ABOUT
Mark Andrew James was born in Limassol, Cyprus. He studied conducting and oboe at Trinity College, London, where he won numerous prizes and awards, including the Dame Ruth Railton Prize for woodwind, Trinity Guild prize and an EMI Prize for Recording, enabling him to study further in Siena, New York and Tel Aviv.
Dynamic and charismatic, Mark is driven to identify each ensemble's unique personality, use it fully to create extraordinary experiences for both performers and audience, never compromising excellence. Audiences enjoy accessible and collaborative performances of great music from this easy to work with maestro.
RESUME
ORCHESTRAS, CHOIRS AND SOLOISTS
Mark has worked with many orchestras and choirs all over the UK, including The Brighton Festival Chorus, Huddersfield Choral Society, Hertfordshire Chorus, the Worthing Philharmonic Choir, the Sussex Chorus and Billingshurst Choral Society in programmes that have recently included : Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Verdi’s Requiem, Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony Beethoven’s Choral Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart Requiem, Britten’s War Requiem and JS Bach B. minor Mass and St. Matthew Passion. Whilst at college, Mark conducted performances of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ and ‘Albert Herring’ at the Collegiate Theatre, London in association with the London Opera Centre (National Opera Studio).
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Maestro Andrew James has conducted extensively in Russia, where he worked with the Yaroslavl Governor Symphony Orchestra, The Krasnoyarsk Symphony , Voronez Symphony and the Samara Symphony at concerts in St. Petersburg , Moscow, Krasnoyarsk and Yaroslavl, performing programmes of Russian and English music, including Rachmaninov’s Symphonies 2 & 3 and Holst, ‘The Planets’ to huge critical acclaim.
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Abroad, his conducting has taken him to Japan, Rio de Janeiro, Canada, Hong Kong and all over Europe where his concerts are critically acclaimed. Notable soloists have included Lesley Garrett, Phillip Fowke, Guy Johnston, Katherine Jenkins, Blake, Neil Jenkins.
FOUNDER & MAESTRO OF SUSSEX SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
In 1993 Mark founded the Sussex Symphony Orchestra which is based in Brighton and performs all over the South of England. The orchestra, having both amateur and professional musicians, performs a wide and diverse range of repertoire not normally available outside major ‘centres’, which has included such works as The Rite of Spring, Daphnis et Chloe, Shostakovitch 5th Symphony, Mahler. Symphonies No’s 1, 2 & 5, Gliere Harp Concerto and the celebrated Percussion Concerto,Veni Veni Emmanuel by James MacMillan.
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As well as the standard concerto repertoire, most recently including the Emperor Piano Concerto with Philip Fowke and the Dvorak ‘Cello Concerto with Guy Johnston. Mark champions premiere performances of commissioned works by both established and emerging composers, including David Fanshawe, Paul Lewis, Peter Copley and Paul Carr, whose music he has recorded with the orchestra on the ‘Claudio Records’ label.
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Amongst the most popular concerts under Mark’s direction are Opera Galas, given as part of the Brighton Festival, which showcases many young and rising opera stars of today and a series of summer park prom concerts given throughout the South, often to audiences of over 11.000.
WORKSHOPS
Mark has masterminded the creation of a series of workshops and sessions catering for children of all ages and abilities, through to adult further education by taking sections from the orchestra into schools and colleges, holding seminars and sessions culminating in public concerts.
STUDIO PERFORMANCES
In addition to his concert activities, Mark has conducted studio sessions with members of all the major London orchestras, for both film and television at ‘Hear no Evil’ and Angel Studios in London. Films include Being Considered for Spice Factory, Jack Brown and the Curse of the Crown for Little Wing Films and Lady Audely’s Secret, a Victorian melodrama for Carlton Television.