Introduced as "shining in the storm" by the San Antonio Express News, Mark Teplitsky, 25, was appointed principal flute with the San Antonio Symphony in the summer of 2016. Born to Russian immigrants in Jerusalem, Israel, Mark began his musical studies when moving to the United States at age 12. Mark has attended, on full-scholarship, the prestigious Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music, and the Rice University Shepherd School of Music, where he received his Master’s Diploma; his former teachers include Jim Walker, Timothy Day, Mark Sparks, Leone Buyse, Brian Gordon and Thomas Robertello.
As winner of the Rice University Concerto Competition, Music Academy of the West Concerto Competition, Los Angeles Center for the Performing Arts Spotlights Competition, Music Teacher’s Association VOCE competition, National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts Competition, Orange County's Stars of Tomorrow Competition, Brentwood-Westwood Concerto Competition, and NPR's "From the Top" Competition, he has performed in halls throughout the United States. Among these performances, Mark appeared as soloist with the Shepherd Symphony Orchestra, Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, Colburn Conservatory Orchestra, Brentwood-Westwood Symphony, San Diego Sinfonia, San Diego Philharmonia, Torrey Pines Wind Ensemble, and the Houston Hear&Now Contemporary Ensemble. Highlight concerts featured the Reinecke flute concerto under the baton of Jacksonville Symphony Artistic Director, Courtney Lewis, and the Mozart G Major Concerto under the baton of Larry Racliffe.
As an orchestral musician, Mark was invited to perform works by Strauss and Sibelius with the New York Philharmonic as the 2015 New York Philharmonic Global Academy Fellow. While in high school, Mark appeared in a side by side concert of Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony with the San Diego Symphony. A few years later, Mark was announced the principal flutist of the American Youth Symphony, a position he held for two years. Other invitations have included the Fort Worth Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, and Mercury Baroque Ensemble of Houston.
Mark is thrilled to have been invited as a core member of the Olmos Ensemble upon his arrival in San Antonio and will appear this summer as a guest artist at the CactusPear Music Festival. Mark plays a 14k Haynes Flute and can be heard as principal flute Yarlund Record Company’s CD releases “If You Love for Beauty” featuring mezzo Sasha Cooke and “Mahler Symphony No. 5” conducted by Gerard Schwarz.
Principal Flute, San Antonio Symphony Orchestra
