As a child Mark performed as a
boy soprano at the
Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus and in 1955 took on the role of Shepherd Boy in a production of
Tosca by
Dino Yannopoulos. He later attended
Columbia University from 1956 to 1961. Consecutive with his senior year at Columbia, he enrolled at
The Juilliard School of Music (1960-1965) studying first as a violin pupil of
Joseph Fuchs and then as a viola pupil of
Walter Trampler. While taking a year-long sabbatical from his professorship, Mark became Assistant Principal Violist at the
Los Angeles Philharmonic (1968-9). In 1973, Musgrave wrote her
Viola Concerto(1973) for him, which Mark premiered at the
BBC Proms that year with the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Musgrave conducting. Spending more and more time in the UK and Europe, Mark took up a teaching position in the newly-merged
Royal Northern College of Music in
Manchester, UK (1974-75). In 1975 Mark returned with his wife to America where he served as conductor, Artistic and General Director of the Virginia Opera. Over thirty-five years in the role, Mark gave over 700 performances of 110 different productions including the US premiere of Musgrave’s seminal opera
Mary, Queen of Scots in 1977 and the world premiere her fifth opera
A Christmas Carol(1979) which was commissioned by the house. Mark conducted the forces of the
Royal Opera House at
Sadler’s Wells in the European premiere of the work, which was later broadcast by
Granada TV. Since 2013, Mark has worked as an opera coach working predominantly with North and South American singers in Los Angeles and New York City. == References ==