CANTOR YAAKOV Y. STARK

Yaakov Yoseph Stark is a cantor renowned for his mellifluous and radiant voice. A native of the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, he has studied under the operatic and cantorial greats of the previous generation. He has performed to sold-out crowds throughout the world, accompanied by the most prestigious philharmonic orchestras and finest choirs.

Stark, a child prodigy, was recognized early on for his otherworldly lyric tenor. At the tender age of seven, he was already thrilling congregations with his heartrending solos on the High Holidays. That gave him the impetus to advance his career by apprenticing himself to the musical greats of the Jewish cantorial world on the time, which included distinguished cantors in his family.

Stark also began an avid audience of the master cantors of his golden age, getting to know such masters as Yossele Rosenblatt, Mordechai Hershman, Zevulun Kwartin, Moshe Oysher, Gershon Sirota, Moshe Ganchoff, Pierre Pinchik, Leibele Glantz and the fames Koussevitzky brothers — Moshe, David, Jacob and Simcha.

Eventually, Stark recognized his own calling as a professional cantor. He was hired by the nearly 150-year-old Congregation Orach Chaim in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and electrified congregants for almost a quarter of a century with his breathtaking compositions and tefillos.

Industry experts describe Stark’s voice as one of “great beauty, clear and true ... radiant, as though from another world.” During the tefillah, he seamlessly glides from the stirring moments to the uplifting pieces, punctuating them with his trademark warmth and passion.

Stark is in constant demand as a guest cantor in synagogues and at performances worldwide.