Mark Crayton

Member

Contact Information

markcrayton@gmail.com

http://www.markcrayton.com

Location

Evanston, Illinois

Early Music Skills & Interests

Conductor, Voice - Countertenor

Early Music Affiliations

Board Member -Other, Concert Producer, Conductor, Educator, Music/Artistic Director, Opera Director, Performer

Biography

<p>Countertenor, Conductor and Director, MARK CRAYTON is hailed by critics and audiences for the pure beauty of his voice, his expressive and insightful interpretations, his natural musicality and his crowd-pleasing productions! Winner of the Classical Singer International Vocal Competition, Mr. Crayton performs on concert stages and in opera houses throughout the United States and Europe, and his extensive repertoire includes many diverse works. Mr. Crayton created the role of the "First Minstrel" in The Holland Festival's production of Pantagruel et Gargantua. In 2002- 2003, Mark Crayton was invited by the composer Philip Glass and the Tony Award director Mary Zimmerman to sing in the world premiere performances of Glass' opera Galileo Galilei in Chicago, New York City and London. In addition, Mark Crayton was chosen by composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb to sing the role of Louis Perch in their new musical called The Visit starring Chita Rivera. Recent seasons have included performances at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, Chicago's Orchestra Hall, Opera Theatre of St. Louis (American Premier of Goehr's Arianna), Seattle Opera (Handel's Giulio Cesare), San Diego Opera (Handel's Giulio Cesare), Lyric Opera of Chicago (Handel's Partenope), and the Kennedy Center. Equally at home on the recital and concert stage, Mr. Crayton has performed on Chicago's Jewel Box Series, Dame Myra Hess series as well as recitals with Ars Musica Chicago, at Washington, D.C.'s Phillip's Collection, at Weill Hall in New York City, as well as Amstelrande in Amsterdam and Grovesnor Chapel in London. Mr. Crayton was a return guest artist every summer with the Oberlin Baroque Orchestra at Oberlin Conservatory's Baroque Performance Institute from 1993 until 2009. He has appeared with the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Sarasota Symphony, Fargo Symphony, Sheboygan Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Chicago's Music of the Baroque, Chicago Baroque Ensemble, Ensemble Voltaire, La Pettite Bande, the Netherlands Kammerkoor, El Ayre Español, as well as many others. Mark Crayton has developed quite a reputation for his interpretation of Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, which he has performed 166 times. Other recent appearances include Ulnufo in Handel's Rodelina as part of Handel Week as well as appearances with Haydn by the Lake. Recent conducting performances include Somervell’s, The Passion of Christ, Hawley’s The Christ Child, Wood’s St. Mark Passion, Keiser’s Markus Passion, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Britten’s Missa Brevis in D, Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Chilcott’s St. John Passion, and Stainer’s The Crucifixion. He regularly conducts the CCPA Chorale at Roosevelt University and the Choir and Orchestra of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, IL. As a stage director, Mr. Crayton has directed Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado, Bernstein’s Candide, Scarlatti’s The Triumph of Honor, Douglas Moore’s Gallantry, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne, Cavalli’s La Calisto, Barber’s Hand of Bridge, Duke’s Captain Lovelock, Weill’s Der Jagsager, and Wilder’s Sunday Excursion. As part of the Tuscia Opera Festival, he directed Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. Mr. Crayton has taught voice at Roosevelt University Chicago College of Performing Arts for 10 years and his students have won many international competitions and sing on stages around the world. He also has a thriving private studio. On a CD for the Centaur label, the beauty of Mark Crayton's voice, with the Chicago Baroque Ensemble, can be heard singing songs by Phillipp Heinrich Erlebach. A new recording of unusual Classical era pieces is in the works with hope of being released in the spring entitled, “It’s All Classical!” Mr. Crayton also has a book coming out called “The Down and Dirty Guide to Baroque Vocal Ornamentation (or how to make a mess sound lovely)” soon from Alpha Major. For more information concerning Mr. Crayton's career and current season, please visit www.markcrayton.com.</p> <p> </p>