging, complexly structured, and intellectually rewarding. Its four movements are as expansive as the American spirit, with lots of nice ensemble writing, delicious coloring, and motivic ideas cleverly linked by threads of repetition and special effect.
— Daniel Kepl, Performance Arts Review
. . . there is something about it that is unmistakably “American” in sound and spirit that’s hard to describe. Above all, I find it to be an exquisitely beautiful piece and one that has grown on me with repeated hearings and moved me deeply. Listen, for example, to the second movement, “Hymn to the Dawn.” What extraordinarily beautiful music this is . . .
- Jerry Dubins, Fanfare
This is a magnificent and engaging addition to the woodwind quintet literature.
- Ronald E. Grames, Fanfare
The four movements of the American composer Bruce Stark's Americana Wind Quintet abound in poetic and dramatic flights spiced with savoury flavours and rhythmic twists.
— Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone
Lisa Moore closed her part of the program with Bruce Stark's “Variations on Ode To Joy“(1997), a fantasy on the theme from the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, couched in jazzy rhythms, rumbling bass figures and a healthy measure of overt virtuosity. It was as if Liszt, while musing on the Beethoven work, were suddenly possessed by the spirit of Art Tatum.
— Allan Kozinn, New York Times
Tuesday's program opened with Bruce Stark's Fugue, a cool, ultra-precise composition whose extended, winding motifs, exchanged from player to player, created music that seemed to move in circular crosscurrents through the Bessie Schonberg Theater.
— Stephen Holden, The New York Times
A grand finale was provided by Bruce Stark, composer of “Variations on Ode To Joy”—and it was in this piece that surprising bits of the joyous melody would emerge amidst the frenetic passages of jazz, syncopation, and all kinds of different rhythms.
— Wendy Brazil, ArtSoundFM 92.7 Radio, Australia
Bruce Stark's music was performed to wonderful effect again in tonight's program. His 5 short pieces further explored how jazz stylings and American folk music influences can be used without merely evoking the achievements of the '50's. The explosive 5th prelude was fascinating in how it simultaneously and without feelings of pastiche evoked both Bartok and Gershwin.
Stark's work has been featured in every concert of the series and for good reason. He has an unusually rare gift in creating a recognizable voice, combining compelling content with forms that make sense and are full of surprises.
— Jeff Harrington, Sequenza21
TESTIMONIALS
The first time I heard the music of Bruce Stark, I thought, “What fantastic music!”. Now after repeated performances of his music, my admiration and appreciation for his artistry just continues to grow deeper and deeper.
- Don Lucas, trombonist, teacher
Symphonic Dances is unlike any other work I have known. It is masterful and inspired music. The language is fresh, original, and instantly engaging to the audience . . . Mr. Stark has a unique voice.
- Timothy Muffitt, conductor
Bruce Stark is unquestionably one of the finest composers of his generation.
- Jeffrey Jacob, pianist
Fresh, refined, music that holds both the audience and the musicians captive...I love Bruce's pieces!
- Kaori Fujii, flutist
Rhythms that dance and spring from deep within your body, a myriad of colors and shades, tender, melodic passages…when I play Bruce's music, a world of images seems to rise from the piano, and my love and passion for the piano itself grows.
- Chika Nagisa, pianist
Bruce's works are innovative and exciting additions to the repertoire. They open up new doors for the performer and never fail to delight all who play or hear it!
- Megumi Kanda, trombone
It is challenging to describe the range of Bruce's music in words, but here are a few: powerful and dynamic, yet tender and serene; complex yet always tuneful and accessible; funky and jazzy yet classically rigorous; challenging yet eminently pianistic.
- Seann Alderking, pianist
When I commissioned Bruce Stark to write a piece celebrating the turn of the millennium, I was certain of only one thing: that his piece would be full of excitement! What I could not have foreseen was the daring structure of the piece, the extraordinary finesse of his orchestration, and the muscular main theme...
- David Charles Abell, conductor
CONTACT
Please use this form to contact Bruce Stark.