BIOGRAPHY
MARK MESSENGER
Anglo-Armenian violinist, Mark Messenger, has had a broad and varied career resulting in a global reputation as soloist, chamber musician, conductor, teacher, jury member, speaker and consultant.
His love of music and the human connection it offers means that he has shared the concert platform with many remarkable musicians, and the podium with an array of artists, writers, speakers, philosophers and thinkers. For over four decades he performed as a string quartet and chamber musician, recitalist, concerto soloist, orchestral leader and conductor on concert platforms all over the world, ranging from the most prestigious to the humblest and most unassuming. He is privileged to have appeared with great international artists such as Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Ivy Gitlis, Maxim Vengerov, Bernard Greenhouse, Natalie Clein, Raphael Wallfisch, Yonty Solomon, Howard Shelley, John Lill, Michael Collins, David Campbell, Chris Garrick and Sir John Dankworth.
As a quartet player, for many decades Mark Messenger toured and performed with the Bochmann String Quartet, immersing himself in the spiritual and transformative world of great string quartet repertoire, unlocking the secrets of truly intuitive and spontaneous chamber music performance. Mark has appeared internationally as a soloist, and as a duo recitalist with his long-time musical and life partner, pianist Maria Tarasewicz.
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He has led symphony and chamber orchestras, opera and ballet companies including the Bolshoi Ballet and the European Chamber Opera. Other performing activities have been as a studio musician and conductor, including recording soundtracks for Hollywood Films and rock and pop albums and ​​​​
conducting two of the iconic Ayoub Sisters’ albums. In the 1980s and 1990s he toured extensively with his own innovative jazz/rock group, Mercury Jazz.
He has appeared as a jury member for many international competitions in Europe, Southeast Asia, America and the UK. He is also much in demand as a speaker, mentor and consultant for educational projects.
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​However, it is teaching that has become Mark Messenger’s main passion. His ability to build both technical assurance and artistic integrity has contributed to his students’ many and varied successful international careers as chamber musicians, soloists, principal players in major orchestras and innovators within the music industry. His unique and insightful guidance, and the demands he places on his students to continue searching and examining the repertoire have proved to be transformative. He has been invited to give masterclasses in great institutions throughout the world.
For over two decades he taught violin and chamber music at the Royal College of Music in London where he was also the Head of Faculty. Here he also founded and was the artistic
director and conductor of the RCM String Band, an innovative ensemble whose alumni include some of the world’s most dynamic and original musicians. His educational philosophy underpins the ethos and impact of The Thinking Musician music programme of which he is a Co-founder and Artistic Director.
A person can be measured by the friends and colleagues they keep and, in this respect, Mark Messenger is privileged to be able to call many great artists his friends. As long as his exploration of life and music continues to provide such human experiences, he will continue the journey with travelling companions from any walk of life and in any nation of the world.
COLLABORATIONS
“Individually we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean”
Ryunsuke Satoro
Europe & Norway
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Artistic Director of multi-national strings project - Monaco/France/UK)
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Boccherini Conservatoire (Italy)
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Chieti Classica (Italy)
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Conservatori Superior de Música de Castelló (Spain)
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Fundacio Conservatori Liceu (Spain)
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Le Dimore del Quartetto (Italy)
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Lucca Classica (Italy)
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Malmö Acadrmy of Music (Sweden)
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Musethica (Germany)
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Musica Mundi (Belgium)
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Musikhögskolan Ingesund (Sweden)
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Norwegian Music Academy
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Rome Opera House (Italy)
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Royal Danish Academy of Music
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San Marino International Summer Music
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Stauffer Centre (Italy)
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The Thinking Musician (Italy/Belgium)
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Voksenåsen Music Academy (Norway)​​​​
Asia​
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Guangzhou Conservatory of Music (China)
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Muscat Philharmonic Music School
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Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Singapore)
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Projects in Cambodia
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Projects in Taiwan
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Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra
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Shanghai Conservatoire (China)
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Shanghai Music Middle School (China)
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UK
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Chethams School of Music
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Colchester Institute
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English Symphony Orchestra (Director: education department)
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Essex Music Services
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Eton School
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Goldsmiths College
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Jersey International Masterclasses
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Oundle School
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Purcell School of Music
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Royal College of Music
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Royal Northern College of Music
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Royal Welsh Conservatoire
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St Mary’s Music School
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Trinity Laban Conservatoire
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Wells Cathedral School​
​Americas​
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Projects in Dominican Republic
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Teatro del Lago: Chile
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Jury Member for International Competitions in:
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United States of America,
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China
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Singapore
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Hong Kong
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Italy
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France
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Belgium
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Denmark
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Norway
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United Kingdom
Commercial Conducting Work
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The Ayoub Sisters
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Second Person
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Symphonic Queen
Chamber Ensembles
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Bochmann String Quartet
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Bingham String Quartet
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Amati Piano Trio
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Mercury Jazz
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Coll’Arte
INSPIRING CHANGE AND EXPLORATION
AS A TEACHER AND MENTOR
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“One of the most important roles of a teacher is not to impart information and wisdom, but to prepare and provide the right environment for the student to learn. If the environment or the occasion is wrong, then no matter how relevant or important, the student will not assimilate the information or be receptive to the guidance. By creating the correct environment and opening the student’s mind, they not only learn from the teacher but have the capacity to learn from everyone and everything around them. As well as being able to impart a forensic knowledge of technique, a holistic understanding of music, a contextual knowledge of art, and the ability to create a spontaneous performance, I am also
able to understand and connect with a student to better create this unique time and space within which they can learn, teach themselves and blossom.”
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AS A JURY MEMBER AND ASSESSOR
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“The Olympic sport of competitions can result in an overly analytical or subjectively prejudicial approach from jury members. I feel that judging a musician is never about finding fault, rather it should be about recognising and appreciating qualities, especially those of individuality and spontaneity. Often,
individuality is accepted from established artists but criticised in younger performers. Similarly, creativity and spontaneity involve elements of risk taking but it should be recognised that “errors” in performance often exist as part of the process of conceiving abd bringing to life a truly transformative interpretation. These are the fundamental artistic principles that I apply when I am privileged to sit on a competition jury.”
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AS A CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND PROJECT MANAGER
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“The aim of a creative director and project manager, whether in education or performing arts, is to create structures within which artists can be free, can interact, and can create a unique experience for the listener. Often, especially within an educational context, bureaucracy, process and management fail to support the musician, and also create situations that are inherently unhelpful and obstructive. I have curated many music and performance-arts festivals as well as structuring and rewriting academic programmes and syllabuses within universities and conservatoires. I have approached these tasks as a performing musician and therefore understand how to liberate the artist. My knowledge and experience enable me to create and manipulate structures to serve and facilitate the artistic endeavour.”
AS A MOTIVATOR
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“After four decades working with students, advising them and observing their hopes and ambitions come to fruition, I understand that motivation is not about giving young
artists something new, but rather about releasing what is already within them. There are many aspects of educational systems that diminish the individual musician. Additionally, the judgmental but superficial values that exist on social media,
result in young artists experiencing a lack of confidence, a fear of uniqueness and not enough confidence in the
moment of live performance. In order for artists to have the capacity to transform others, they must celebrate their uniqueness rather than hiding it, or feeling more comfortable with conformity.”
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AS A SPEAKER
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“For me, speaking is performing. I am always comfortable addressing an audience directly with no notes and no script. In this way, as in the most effective performances, one can shape the communication as a real time reflection of how the audience receives and perceives what is said. Whether speaking to a group of talented students, the most knowledgeable amateurs, or the most cynical potential donors, I am an effective communicator who has a clear sense of purpose
and who can adapt both message and delivery as appropriate, based on experience, knowledge and instinct.”
