Biography

Creative Scotland winner in 2003, Mark has held the post of principal trumpet with the BBC SSO since December 1996. He is a native of County Cork, Ireland, where he began his musical studies at the age of seven. After playing in the local brass band and receiving trumpet lessons from his father, his love of the trumpet developed.

Following formal lessons at the Cork School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, Mark was chosen as winner of the 1992 RTE Musician of the Future competition. On his return to Ireland later that year, he was appointed associate principal trumpet of the National Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for four years.

Since 1996 he has appeared as soloist with the BBC SSO on a number of occasions, performing new works by Judith Bingham, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Thea Musgrave and Tansy Davies, as well as concertos by Telemann, Hummel and Shostakovich. He has commissioned new solo trumpet works from Scottish composers John Maxwell Geddes, Jennifer Martin and Anthea Haddow.

In addition to his career with the BBC SSO, Mark is a committed chamber musician playing in several ensembles that share his passion for performing new music. His teachers have included Murray Greig, John Wallace and Bo Nilsson. Mark teaches at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow where he has completed, with distinction, a master’s degree in trumpet performance.

For further information please visit: www.markotrumpet.com