Mark Tanner was born in Bristol in 1963. His first tentative solo appearance at Bristol’s Colston Hall, aptly described as “intrepid” by the Bristol Evening Post, came at the age of 13, and shortly after he appeared on BBC TV, playing Liszt. He studied piano with Gwyn Pritchard, Geoffrey Buckley, Philip Martin and Richard McMahon, gaining his PhD from the Birmingham Conservatoire in 1999. He has appeared in many of Britain’s most favoured recital halls, including five successive appearances at Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and St John’s Smith Square in London, as well as a number of prominent educational establishments including the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, London, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, the RWCMD, Birmingham Conservatoire and recently at Chethams International Summer School for Pianists. He also appeared at St George’s Bristol with duo partner Allan Schiller as part of the Mozart 250 celebrations. Mark has been a popular recitalist onboard cruise liners around the globe, having now given close to three hundred recitals. He has broadcast several premières live on BBC Radio 3 and his recordings have attracted consistently high critical acclaim. Of his York Bowen CD, Bryce Morrison of Gramophone wrote in June 2008:

"Most pianists would give an arm and a leg, or at least a finger, to achieve his sumptuous sonority and seamless legato…such enviable breadth and poetic commitment."

GRAMOPHONE, 2008 

Mark is music critic for the prominent music press, having contributed well over 100 reviews and articles for International Record Review, Classical Music, Musical Opinion, International Piano and Piano Professional. He has also published scholarly articles in the USA and UK, including 19^th Century Music and the Liszt Society Journal, and edited contemporary several music scores for Peters Edition and Europa Edition. His eight-volume series for piano entitled Eye-Tunes (100 pieces in all) has just been published in 2009 by Spartan Press. He is an international examiner of grades and diplomas for the ABRSM, having undertaken tours to Beijing, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Switzerland, India, N. Ireland and Cyprus, alongside numerous tours to Hong Kong and Singapore, with imminent tours to Turkey and South Africa. He adjudicates festivals for the British and International Federation of Festivals, twice judged the EPTA Piano Competition and has given many lectures on a diverse range of subjects as well as masterclasses in Europe and mainland China.

For sixteen years Mark was Assistant Director of Music at Taunton School in Somerset; he has been active in music education for 25 years. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of Mensa. In 2009 Mark was awarded an honorary degree from the Birmingham Conservatoire for his distinguished presence in the profession. He divides his time unequally between Cornwall, Somerset and the rest of the world. His first novel, Life on Mars? A Catinel’s Chance, has just been published by Llama Press. Hobbies include eating and sleeping.

In 2008 he appeared at Wigmore Hall, undertook three cruise appearances with flautist partner, Gillian Poznansky, with whom he made one of two recordings for the Priory label, and appeared at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Chethams International Summer School for Pianists and at Truro School. Mark also gave his popular Summer School for piano teachers at Jackdaws Educational Trust in Somerset, adjudicated the Cornwall and Nailsea Music Festivals, judged the EPTA Piano Competition and examined in Cyprus and Hong Kong.

In 2009 Mark performed with flautist Gillian Poznansky at Wigmore Hall and the Frome Festival, as well as on several cruise liners around the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Their recording of Graham Lynch's music for flute and piano has already been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and was chosen as an International Record Review 'Outstanding' disc of the month in December. As soloist he gave two performances of John McLeod's epic work 'Haflidi's Pictures' at the S.O.U.N.D Festival in Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh. In order to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Peter Wishart's death, Mark is currently producing a recording of the 'Aubade' for flute and string quartet, featuring the Delme Quartet and Christopher Hyde-Smith, alongside the 'Clarinet Trio', featuring Michael Langdon-Davies and Richard May, and a collection of songs with Neal Davies. He has undertaken examination engagements to Singapore, Switzerland and India, and adjudicated festivals in Wadebridge, Salisbury and Bristol. He also gave masterclasses in Amsterdam and presented his annual Summer School at Jackdaws, Somerset.

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