Ian Storey was born and raised in Chilton, Co. Durham. He obtained a BA (Hons) in Furniture Design at Loughborough University, thereafter taking up a teaching position in New Zealand, where he began to study singing with Anthea Moller. After returning to the UK he studied with Bryan Drake and Laura Sarti in London, then with Dante Mazzola in Milan. He then studied with Carlo Cossutta in Trieste. He is coached by James Vaughan.
His opera career began in 1991 with the role of Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia followed by Rodolfo in La bohème and Radames in Aida, all with Opera East. Other roles performed included Don José in Carmen, Osaka in Iris, and the title roles in Peter Grimes and Faust.
In 1993, with sponsorship from The Royal Opera, Covent Garden and The Peter Moores Foundatio