Mark Wigglesworth

Born in Sussex, England, Mark Wigglesworth studied music at Manchester University and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London. A few weeks after leaving the Academy, he won the Kondrashin International Conducting Competition in The Netherlands, and since then has worked with many of the leading orchestras and opera companies of the world. In 1992 he became Associate Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and further appointments included Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Highlights of his time with the BBCNOW included several visits to the BBC Proms, a performance of Mahler’s tenth symphony at the prestigious Amsterdam Mahler Festival in 1995, and a television series for the BBC entitled Everything To Play For.

In addition to concerts with most of the UK’s orchestras, Mark Wigglesworth has guest conducted many of the world’s finest ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, La Scala Filarmonica, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago, Boston and San Francisco Symphonies. He regularly visits the Minnesota Orchestra and has an on-going relationship with the New World Symphony.

Equally at home in the Opera House, Mark Wigglesworth started his operatic career with a period as Music Director of Opera Factory, London. Since then he has worked regularly at Glyndebourne, Welsh National Opera and English National Opera. He has also conducted at the Netherlands Opera, La Monnaie, The Sydney Opera House, The Metropolitan Opera, and The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

In the studio, Mark’s recordings have centred around a project with BIS Records to record all the symphonies of Shostakovich. Now nearing its completion, this cycle has received critical acclaim throughout the world. Live performances of Mahler’s Sixth and Tenth Symphonies have been issued by the Melbourne Symphony on the MSO Live Label.