STEPHEN KING
Professor of Voice
Chair, Voice Department

B.M. (1982) Auburn University M.M. (1985) Florida State Univeristy D.M.A. (1991) Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 1106 Alice Pratt Brown Hall 713-348-3811 sking@rice.edu

Baritone STEPHEN KING enjoys a varied career of performance and teaching that reaches from China to Italy and throughout the United States. His singing engagements include opera, oratorio and song and have included roles such as Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro in Rome, Italy and recitals in major Chinese cities at the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Culture. Noted particularly for his ability in the high baritone repertory, Stephen King has appeared as a soloist with more than 25 orchestras including The Louisville Orchestra, The North Carolina Symphony, The West Virginia Symphony, The Charlotte Symphony, The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, The Lexington Philharmonic, the Bach Aria Festival at Stony Brook and the Louisville Bach Society.

A champion for the song recital, Mr. King was winner of the Annemarie Gerts Prize in the national finals of The Artist Award Auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. In addition to numerous solo song recitals for colleges, universities and concert associations, Mr. King has appeared in concert throughout the eastern and southern U.S. with tenors Jeffrey Price and Randall Black.

Stephen King’s reputation as a teacher of outstanding singers was, in 2003, recognized with his appointments as Professor of Voice at The Shepherd School of Music of Rice University and Voice Teacher for the Houston Grand Opera Studio. Stephen King’s university students have been winners and finalists in competitions such as the National Metropolitan Opera Auditions National Finals, the Eleanor McCollum Competition, The Palm Beach Opera Competition, The Orpheus National Vocal Competition, the National Society for Arts and Letters National Finals and the Artist Award Auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. These students have been invited to sing in some of this country’s most prestigious venues for young artists including the Aspen Music Festival, San Francisco’s Merola Program, Central City Opera, Chautauqua, Glimmerglass, and the Cincinnati May Festival. Additionally they have appeared with the opera companies of Omaha, San Diego, Nashville, Cincinnati, Birmingham, and Wiesbaden, Germany.

Mr. King maintains a large professional studio that includes recent winners and finalists in competitions such as Operalia, the Hans Gabor International Belvedere Competition, McCammon, Lieber, Heinz Rehfuss, Dallas Opera Guild, and Palm Beach. These singers are appearing in leading roles with the San Francisco Opera, Chicago Lyric, Houston Grand, New York City Opera, Washington, Cincinnati, Santa Fe, Montreal, Palm Beach, Opera Pacific, Wolftrap and the Aspen Music Festival among others.

Stephen King’s students have come from Russia, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, South America and throughout the United States. His engagements as teacher, clinician and adjudicator, both nationally and internationally, have led to his appointment as a member of the voice faculty of the Aspen Music Festival in the summer of 2006.

Stephen King is currently Chair of Vocal Studies at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He resides in Houston, Texas with his wife, Amy, and sons Matthew and Stewart.