William Stone
2007 Regional Judge

William Stone, baritone, is master of  repertoire ranging from Mozart to Berg, with a special emphasis on the Bel Canto masterworks.

Having joined the Metropolitan Opera roster for the title role of Wozzeck, Mr. Stone returned to the company for his stage debut as Capulet in Roméo et Juliette, and performances in Die Fledermaus (Falke), and in the new production of Moses und Aron conducted by James Levine and directed by Graham Vick. He performed Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor (conducted by Edoardo Müller ) and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly (conducted by Julius Rudel) in the popular Met in the Parks series, as well. In season 2000-2001 he was responsible for the role of Germont in La traviata at the Metropolitan Opera and in season 2001-2002 he performed John Plake in the new Metropolitan Opera production of Sly with Placido Domingo.

His long association with the Lyric Opera of Chicago began with his creation of the role of Adam in the world premiere of Penderecki’s Paradise Lost and continued with the title role in a new production of Il barbiere di Siviglia, as Schaunard in La bohème , and most recently as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. He joined the Canadian Opera Company for the first time as Iago in Otello, directed by Shakespeare expert Robin Phillips and conducted by General Director, Richard Bradshaw. His appearances at the New York City Opera reflect most of the leading roles in his repertoire (Germont in La traviata, the Count in a televised performance of Le nozze di Figaro, the title role in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor) and include particularly memorable performances in the title role of a new production of Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler, which followed a new production of Busoni’s Doktor Faust, both conducted by Christopher Keene.

Mr. Stone was recently honored in his hometown of Goldsboro , North Carolina with a concert that provided a retrospective of his career to date. The William F. Stone Endowment Fund to promote music education and activities in the area was established as a result of the event. The A.J. Fletcher Foundation has also televised his masterclasses throughout North Carolina for the benefit of aspiring young vocalists. Recently, he gave a masterclass at The Juilliard School which was well-received. In fall 2005, while continuing to pursue his performance career, William Stone joined the faculty of Temple University as Professor of Voice.

William Stone has recorded Musorgsky’s Salammbô for CBS with the RAI di Milano, Mozart’s C Minor Mass, Schubert’s Mass in G, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast and Bach’s Magnificat with the Atlanta Symphony, and he can be heard on the 1988 Grammy Award Winning Telarc recording of Hindemith’s When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed, also with the Atlanta Symphony and Robert Shaw. Mr. Stone also appears as soloist on the acclaimed Atlanta Symphony recording of the Mahler Eighth Symphony released by Telarc, and on a solo recording of Arias and Songs by Robert Ward available on the Bay Cities label.

Mr. Stone resides in his native North Carolina with his wife Bonnie.

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