Mark Ashford

Sonata Mark Ashford

Mark Ashford is stunning audiences worldwide with his innate musicality and beautiful touch. \'A truly remarkable guitarist\' Classical Guitar Born in Northampton, England, Mark began his formal musical training at Chetham\'s School of Music studying the guitar with Gordon Crosskey. He then went on to study with Michael Lewin as a scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Music, from where he graduated in 1993 with first class honours and two awards from the Principal. The following year Mark continued his studies privately in Spain with guitarist David Russell, thanks to bursay's from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Allcard grants and the Royal Academy of Music. Mark has been a prize winner at several major national and international competitions including BBC Radio Two's Young Musician, the Julian Brean Prize, South East Arts Music Platform Award, the Guitar Foundation of America, the Scandinavian International Guitar Competition, and the Alessandria International Guitar Competition, Italy. He has performed as a soloist at many of the UK\'s most prestigious music venues including the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Fairfield Halls, St George\'s Brandon Hill, Bridgewater Hall, De Montfort Hall and the Queen\'s Hall, Edinburgh. Performances have also taken him to France, Spain, Italy, Finland, Holland, Hungary, Poland, U.S.A, Cuba, Barbados and been broadcast on BBC Radio, BBC World Service and Classic FM. As a concerto soloist Mark has performed with orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, London Concertante and the Turin Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of such eminent conductors as Carl Davis, Christopher Warren-Green, Barry Wordsworth and Ignacio Yepes. Mark has recorded six CD's including a recording of Rodrigo's 'Concierto de Aranjuez' with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Cleobury. He is currently head of guitar at Birmingham Conservatoire of Music and Course director at the Internationai Guitar Festival, Bath. In 2003 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music having achieved distinction in the profession.