Mark Padmore, tenor

Mark Padmore was born in London and studied at King’s College,
Cambridge. He has established an international career in opera,
concert and recital. His appearances in Bach Passions have gained
particular notice, especially his renowned performances as Evangelist
in the St Matthew and St John Passions with the Berlin Philharmonic
and Simon Rattle, staged by Peter Sellars.
This season Mark sings Evangelist in the St Matthew Passion with the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Simon Rattle and with the
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra; tours Japan appearing first at the Le
Pont International Music Festival, followed by a recital at Topan Hall
with the guitarist Yasuji Ohagi and ending the tour with performances
of Britten Nocturne with the Gunma Symphony Orchestra. He will also
sing the Nocturne in the current season with the BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra and Ryan Wigglesworth and the Freiburg
Chamber Orchestra while on the recital platform highlights include
Schubert Winterreise with Julius Drake for Temple Music as well as
with Till Fellner at the Innsbrucker Festwochen.
Recent highlights included Judith Weir’s In the Land of Uz at the
Worcester Three Choirs Festival; recitals, including performances in
Barcelona and Madrid with Julius Drake; Alicante with the Elias String
Quartet; the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam with Till Fellner; the Théâtre
de l’Athénée Paris with Julius Drake and Schubert Winterreise with
Mitsuko Uchida at Carnegie Hall New York, the Kimmel Center
Philadelphia and the University of California at Berkeley.
Following a residency at Wigmore Hall in the 2021/22 season where he
celebrated his relationship with pianists Till Fellner, Imogen Cooper,
Mitsuko Uchida and Paul Lewis he recently returned to sing Vaughan
Williams and Fauré with the Elias Quartet and James Baillieu.
Mark’s most recent opera appearance was at the Grand Théâtre de
Genève, singing the title role in a new production of Monteverdi Il
ritorno d’Ulisse in patria conducted by Fabio Biondi. Another highlight
was a new production of Britten’s Death in Venice at the Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden where his performance was described as a “tour
de force” and “exquisite of voice, [presenting] Aschenbach’s physical
and spiritual breakdown with extraordinary detail and insight”. Previous
roles have included Captain Vere in Britten Billy Budd and Evangelist in
a staging of St Matthew Passion for the Glyndebourne Festival, and
leading roles in Harrison Birtwistle The Corridor and The Cure at the
Aldeburgh Festival.
In concert Mark performs with the world’s leading orchestras. He was
Artist in Residence for the 2017/18 season with the Berlin Philharmonic
and held a similar position with the Bavarian Radio Symphony
Orchestra in 2016/17. His work with the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment has involved projects exploring both the Bach St JohnAug-24
and St Matthew Passion without conductor which attracted worldwide
acclaim.
His extensive and award-winning discography includes Schumann
Dichterliebe with Kristian Bezuidenhout and Schubert song cycles with
Paul Lewis, both for Harmonia Mundi. Described by the New York
Times as “Schubert Masters” Mark Padmore and Mitsuko Uchida
recently embarked on a series of highly acclaimed, worldwide recitals
and this partnership has culminated in a recording on Decca Classics of
Schubert Schwanengesang and Beethoven An die ferne Geliebte.
Mark was Artistic Director of the St. Endellion Summer Music Festival
in Cornwall from 2012-2022, voted 2016 Vocalist of the Year by
Musical America and appointed CBE in the 2019 Queens’ Birthday
Honours List.