Mark Sparks is the principal flutist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and an acclaimed teacher and soloist.

Early life and education

Sparks was born in 1960 and raised in Cleveland and St. Louis, where he studied with former St. Louis Symphony principal flutist Jacob Berg and former St. Louis Symphony piccoloist Jan Gippo. He graduated from the

Oberlin Conservatory of Music The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of ...

where he studied with

Robert Hugh Willoughby Robert Hugh Willoughby (June 6, 1921 – March 27, 2018) was an American classical flute player and flute teacher. He played both Baroque flute, Baroque and modern flute. He has been described by ''Flute'' magazine as the "American grandmaster of ...

Career

Sparks began his career in the

Canton Symphony Orchestra The Canton Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Canton, Ohio. Founded in 1937, the orchestra made its first performance on February 16, 1938, under the direction of Richard Oppenheim. Louis Lane became its second music director i ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and with the Caracas Symphony in Venezuela. Before his appointment to the

St. Louis Symphony The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...

, Sparks served as Associate Principal Flute with the

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

under David Zinman, and Principal Flute of the

San Antonio Symphony The San Antonio Symphony was a full-time professional symphony orchestra based in San Antonio, Texas. Its season ran from late September to early June. Sebastian Lang-Lessing, its music director from 2010 to 2020, was the last to serve in that ca ...

and the

Memphis Symphony Orchestra The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Memphis, Tennessee. The orchestra's primary performing venue is the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. Prior to the formation of the orchestra, classical orchestras had existed ...

. Sparks is also a teacher. He currently teaches at DePaul School of Music, was previously a full-time faculty member at the Peabody Institute, and maintains a private studio in St. Louis. He is an artist-faculty member at the

Aspen Music Festival and School The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. Founded in 1949, the ...

. He also teaches at Missouri's Innsbrook Institute, Flauti al Castello in Tuscany, Italy and will join the faculty of the

Pacific Music Festival The Pacific Music Festival (パシフィック・ミュージック・フェスティバル) is an international classical music festival held annually in Sapporo, Japan. It was founded in 1990 by Leonard Bernstein, along with the London Symphony Or ...

in Sapporo, Japan. Sparks has recorded two solo albums collaborating with pianist Clinton Adams, appearing on the Summit and AAM labels, and one flute and piano album collaborating with pianist Peter Henderson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparks, Mark 1960 births American flautists Aspen Music Festival and School faculty Musicians from Cleveland Musicians from St. Louis Living people Educators from Ohio Educators from Missouri