Browse the obituary of residing in the province of Nouveau-Brunswick for funeral details
Peacefully with family by his side after
a heroic battle with dementia, on Friday, September 29, 2023, at the
Drew Nursing Home at age 85. James Arthur
Stark, Professor Emeritus, Mount Allison University,
Department of Music; loving father of Danny (Leif), New Jersey; Andy,
Phoenix, Arizona; Kim, London, Ontario; Laura (Christopher Higgins),
Florida; and Paul (Jessica Tilley), Burnaby, BC; proud Grandpa of
Mika, Faewyn, Kieran, Caela; survived by sister Sherry Cameron
(husband Chuck deceased), brothers Dick and Tom (Mary), as well as
several nieces and nephews.
He grew up in Minneapolis and studied
with Roy Schuessler, completing his Bachelor of Arts (Music) at the
University of Minnesota in 1960. He then moved to Canada to pursue his
post graduate studies with Aksel Schiøtz at the University
of Toronto, receiving his Master of Arts and Ph.D. (Musicology) by
1973.
Pursuing a career in performance and
musicology, he taught voice and music history from 1966-74 at the
University of Western Ontario, where he specialized in oratorio and
Lieder and gave regular recitals. In 1968, he became a naturalized
Canadian citizen.
In 1974, Dr. Stark moved to Sackville to
serve as head of the Department of Music at Mount Allison University
until 1982, and he continued to teach musicology and voice there until
2003.
In 1985 he began to study the Irish harp
with Grianne Yeats in Dublin. He performed medieval songs, Irish
folksongs and arrangements, and his own compositions, including a
cycle of ‘Songs of Middle Earth’, settings of poems by Tolkien for
harp and voice.
The principal focus of his academic
research was on 19th-century vocal pedagogy and 20th-century voice
science. His exhaustive studies in these fields led him to spend
countless days in the British Library, in the Bodleian Library, and in
many other libraries, medical schools and voice science labs in the
Netherlands and the U.K. His book, ‘Bel Canto: A History of
Vocal Pedagogy,’ remains one of the defining accomplishments of his
professional career.
He grew to love the Maritimes, raising
five kids, performing in many concerts and recitals, accompanying
himself and his daughters on the harp, making his own arrangements of
Irish traditional songs, composing, recording, and teaching full time.
Meanwhile, he meticulously restored, and proudly maintained his 1910
farmhouse with a large garden and apple orchard, and for years he,
with his family, raised pigs and chickens. James also loved to cook,
especially for large gatherings, having grown up in a restaurant
family. His life always revolved around his family and his work, but
in retirement he remained a very private person.
Arrangements are under the care and
guidance of Jones Funeral Home, Sackville (506-364-1300)
Funeral arrangements will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be
made by visiting www.mta.ca/donate and selecting Music Bursaries in
Memory of Dr. James Stark.
Sharing of memories and condolences may
be sent to the family by visiting the online memoiral at
www.jonesfuneralhome.ca or through the Jones Funeral Home Facebook
Page.
1938 2023
Death notice for the town of: Sackville, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick
death notice James Arthur Stark 1938 2023
obituaries notice James Arthur Stark 1938 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of James Arthur Stark 1938 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
