Mark begins his new role in January 2024, in which he will be giving one-to-one lessons, masterclasses and seminars on all aspects of playing the horn, as well as sharing his particular insights into orchestral audition strategies and procedures in the USA. Mark espouses a very practical approach to the physiology and psychology of performance which will give Academy students valuable tools in their musical lives and beyond.
Mark is currently Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and previously worked as Associate Principal Horn of the San Francisco Symphony, co-Principal Horn of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Third Horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Mark has also appeared as a guest principal with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, among others. He is an active chamber musician and has recently performed at the Music@Menlo, Cleveland ChamberFest and Santa Fe Chamber music festivals.
Mark commented: 'I’m thrilled to be joining the Academy horn faculty as an international visiting professor and I am excited to be able share my US and UK audition and orchestral experiences with the Royal Academy of Music students.'
Mark holds a doctorate in virology from Imperial College London, and worked as a respiratory physician in London teaching hospitals before becoming a full-time horn player. He currently teaches horn at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.