About Maestro Peter Mark
Opera Conductor • Coach • Masterclass Teacher
​Artistic Director Emeritus,Virginia Opera

Peter talks about his masterclasses
Video from the 2016 trip to Cuba

Master Coach for Opera Singers

Offering masterclasses on both the East and West Coasts as well as private lessons, both professional and aspiring singers are finding confidence, freedom and new ways of thinking about operatic roles as a result of their work with long admired conductor Peter Mark.  By approaching his work "From the Conductor's Perspective", participants can expand their awareness of the craft of opera, and offer richer, better-prepared and more expressive performances.  Auditors and attendees to these classes are also finding new ways of thinking about opera, along with an enhanced understanding and appreciation of what goes into the art form.
Maestro Mark has been identifying, training and presenting singers and conducting opera professionally for the past four decades, through his roles as artistic director, music director, teacher and coach.
For more about the maestro's background, please explore the pages in the "About" menu above.

Official Bio

Peter Mark is an experienced conductor and teacher, who coaches and works with opera professionals and aspirants around the world to develop their skills and advance the impact  of their performances.  Maestro Mark served as Founding General and Artistic Director of Virginia Opera from 1975 to 2010, and is now Emeritus there. He has held similar positions with the International Opera Alliance, the Buck Hill - Skytop Music Festival (now known as the Pocono Mountains Music Festival) and Lyric Opera Virginia, with its unique formats for presenting Opera in the new century.

​His current projects as artistic director, coach and conductor build upon earlier careers as chief boy soprano of the Metropolitan Opera; performing as solo, chamber and leading violinist and violist; and teaching as Full University Professor of Music and Drama.  Four decades of respected work in the field of opera now allow him to use his broad experience and skill to help singers and colleagues deliver their innate voices and musicianship freely in the most  integrated, natural and impactful way.
With Maestro Mark's reputation as an international conductor, he has led productions and presented singers in North and South America, London, Italy, New York, Cuba, Africa and China, where he conducted Shanghai's first Italian-language Tosca to open the new Opera House of the Oriental Arts Center.  He has conducted for Royal Opera House at Covent Garden as part of BBC's Promenade Concerts (aka "The Proms"); for Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires; for Krakow Opera; for the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Italy; as well as for New York City Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria (Canada), and the National Opera of Mexico at the Bellas Artes in Mexico City. With his International Projects, he has consistently focused on the identification and training as well as career-building opportunities for extraordinarily gifted young opera singers wherever he goes.
Back in the US, Maestro Mark's name is firmly linked to the historical flourishing of opera in Virginia, where he oversaw the growth of opera over the past four decades there, himself conducting well over 100 different opera productions -- comprising over 700 highly successful performances -- on Virginia stages including numerous Virginia, national, and world premiere productions.  He is celebrated as Founding Artistic Director Emeritus of Virginia Opera, as an Honorary Citizen of Norfolk, and as the recipient of the Vianne Webb Lifetime Achievement Award.  

Lyric Opera Virginia was conceived and created to reach new audiences for opera in a variety of new formats and new venues throughout Virginia introducing new audiences to the art form, through Jewel Box Opera and more intimate formats. As Founding Artistic Director of the Buck Hill-Skytop Music Festival in Northeastern Pennsylvania, he presided over its initial three Festivals in July/August 2010, 2011, and 2012 -- presenting “jewel box” productions of Porgy & Bess, Carmen, and La Traviata, and offering opera masterclasses, chamber music, dance, cabaret, Broadway, and jazz performances and workshops.

Read more — Success Stories and Singers' Endorsements

Peter Mark's powerful skill set draws from a varied and comprehensive experience in opera. As Founding General and Artistic Director of Virginia Opera, he conducted and mentored many young singers, including Renee Fleming, Diana Soviero, Lawrence Brownlee and Frederick Burchinal, who have become world-renowned stars.
Click here for more specifics about Peter's background, and the many artists he has worked with over the years.

Coaching — Private and Group Sessions

Masterclasses and private coaching from a seasoned opera conductor
Empowering singers from around the world to achieve quantum vocal leaps

Sign up now to sing or attend the next classes in
New York​   or   Los Angeles

  • Vocal analyst and catalyst helping individuals achieve their full potential.
  • Developing a world-class technique integrates voice, body, and emotions -- engaging audiences with a voice that rings free and true.
  • As a seasoned Artistic Director hiring, preparing and conducting singers for over 4 decades, a Metropolitan Opera singer, and  Juilliard-trained musician, Peter brings the benefits of a uniquely wide scope of experience and understanding to his work with voices.
  • His approach is hands-on and results-based. Through his masterclasses and private coaching he empowers singers from around the world to achieve major musical and vocal improvement.

Private Consultations Available

In person or via Skype, Phone or Email
Maestro Mark has worked with and advised singers for years on their roles and repertoire choices, and on the direction of their careers. In addition to vocal and musical guidance, he has provided them with introductions, references, recommendations, and performing opportunities through his extensive network of colleagues.