Mark Elder

British conductor Mark Elder was born in Hexham on 2 June 1947. He played the bassoon at primary school and later in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. He studied music at Cambridge University, where he was a choral scholar.  Later he became a protégé of Edward Downes.

Elder's important appointments have included English National Opera (music director, 1979-93), the London Mozart Players (principal guest conductor, 1980-83), BBC Symphony Orchestra (principal guest conductor, 1982-85), Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (music director, 1989-94), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (principal guest conductor, 1992-5), the Hallé Orchestra (music director, 1999-2024) and the  Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (2022 until at least 2025).

He has also been 'principal artist' of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment since 2011, president of the London Philharmonic Choir since 2014, teaches conducting at the Royal Academy of Music and has written about music for various newspapers.

He has recorded widely, including for the Chandos, Glyndebourne, Hallé, Hyperion, NMC and Opera Rara labels.

 

A selection of articles about Mark Elder

Ensemble. Admirable Clarity - Mike Wheeler explores the complex plot of Verdi's 'Simon Boccanegra', as performed by Opera North

Castaway - Peter King muses on the needs of the modern desert island recluse

Ensemble. Touchingly Apt - Mike Wheeler was at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall's farewell to Mark Elder as he steps down as musical director of the Hallé Orchestra

Ensemble. An Almost Physical Impact - Mike Wheeler is impressed by Brahms, Chopin, Butterworth and Elgar from Stephen Hough, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra

Ensemble. All to Play For - Mike Wheeler listens to Bruckner's Symphony No 8 from Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra

Ensemble. Refreshing and Exhilarating - Mike Wheeler starts the year with music by Dani Howard, Smetana and Richard Strauss from the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain

Classical music news - Emotional Highs - Forthcoming performances in the USA and UK

Ensemble. Raw Vitality with Sensitive Lyricism - Mike Wheeler is impressed by Rimsky-Korsakov, Rodrigo, Lili Boulanger and Stravinsky from Sean Shibe, Delyana Lazarova and the Hallé Orchestra

Ensemble. Looking Back and Forward - Mike Wheeler was at the first concert in Nottingham Royal Concert Hall's orchestral season

Ensemble. Water Under the Bridge - Mike Wheeler welcomes Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra back to Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall for the opening of the new season

Ensemble. Sheer Contrast - Prokofiev and Beethoven symphonies from the Hallé Orchestra and Mark Elder, impressing Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Expressive Progression - Mike Wheeler enjoys a concert by Stephen Hough, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra

Ensemble. An Opera of Two Halves - Donizetti's 'L'ange de Nisida' at Covent Garden, reviewed by Alice McVeigh

Ensemble. Risky on Paper - Mark Elder and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain impress Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. More Celebratory than Elegiac - Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra at the opening of the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall season, reviewed by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Splendidly Lucid - Elgar, Weber, Tchaikovsky and more from Julian Bliss, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, reported by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Well Thought Out - Dvorák's 'Rusalka' in HD from New York Metropolitan Opera, enjoyed in the cinema by Maria Nockin

Ensemble. A Canny Pairing - Mike Wheeler listens to Stephen Hough, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra

Ensemble. Particularly Sombre - Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra commemorate The Battle of the Somme, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Wonderfully Frivolous - Chabrier's 'L'Etoile' at Covent Garden, recommended by Alice McVeigh

Ensemble. Musical Integrity - Sunwook Kim and the Hallé Orchestra play Rachmaninov, and impress Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Vividly Delivered - Tom Redmond's new spoken commentary to Britten's 'Young Person's Guide' impresses Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Genuine Elation - Brahms, Wagner and Sibelius from Nottingham, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Phew! - Mahler's Ninth Symphony from Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra impresses Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Fourteen People and a Dog - Brits in Rome, heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

CD Spotlight. Conscientious Objector - Unknown music by Benjamin Britten, heard by Gerald Fenech

Ensemble. A Gripping Start - Sunkwook Kim, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra in Nottingham impress Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Profoundly Moving - Sibelius and Elgar from Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. An Inspired Choice - Benjamin Ellin, Elgar, Grieg, Dvorák and Janácek from Mark Elder, Jamie Phillips and the Hallé Orchestra, reviewed by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Mercurial Accounts - The Hallé Orchestra begins celebrating its ten year residency in Nottingham, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Superbly Played - Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Highly Effective - Bax, Chopin and Prokofiev from Artur Pizarro, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, reviewed by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Intensely Gripping - Bizet, Richard Strauss and Vaughan Williams from Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Vivid and Enlivening - Donizetti's 'Maria di Rohan', reviewed by Robert Hugill

Ensemble. Inexorable Momentum - Music by Dvorák, Rachmaninov and Sibelius from Sergio Tiempo, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra impresses Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Particularly Memorable - Elgar, Rachmaninov and Sibelius from the Hallé Orchestra, enjoyed by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Sterling Performances - Donizetti's 'Linda di Chamounix', heard by Robert Hugill

Ensemble. Simply Magical - Mike Wheeler listens to Haydn, Sibelius and Mendelssohn played by the Hallé Orchestra

A Natural Approach - Alex Kobrin plays Haydn, Beethoven and Chopin, heard by Bill Newman

Ensemble. Peak Form - Mike Wheeler finds Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra a joy to hear

Ensemble. Playfulness and Spirit - Mike Wheeler joins the Hallé Orchestra's 150th birthday celebrations

Poignant Sweetness - Sarah Connolly and the Hallé Orchestra, reviewed by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Rapt and Radiant - Sarah Connolly, The Hallé Orchestra and Mark Elder visit Derby, and Mike Wheeler was in the audience

Ensemble. Sparkling Performances - The Hallé Orchestra plays Colin Matthews, Debussy, Poulenc and Tchaikovsky, reviewed by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Fiery Performance - The Hallé Orchestra plays Elgar and Wagner, reviewed by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Mature Technique - Alina Pogostkina with Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, appreciated by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. A masterclass in performing Mozart - A concert by Stephen Hough, Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra delighted Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Vivid form - 'Il Barbiere di Siviglia' at Covent Garden, reviewed by Robert Hugill

Ensemble. Unalloyed genius - Glyndebourne's recent 'Euryanthe' is fêted by Roderic Dunnett