Mark Simpson: Prism

Mark Simspon, finalist at St Catherine's College, has recently made a new CD of specially commissioned works for basset clarinet, released on the leading new music label NMC.

Mark is deeply committed to the performance of new music, particularly for the basset clarinet, and his NMC disc sees the culmination of five years' work with composers developing new works for clarinet and basset clarinet.

These new commissions are by Mark-Anthony Turnage, Emily Howard, Gary Carpenter, Patrick Nunn, Kenneth Hesketh, David Horne and Gavin Higgin. Also featured is Mark's own work Lov(escape).

In 2006 Mark became the first ever winner of both the BBC Young Musician of the Year and BBC Proms/Guardian Young Composer of the Year competitions. He made his Wigmore Hall debut at the age of 17 and has performed as a soloist with many of the country's leading conductors and orchestras, including the RLPO, the Northern Sinfonia and the BBC Philharmonic. In 2008 he appeared as concerto soloist in the BBC's Last Night of the Proms in the Park, in Hyde Park.

As a composer Mark has worked with some of the UK's leading orchestras and ensembles, particularly the RLPO's Ensemble 10:10, with whom he has had a long relationship.