rom the time of his debut as Renato in Un ballo in maschera with Luciano Pavarotti for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, American baritone Mark Rucker has been in demand in opera houses and on concert stage throughout the world.

He most recently sang his first Holländer from Wagner’s Die Fliegende  Holländer for Òpera Royal de Wallonie.  In a performance at Wiener Staatsoper as Stankar in Stiffelio, the Wiener Zietung declared:"The star of this opera ages throughout the world. evening was neither on the stage nor in the orchestra pit. The revival of Verdi’s “Stiffelio” became, at the state opera, the unexpected triumph for a singer, that did not act the role in this evening at all: Mark Rucker was at the edge of stage and sang Stankar from a music stand … The big aria of Stankar at the beginning of the third act was one of those moments, which constitutes the wonder of opera. Owing to the strength of the music, the magic of the moment and vocal intensity, Mark Rucker was able to construct excitement. Cheers of jubilation.” – Wiener Zeitung.

Mr. Rucker made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Amonasro in Aida and has since been heard in the house as Don Carlo in La forza del destino, Tonio in I pagliacci, and as Rigoletto for the Met in the Parks.  He made his European debut as Alfio and Tonio for Opera de Nice, and has continued his European career with performances as Alfio at the Vienna State Opera, Amonasro in Aida for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin with Fabio Luisi and with the Concertgebouw Orkest under the baton of Riccardo Chailly, made his Italian debut as Rigoletto with Daniele Gatti at the Teatro Communale in Bologna, and his debut at the Arena di Verona as Amonasro.

In recent seasons Mr. Rucker has returned to Bologna as both Macbeth, Nabucco and the Grand Prêtre in Samson et Dalila, made his Carnegie Hall debut as Don Carlo in La forza del destino opposite Maria Guleghina and Salvatore Licitra, returned to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam as both Antonio in Linda di Chamounix and Le Comte de Toulouse in Verdi’s Jerusalem with the Netherlands Radio Orchestra, has been Macbeth in Trieste, Rigoletto with the Israel Philharmonic, Nabucco in Athens and was Rigoletto and Amonasro at the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam and Nabucco for Opern Graz. He has also sung Rigoletto, Nabucco, Macbeth and the Grand Prêtre from Samson et Dalila for Òpera Royal de Wallonie and will return as Amonasro in Aida for this company.

Mr. Rucker’s extensive North American career has taken him to the New York City Opera for his debut as Rigoletto, to the San Diego Opera as Renato in Un ballo in maschera,Rigoletto  and Amonasro in Aida, to Miami with the Florida Grand Opera as Rigoletto, Macbeth, and for Cavalleria rusticana and I pagliacci, to the Baltimore Opera as Nabucco, to L'Opéra de Montréal as Di Luna in Il trovatore, the New Orleans Opera as Rigoletto, Tonio, Scarpia in Tosca, di Luna in Il Trovatore and Tonio in I Pagliacci to Vancouver as Rigoletto and Amonasro, Mexico City as Amonasro. For the majority of the dramatic baritone repertoire he has appeared in the theaters of Atlanta, Cleveland, Connecticut, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, North Carolina, Opera Pacific, Orlando, Portland among many others.

Mr. Rucker has been heard in the Festivals of Bregenz, Savonlinna and Santander. On the concert stage Mr. Rucker has appeared as guest soloist in Walton's Belshazzar's Feast with the Baltimore Symphony under the baton of Stefan Sanderling, has appeared also as guest soloist with the Detroit Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Los Angeles Civic Orchestra, Atlantic Chamber Orchestra, Des Moines Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. His concert repertoire includes Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, and Dubois' Seven Last Words of Christ.

Mr. Rucker can also be heard on a new CD, Mark Rucker Sings Lena Mclin Songs For Voices  And Piano and Naxos CD of Aida as Amonasro.

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