Dr. Jim Stanard - Chorale Director & Conductor
Chorale Director & Conductor
jestanard@bresnan.net
James Stanard was born and raised in Great Falls, Montana. He was introduced to choral music at Great Falls High where he participated in several ensembles directed by Kenyard Smith.
After receiving an undergraduate degree in music from Brigham Young University and a masters degree in music from Montana State University, he studied (and taught) at the University of Oregon where he received his doctorate. He also attended the Music Academy of the West where he studied under the famed French baritone, Martial Singher.
Dr. Stanard recently retired from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. During his 34-year tenure, his teaching assignments included class and studio voice, opera workshop, composition, lyric diction, chamber choirs and twentieth century theory. He served as chair of the music department on two occasions.
In 1973 Dr. Stanard founded the Eureka, California based Humboldt Light Opera Company, an organization that produces four to six full-scale productions each year. During his three decades he served as artistic director, and oversaw numerous presentations of musicals, operas and oratorios including 25 annual productions of Handel’s Messiah.
For many years Dr. Stanard was active as a tenor soloist in recitals, operas, musicals and oratorios. He was tenor soloist in the Eugene, Oregon Bach festival under the direction of famed choral conductor, Helmut Rilling. He performed in the US premiere of Britten’s Death in Venice with the San Francisco Opera Company. In 1988 he sang the role of Dimitri in Moussorgsky’s epic masterpiece, Boris Godunov with Metropolitan Opera star Jerome Hines in the title role. Other roles sung by James are: Don Jose in Carmen, Rodolfo in La Boheme, Manrico in Il Trovatore, Hoffmann in The Tales of Hoffmann, Werther in Werther and Judge Danforth in The Crucible. He has sung tenor solo roles in many oratorios with orchestras throughout the western United States.
Dr. Stanard has held several positions in church music: minister of music at the First United Methodist Church in Eugene, Oregon, choir director at St. James Episcopal Church in Bozeman, Montana and choir director at the L.D.S. Church in Kalispell, Montana and Eureka, California.
For more than two decades Dr. Stanard has served as a guest conductor at high school music festivals, an adjudicator at state solo and choral festivals and a judge in vocal competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera district auditions, the Etude Competition and the regional National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition.
Dr. Stanard is a published composer and has won awards in composition contests including an award of merit in the Ensign International Sacred Music Composition. His winning choral composition was sung on Temple Square in Salt Lake City as the finale of the awards ceremony. He has been commissioned by Humboldt State University to write a full-length choral/orchestral composition to be premiered in the fall of 2007.
Dr. Stanard has received several awards in the arts including one from the Humboldt Arts Council in California. At Humboldt State University he was given a Meritorious Service Award for outstanding teaching. In 1998, he was awarded a Certificate of Special Recognition from the United States Congress for his leadership and dedication in maintaining the highest standard of excellence in the performing arts.
