Mark Eager
Encyclopedia
Mark Eager is an English-born conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 and former BBC National Orchestra of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra.The BBC NOW has its...

 Principal Trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

. He lives in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...

, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

.

Biography

Eager grew up with a Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....

 background where music was an integral part of his life. Throughout his youth, Eager studied the piano, trombone and violin.
Eager left the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...

 (1984), with Dip.RAM. He freelanced with most of the UK’s top orchestras until joining the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra.The BBC NOW has its...

 full time (1993–2006). There he became one of the world’s top soloists until 2006 when the Trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

 Concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...

 2004 (commissioned by the BBC) written for him by Alun Hoddinott
Alun Hoddinott
Alun Hoddinott CBE , was a Welsh composer of classical music, one of the first to receive international recognition.-Life and works:...

 caused serious muscle damage, ending his playing career.

1984 Awarded the Silver Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians
Worshipful Company of Musicians
The Worshipful Company of Musicians is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Its history dates back to at least 1350. Originally a specialist guild for musicians, its role became an anachronism in the 18th century, when the centre of music making in London moved from the City to the...

 of London

1998 Awarded Orchestral Recognition Award by the International Trombone Association
International Trombone Association
The International Trombone Association is a non-profit organisation of trombonists that is dedicated to supporting trombone-related activities. Founded in 1972, it has a membership of 4,500 members from 50 countries....

, along with BBC National Orchestra of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra.The BBC NOW has its...

 and Christian Lindberg
Christian Lindberg
Christian Lindberg is a Swedish trombonist, conductor and composer.As a youth, Lindberg learned to play the trumpet, and subsequently began to learn the trombone at age 17. He originally borrowed a trombone to join his friends' Dixieland jazz group, inspired by records of Jack Teagarden...

.

2004 Awarded the Associate of the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...

 (ARAM)

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

During his years with BBC NOW, Eager performed and premiered several concerti for trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

 and orchestra including:

1995 world premiere recording: ‘Concerto for Trombone and Ten Winds’ by Jean Francaix
Jean Françaix
Jean René Désiré Françaix was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style.-Life:...

. Conducted by Adrian Leaper
Adrian Leaper
-Biography:He is currently the conductor RTVE Symphony Orchestra in Madrid. He was previously Principal Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria from 1994 until 2001.He has made many recordings for the Naxos Records label.-External links:...

 and broadcast on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...

.

1997 'Trombone Concerto' by Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...

. Conducted by Gregory Rose with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra
Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra
The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra is one of Lithuania's two national orchestras, founded in 1988. The other, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1940....

.

1998 BBC Commission for Eager: 'The Spindle of Necessity'. by John Pickard
John Pickard (composer)
John Pickard , is a British classical composer.Pickard was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England. He studied music and composition at the University of Wales, under Welsh composer William Mathias, and later in The Netherlands under Louis Andriessen and in 1989 was awarded a PhD in composition...

. World Premiere St David’s Cathedral, Conducted by Martyn Brabbins
Martyn Brabbins
Martyn Brabbins is a British conductor. He studied at Goldsmiths College, London University, and later was a conducting student of Ilya Musin at the Leningrad Conservatory....

 and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

1999 'Sonata for Trombone and Piano' by Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...

 with Christopher Williams Piano. Recorded and broadcast on BBC Choice
BBC Choice
BBC Choice was a BBC TV station which launched on 23 September 1998 and closed on 9 February 2003. It was the first British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in digital format, and was the first new channel from the BBC since BBC Two launched in 1964...

.

2001 'Fratres' by Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt is an Estonian classical composer and one of the most prominent living composers of sacred music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs his self-made compositional technique, tintinnabuli. His music also finds its inspiration and influence from...

. Performed as part of the Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts
Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts
The Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts is an annual arts festival that takes place in Swansea, Wales.The 2008 festival was its 60th anniversary.-References:*...

. Conducted by Petri Sakari and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

2002 'Fantasma Cantos II' Toru Takemitsu
Toru Takemitsu
was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...

. Conducted by Tadaaki Otaka
Tadaaki Otaka
is a Japanese-born, British-based conductor. He studied composition, theory, and French horn, at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, and later was a conducting student of Hideo Saito....

 and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

2004 BBC Commission for Eager 'Trombone Concerto' Alun Hoddinott
Alun Hoddinott
Alun Hoddinott CBE , was a Welsh composer of classical music, one of the first to receive international recognition.-Life and works:...

.. World Premiere Theatr Brycheiniog
Theatr Brycheiniog
Theatr Brycheiniog is a modern theatre, arts and community venue in Brecon, the old county town of Brecknockshire and now part of south Powys in Mid Wales.- Location :...

, Brecon. Conducted by Grant Llewellyn
Grant Llewellyn
Grant Llewellyn is a Welsh conductor.- Biography :Grant Llewellyn began developing his conducting reputation in 1985, when he was awarded a conducting fellow position at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts. There his mentors included Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur and André...

 and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Conducting career

After winning a scholarship to the Orkney Conducting course in 2005, Eager decided that conducting was to take a central role in his musical career.
He is currently:
  • Principal Conductor and Artistic Director - The Welsh Sinfonia
    Welsh Sinfonia
    The Welsh Sinfonia is a professional chamber orchestra based in Cardiff and is a full member of the Association of British Orchestras. It employs between 15 and 35 musicians, led by Robin Stowell...

    . Appointed 2006.
  • Principal Conductor - Cardiff University Symphony Orchestra
    Cardiff University School of Music
    Cardiff University School of Music is home to about 240 undergraduate and 40 postgraduate students. It was one of the first departments established when Cardiff University was granted its Royal Charter in 1883. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 70% of the School’s research was judged to be...

    . Appointed 2008.
  • Conductor and Music Director - Hertfordshire Wind Sinfonia. Appointed 2005.

Other orchestras and touring

Eager regularly tours Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, Malaysia, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.

2010 Chief International Adjudicator
Adjudicator
An adjudicator is someone who presides, judges and arbitrates during a formal dispute. The term adjudicator essentially means a judge, without invoking the legal term. An ombudsman is a type of adjudicator in local government in the United Kingdom....

 at the McDonalds Sydney Eisteddfod
Sydney Eisteddfod
The Sydney Eisteddfod is an independent community based non-profit organisation limited by guarantee a registered charity in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and listed on the federal Register of Cultural Organisations eligible to receive tax-deductible donations. Directors and advisors are...

.

2010 International Guest conductor and adjudicator
Adjudicator
An adjudicator is someone who presides, judges and arbitrates during a formal dispute. The term adjudicator essentially means a judge, without invoking the legal term. An ombudsman is a type of adjudicator in local government in the United Kingdom....

 at the World Projects (South Pacific) Festival in the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...

.

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama

Eager is a lecturer at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Appointed 1994.

Trinity College London

Eager is an advisor, clinician and senior music examiner for Trinity College London
Trinity College London
Trinity College London is an international examinations board based in London, England. TCL offers qualifications across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and arts education and English language learning and teaching...

. Appointed 2005.

Magazine articles

2006 – Eager was the subject of a major feature in Classical Music Magazine
Classical Music Magazine
Classical Music magazine is a trade magazine for the classical music profession. It champions those working in the UK classical music industry and has correspondents across Great Britain and in New York....

.

2010 – The International Trombone Association
International Trombone Association
The International Trombone Association is a non-profit organisation of trombonists that is dedicated to supporting trombone-related activities. Founded in 1972, it has a membership of 4,500 members from 50 countries....

 produced a CD of four trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

 concerti performed by Eager and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisation in Wales, occupying a dual role as both a broadcasting orchestra and national orchestra.The BBC NOW has its...

 including the world premieres of John Pickard
John Pickard (composer)
John Pickard , is a British classical composer.Pickard was born in Burnley, Lancashire, England. He studied music and composition at the University of Wales, under Welsh composer William Mathias, and later in The Netherlands under Louis Andriessen and in 1989 was awarded a PhD in composition...

 ‘The Spindle of Necessity’ 1998, Alun Hoddinott
Alun Hoddinott
Alun Hoddinott CBE , was a Welsh composer of classical music, one of the first to receive international recognition.-Life and works:...

 ‘Concerto’ 2004 and the premier recording of Jean Françaix
Jean Françaix
Jean René Désiré Françaix was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style.-Life:...

‘Concerto for Trombone and Ten Winds’ 1995. Internationally distributed as a complimentary disc with the ITA magazine.

External links

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