London and New York based composer Brian Mark has been hailed as an “attractive and intelligible” artist (Boston Musical Intelligencer), whose work is “compelling” (London Jazz News), and "preserves the vibrancy and relevance of contemporary art music" (New York Examiner). Brian's music have been performed by many notable ensembles, such as the BBC Singers, Psappha Ensemble, Chelsea Symphony, Signal Ensemble, Atlas Ensemble, MikroEnsemble, Brave New Works, Choral Chameleon, both the Ligeti and Esterhazy String Quartets, Juventas Ensemble, Dither Quartet, members of the London Symphony Orchestra, among many others. His works have been presented around the world in festivals such as Bang on a Can, London Contemporary Music Festival, Atlas Festival, Spitalfields Music Festival, June in Buffalo Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the highSCORE Festival. Brian has recently been awarded the 2016 Jerome Composers Commissioning Program/Jerome Fund for New Music. He has also received multiple awards from SCI and ASCAP, New London Singers, Ross McKee Foundation, Florence Gould Michael Iovenko Memorial Fellowship, and the BMI Henry Warren Film Scoring Award. He has been featured as a composer-in-residence with the Chelsea Symphony, the Bizarre Noir Theatre Company, and was awarded multiple artist residencies at the I-Park Artists’ Enclave, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, and the Ucross Foundation. His symphonic work The Persistence of Time received an honorable mention from the 2015 American Prize in Orchestral Composition. As a composer for film, his music for the Independent Short Film Misunderstood, directed by Pablo Herrán de Viu, was exhibited at the 2009 Screen Loud Film Festival in New York City, and the 2010 Festival Internacional de Cine Pobre de Humberto Solás in Habana City, Cuba. From 2009-2011 Brian was the Co-Artistic Director and Founder for DETOUR, a composer collective and New Music Ensemble, which was featured as "one the top five new music events of 2011" from New York’s Classical WQXR. He has also collaborated with UK’s record label Nonclassical as a concert curator, featuring emerging composers and artists throughout London and abroad. In addition, he was appointed as an Associate Member with the London Symphony Orchestra’s Composer Soundhub Scheme from 20152017, which culminated of a video installation performance comprising of members from the LSO. His UK based Ensemble in Process made its concert debut at Iklectik Art Lab in Southeast London on 15 May, 2017. Brian has completed his PhD studies at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Gary Carpenter. He is also a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Berklee College of Music, and Boston University. He has received a graduate certificate in film scoring from the University of Southern California, and has also studied with Philip Cashian, Samuel Adler, David Conte, David Garner, James Russell Smith, and Howard Frazin.
Major Performance Highlights We Interrupt this Broadcast 1936-69’ (2013) for violin, flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, piano, narration, and sound design, to have its third UK performance at London Symphony Orchestra’s Soundhub Associates Concert at LSO St Luke’s on 5/27/17 (with video installation), conducted by Darren Bloom. Lucid Dreaming (2015) for flute, violoncello, and digital delay-processing pedal. Commissioned by the Marsyas Trio. Premiere to take place at Ensemble in Process debut concert (Americuration) at Iklectik Creative Space in London on 5/15/17. Breathe (2017) for 2 pianos, narration, and sound design. Awarded the 2016 Jerome Commissioning Grant from the American Composers Forum. Premiered by pianists Kathleen Supové and Isabelle O’Connell at the Yamaha Piano Salon in New York City on 1/23/17. Construction STILL in Process… (2016) for large ensemble. Premiered at the Bang on a Can Summer Festival at MASS MoCA, conducted by Bang on a Can All Stars Ken Thomson on 7/25/16. My Starry Night (2015) for the MIkroEnsemble (quarter-tone flute, quartertone clarinet, quarter-tone accordion, quarter-tone guitar, quarter-tone piano, violin, cello). Premiered at the 2nd International Pasimusic Festival, Kuopio Music Centre in Kuopio, Finland on 10/4/15. Seascape (2014) for the Atlas Ensemble. Conducted by Artyom Kim. Premiered by the Atlas Ensemble at the Muziekgebouw aan't 1J in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 9/7/14. towers, beautiful, mourning, Tuesday (2013) for viola, delay pedal, and sound design. Commissioned by Glen Donnelly. Premiered at the 2013 London Contemporary Music Festival, Peckham Multi-Storey Car Park, and performed by Stephen Upshaw on 8/4/13. Ecce nunc benedicite Dominum (2012) for SATB choir a cappella. Commissioned by the Royal Academy Chamber Choir and conducted by Patrick Russill. Premiered at Neresheim Abbey, Germany on 9/2/12. Construction in Process… (2010) for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, & violoncello. Written for the 2011 June in Buffalo Festival. Performed by Ensemble Signal and conducted by Brad Lubman at Slee Hall on 6/6/11. The Persistence of Time (2009) for full symphony orchestra. Commissioned by the Chelsea Symphony and conducted by Ankush Bumar Bahl. Premiered at St. Paul’s Church in New York City on 9/26/09 and 9/27/09.
London and New York based pianist Brian Mark has been hailed as an “attractive and intelligible” artist (Boston Musical Intelligencer), whose work "preserves the vibrancy and relevance of contemporary art music" (NY Examiner). He's also an accomplished versatile accompanist and organist, who has worked with many professional organizations and ensembles in San Francisco, New York City and London, UK. From 2007-2008 he served as a Musical Director at a Methodist in San Francisco, and was an organist for a local church in Stoke Newington from 2014-2017. In addition to classical music, he is well experienced and varied in jazz, musical theatre, pop, rock, and new age. On both US coasts, he has performed constantly at recitals and social events, such as weddings, cocktail parties, art gallery openings, auditions, and other various functions. In 2010 he had the opportunity to perform as a pianist in many styles and genres for an opening exhibit in Manhattan with the prestigious David Tutera, the director of We TV's My Fair Wedding (shown on Wetv). As a classical pianist, he has accompanied SF tenor A.J. Gluekert at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center, Berkeley based Soprano Ann Moss at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and recently worked with NY Soprano based Karmen Kluge for a performance as Suzanna (in Marriage of Figaro) with the Brooklyn Opera. In addition, he worked with SF Coloratura Soprano Stephanie Reneé Wetter in the Castro of San Francisco (restaurant recently closed) in the Fall of 2005. Also, he accompanied with Ms. Kluge for an audition of an aria from Mozart "Cosě fan tutte", as well as accompanying a vocalist on some Debussy Art Songs for a Vocal Competition at Hewlitt Public Library. As a solo pianist, he has performed at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center, The San Francisco Conservatory Hellman Recital Hall, Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, and Roulette in New York City. He made his UK debut performing at The Forge, Camden in June of 2012. In addition to serving as a pianist for various high school and middle school music theatre productions in San Francisco, he was the sub accompanist and an acting Music Director for the Bay Theatre District rehearsals of "The Fantastiks" at the Actors' Equity in Midtown, and was hired as a cabaret accompanist and an arranger (opening song for show) for an Off-Off Broadway Musical Theatre Review show ("The Swinging Office 60's Christmas Party) with Bizarre Noir Productions, which was performed at the Theater's Players Loft in the Village in 2008. That year he was also the pianist and assistant Music Director for Urban Academy's Musical Theatre Review Program. In July of 2013, Brian was the conductor for Thames Christian College’s musical theatre production of “EVITA”. He recently made his West End debut in August of 2014, accompanying Lady Celeste’s “A Star is (Re) Born” for her limited performance run at the Camden Fringe Phoenix Artist Club.