Interesting
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 2:30 pm
There are some interesting stories out there. This one was told at last years annual CSO Brass Concert which is coming up again in a couple weeks on December 16th. There are still some tickets left - this is always a great concert.
They talked of the story of the new Principal French Horn player from Great Britain. It was fascinating his trail to the CSO and the late great Dale Clevenger’s seat. Just a few short years before he was a MD back in 2021 and was doing break through work on the Covid vaccine. I find it just amazing the guy goes from research MD (and his Covid work if I recall had just won some prestigious award last year) and now he’s Principal French Horn in the CSO. I don’t remember how old he is (I’m thinking like early 30’s). Just an amazing trip. Guy is certainly operating on another level.
A press release from the CSO
"Mark Almond, principal horn
Dr. Mark Almond joins the Chicago Symphony Orchestra previously served as associate principal horn of the San Francisco Symphony, co-principal horn of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and third horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra, London.
A native of Bolton, England, Almond began his musical education at the age 9 while playing tenor horn in brass bands. He studied medicine at Cambridge and Oxford universities, and at 19 made his professional debut with the London Symphony Orchestra. He holds a doctorate in virology from Imperial College, London, and worked as a respiratory physician in teaching hospitals before becoming a full-time horn player.
He has appeared as a guest principal with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, among others. An active chamber musician, he has performed at the Music@Menlo, Cleveland ChamberFest and Santa Fe Chamber music festivals.
He teaches horn at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts and is a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London."