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The American baritone, choral conductor and music pedagogue, Stephen Mark Aliapoulios, studied at the Forest Hill High School in West Palm Beach, Florida; Forest Hill Community High School in Lake Worth, Florida. He obtained his Master of Music degree in Voice from the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) in Boston in 1980. He was selected to be a soloist with the NEC Symphony Orchestra in the commencement concert.
As a baritone singer, Mark Aliapoulios made his concert debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the age of 25 along with cellist, Yo-Yo Ma. He has since appeared as guest soloist with such other highly acclaimed organizations as the Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra of Belgrade radio/Television (Yugoslavia), Shinsei Nippon Symphony (Japan), Portland Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Handel and Haydn Symphony, Mark Morris Dance Company, Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Boston Ballet Orchestra, Longwood Symphony, Opera Company of Boston, Boston Lyric Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Miami Bach Society, and Florida Philharmonic Chorus, among others. As a soloist, he has sung under the batons of leading international conductors Leonard Slatkin, Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur, Erich Leinsdorf, Lukas Foss, Sarah Caldwell, Jonathan McPhee, Jaime Laredo, and Robert Shaw.
As an advocate of new music, Mark Aliapoulios has premiered works composed expressly for him by Boston's Daniel Pinkham and New York's Kennth Fuchs. He created the role of Cadmos in the 1995 world premiere of The Baccae by Theodore Antonious at the Athens Festival in Greece. He also sand the role of The Father in the world premiere of The Juniper Tree by Philip Glass at the American Repertory Theatre and created the role of Creon in the world permiere of Medea by Ray Luke. For a number of years he was represented by Artists International Management in New York City. For over almost 20 years he was the baritone for The American VocalArts Quintet and recorded with them on the Titanic Label. His recording of the title role in the World Premiere of Ethan Fromm by Douglas Allanbrook was released on the Mapleshade Classic Label.
Mark Aliapoulios taught on the voice and opera faculties of the University of Massachusetts in Boston and the New England Conservatory of Music (as Director of the Musical Theatre Ensemble). He then served as an Associate Professor on the voice and opera faculties of Florida Atlantic University (Director of The Opera Workshop), the Boston University School of Music and Fine Arts (1984-2001; Director of the Undergraduate Opera Theatre); The University of Miami Frost School of Music (2001-2002; Director of the Musical Theatre Ensemble) and Palm Beach Atlantic University School of Music and Fine Arts (2002-2006, 2011-2013; Chair of Vocal Studies) where he also served as Chair of Vocal Studies. He is also the Director of Music Ministries at Lakeside Presbyterian Church in West Palm Beach, Florida.
As of 2013, Mark Aliapoulios is beginning his 11th season as the 13th Artistic Director of The Choral Society of The Palm Beaches. He is currently serving on the faculty of Florida International University (FIU), where he directs the FIU Concert Choir, the FIU Women's Choir, and teaches Applied Voice. During the 2010-2011 academic year he served as Visiting Professor at the University of Miami Frost School and from 2006-2010 he was the Director of Vocal Arts Program at The King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he was the producer as well as the musical and stage director for a number of theatrical productions including: The King and I, The Children of Eden, The Music Man and Cinderella. His work at the university level included directing and staging scenes and one-acts from Opera and Musical Theater as well as teaching acting and improvisation. He has also been on the music faculty of The New England Music Camp since 2009. Aliapoulios is a regular clinician and adjudicator for voice and choral festivals held around the USA by: Heritage Festivals, Performing Arts Consultants and Ovation Festivals (New Jersey), as well as Music Festivals Inc., Gateway Festivals, Music Festivals USA, and The Florida Vocal Association, among others.
On March 4, 2005, Mark Aliapoulios married Kimberlee Aliapoulios, a professional flutist and Assistant Band Director at The King’s Academy. He currently lives with his wife in Lake Worth. His sister, Cynthia Thompson (b 1959) is a soprano singer. |
