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Paulina Stark, 88, professor emerita in the Department of Music and Dance, died earlier this month in Amherst.

Stark, who was a member of the UMass voice faculty from 1985-2005, also taught voice at the New England Conservatory and the Vocal Institute at the University of California/ Santa Barbara.

Noted for her Spanish, French and 20^th century American repertoire, the soprano conducted masterclasses at the San Francisco Conservatory, the Longy School in Cambridge and at universities across the country. She also served as a judge with the Metropolitan Opera Council Regional Auditions, NATS Artist Award, Corbett Award at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and numerous other competitions.

Stark had an international career as a soprano in opera, oratorio and recital and was a guest soloist with numerous symphonies and orchestras. She performed leading lyric soprano roles with the Houston Grand Opera, L’Opéra Nationale de Monte Carlo and elsewhere.

A tribute to Stark from the Department of Music and Dance, originally published on the department’s website, can be found below.
 

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Professor Emerita Paulina Stark (1936-2025) was a member of the UMass voice faculty from 1985 to 2005 and also taught voice at the New England Conservatory and the Vocal Institute at the University of California/ Santa Barbara.  Particularly noted for Spanish, French, and 20th century American repertoire, the soprano conducted masterclasses at the San Francisco Conservatory, the Longy School in Cambridge and at universities across the country. Professor Stark adjudicated the Metropolitan Opera Council Regional Auditions, NATS Artist Award, Corbett Award at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and numerous other competitions.

Ms. Stark had an international career as a soprano in opera, oratorio, and recital.  She was a guest soloist with the Hallé Orchestra in England (under the direction of Sir John Barbirolli), the Jerusalem Symphony (Sergiu Comissiona), Houston (Lawrence Foster), Dallas (Eduardo Mata), Fort Worth, Austin, Springfield MA, Syracuse, MIT, New England Composers, and many other orchestras. She performed leading lyric soprano roles (Violetta, Mimi, Manon, etc.) with the Houston Grand Opera, L'Opéra Nationale de Monte Carlo and elsewhere, and performed in recital at such venues as the Phillips Collection in Washington DC, the 92nd Street Y in New York, the Aspen Music Festival, and at other venues across the country.

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Paulina Stark’s recordings include: Unmined Cole Porter (Centaur); Ravel songs with orchestra (Opus/Centaur); A Lullaby Journey (Gasparo); American Jewish Artsongs (Centaur); I Have Taken an Oath to Remember (Transcontinental); Clairieres dans le ciel by Lili Boulanger and Songs of Spanish Masters (Spectrum). She also premiered and recorded vocal compositions by prominent UMass composers Charles Bestor, Robert Stern and Frederick Tillis.  Ms. Stark was a featured soloist on CBS TV and radio, NET, NPR, BBC, and Kol Israel.

Born in Colombia, Stark held a BA in Romance Languages (magna cum laude, phi beta kappa) and an MA in French Literature from Rice University. She did extensive post-graduate studies at the University of Texas-Austin Butler School of Music and the University of Houston Moores School of Music. Her principal teachers were Anna Hamlin, Willa Stewart and Elizabeth Mannion. She most recently lived in Amherst.

Professor Emerita of Piano Estela Olevsky wrote, “Performing as a duo with Paulina Stark was one of the happiest musical and personal experiences of my professional life. Our Latin American backgrounds gave us an immediate sense of connection and we thrived sharing it with our concert audiences.”