Mark Padmore

Mark Padmore was born in London and grew up in Canterbury. After beginning his musical studies on the clarinet he gained a choral scholarship to King’s College, Cambridge and graduated with an honours degree in music. He has established a flourishing career in opera, concert and recital. His performances in Bach’s Passion have gained particular notice throughout the world.

In the opera house he has worked with such theatrically minded directors as Peter Brook, Katie Mitchell, Mark Morris and Deborah Warner. Recent work includes Les Troyens at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and Handel’s Jephtha at WNO and ENO. He also played Peter Quint in an acclaimed BBC TV production of Turn of the Screw and the Evangelist in a staging of St Matthew Passion at Glyndebourne.

In concert he has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Berlin, Vienna and New York Philharmonics, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the LSO and BBCSO. He makes regular appearances with the OAE with whom he conceived a project exploring Bach’s John Passion that took place in Aldeburgh and London in 2005 which was given further performances on tour in 2008. 2007 Padmore made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Rattle.

He has made many recordings including the Bach Passions with Herreweghe and McCreesh, Bach Cantatas with Eliot Gardiner and Herreweghe, Haydn Masses with Hickox, Don Giovanni with Harding and operas by Rameau and Charpentier with Christie. He recently recorded the title role in La Clemenza di Tito with René Jacobs for Harmonia Mundi. A disc of Handel arias 'As Steals the Morn' with The English Consort and Andrew Manze was released by Harmonia Mundi and won the BBC Music Magazine Vocal Award in April 2008.