Mark Lansom

Conductor and Composer

Within a week of starting a violin teaching job, tonight’s conductor Mark Lansom declared to himself that he would be happy doing that job for the rest of his career. Almost thirty years on, and now head of strings at The King’s School, Chester, his commitment to music education remains. Despite his chosen career, he has been successful in many other musical paths. As a player he is in demand professionally in a freelance capacity, and plays weddings and functions with the Snowdonia String Quartet. He can also be found regularly leading such orchestras as Wrexham Symphony Orchestra and St John’s Festival Orchestra. He is also a composer and arranger, and his arrangements, mostly for string quartets and school groups, sell regularly and worldwide through websites such as sheetmusicplus.com. He started conducting regularly through his job as a violin teacher in schools, and first conducted Wrexham Symphony Orchestra in 1999. Since then he has been the most regular conductor for that orchestra, and has also conducted the Cambrian Orchestra and St John’s Festival Orchestra. A general contentment with his chosen career has quashed any ambition to take conducting further, but nevertheless he is very proud to be asked to conduct Vale Royal String Orchestra, and has thoroughly enjoyed working with the group. Away from music, Mark is an avid follower of speedway and the Belle Vue Aces. He lives in Llay, Wrexham, with his wife Annabel and their two teenage children.