MUSIC AND THE FUTURE
Training for the future is integral to much of Mark's work. In the case of orchestras, opera companies and small ensembles, this means developmental work for artists that runs alongside outreach activities. Mark works regularly with selected musicians from the LSO with the aim of keeping their skills moving forward in their work with people with special needs. With many ensembles, working with Mark is the first opportunity that their artists have had to work in a creative way with sections of the community and a major part of Mark's role is to help these artists find the appropriate ways to extend their existing skills. This work developed over 15 years at the Festival D'Aix through the Artistes-Relais, a modular programme for orchestral musicians, chamber music groups, singers, composers and traditional musicians from around the Mediterranean basin.
Similarly, Mark writes and delivers training materials for teachers, families, carers: for anyone looking at engaging people in the process of creating music. All of Mark's projects in education and the community aim to extend the range of skills of the professionals involved and a training element is included to enhance this. Together with music therapists Vicky Kammin and Cathy Ibberson, Mark leads training activities with Jessie's Fund that provide staff in children's hospices and special schools, skilled musicians or not, with resources to include practical music making in their working lives.
Work with students and young professional musicians is clearly of great importance and Mark is developing training in outreach activities at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse in Paris. In 2020, he began working with the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam on a radical new residency for young string quartets.
CNSMD Paris
Mark is currently working on three related programmes at the Paris conservatoire with the aim of helping students to engage with wider artistic possibilities in their future careers.
The first consists of introductory sessions for all of the second year music students, whether instrumentalists, singers, composers or sound recordists. These sessions aim to spark an interest in the question: what can I do? The sessions emphasise a varied apporach and look at artistic, social and economic outcomes.
More detailed work takes place with the string quartet masters, a joint programme with ProQuartet, where Mark helps quartets prepare for a series of events in a social setting.
The third programme is a week long residency with some of the conservatoire's most advanced students on the Performing Artists Diploma course. The course receives up to eight students per year and supports them in developing their own artistic project. Mark's work is to support these artists in relating their artistic practice to a community setting.
RESIDENCY AT THE AMSTERDAM STRING QUARTET BIENNALE
The SQBA Residency is a unique and innovative talent development
program for young string quartets to explore, think, nurture and discover.
During four weeks, spread over a period of one and a half years, the SQBA Residency offers young string quartets a space to tap into their own creativity; to explore, develop and define a perspective which reflects the unique identity of the individual players and the ensemble. They are subjected to an intense programme and they are given their own say in the composition of workshops and masterclasses. Mark is part of the core team of tutors and helps the quartets explore how they can interact with and be integral to a wider society.
The first two editions of this residency have featured a link with Koninklijke Visio, supporting adults who are blind or partially sighted.
MORE INFORMATION
Mark is always keen to develop new programmes encouraging artists to find a social context for their work and educators to explore the value of the arts in their curriculum. Please use the contact page if you would like to explore new possibilities.
"The Artistes-Relais programme highly contributes to the training of a new generation of artists, enabling them to cope with the XXIst century challenges." - Emilie Delorme, formerly Director of the Académie du Festival d'Aix, currently Director of the Paris Conservatoire.
Pictures of the Festival d'Aix Artistes-Relais programme, and of the Aix Junior Orchestra (Contact page) by
Vincent Beaume,
© Festival d'Aix en Provence