Mark Chivers studied Viola at York University and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Alan George (an original member of The Fitzwilliam String Quartet), Yuko Inoue (Capricorn Ensemble) and Garfield Jackson Violist from the Endellion Quartet.
He now leads a busy freelance career in London, being Principal Viola for many crossover artists including Katherine Jenkins, Andrea Boccelli, Alfie Boe and Russell Watson alongside TV and film sessions (including X Factor, Popstar to Operastar and Britain’s Got Talent for ITV and the soundtracks to Doctor Who, Land Girls, Father Brown Investigates, The Coroner and The Human Planet for the BBC). He also recorded the score for Victoria Wood’s film “That Day We Sang” (starring Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton) which aired on BBC2/Boxing Day 2014. His latest appearances on a Hollywood movie soundtrack are “Anna Karennina” (2013) and “The Theory Of Everything” (Nov 2014) which won the Golden Globe for Best Music Score and was nominated for an Oscar. He can also be heard on many “Sony Award” winning TV Adverts, from Reebok through to Mercedes Benz.
Mark is Principal Viola of the National Symphony Orchestra, a core member of Orchestra Of The Swan and is the newly appointed No.2 for Raymond Gubbay’s London Concert Orchestra, alongside extensive work for the BBC Orchestras. He was also in Katie Melua’s String Quartet (11 million albums) alongside touring with a diverse range of pop artists (from Peter Gabriel to Goldfrapp). Mark was also Principal Viola for Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds UK Tours and has deputised on many touring West End Shows including Phantom Of The Opera and Les Miserables. His String Quartet (Masquerade) has recorded two CD’s of his arrangements: Music from Broadway and The Great American Songbook. In 2015 the Quartet are toured the UK with Russell Watson in his “Up Close and Personal” Tour.
