Biography
Critics have praised clarinetist Mark Nuccio for his solo, orchestral, and chamber appearances, and the New York Times described him as "the evening's highlight," full of "mystery and insight" and "shaping his phrases beautifully with a rich, expressive tone."
Mr. Nuccio officially began his position as Principal Clarinet with the Houston Symphony Orchestra in the 2016-17 season after seventeen years with the New York Philharmonic. He also serves as clarinet faculty at the University of Houston's Moore School of Music. Mr. Nuccio joined the New York Philharmonic in 1999 as Associate Principal and Eb Clarinetist, and also served as Acting Principal Clarinet from 2009-2013. Prior to his service with the Philharmonic, he held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida working with distinguished conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Mariss Jansons, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, André Previn, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Gustavo Dudamel. Additionally, Mr. Nuccio has toured extensively with the New York Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in numerous countries, recorded with both orchestras, and performs regularly with the Philharmonic on the award-winning series Live from Lincoln Center, which is broadcast on PBS. Recent highlights include the Philharmonic's historic and newsworthy visits to North Korea and Vietnam.
Nuccio is an active solo and chamber chamber musician and continues to regularly perform recitals in Asia and Europe as well as across the United States. During the 2017-18 season, Nuccio will be heard with the Colorado Philharmonic and in his subscription solo debut with the Houston Symphony. Mr. Nuccio also performs and teaches in summer music festivals including the Texas Music Festival, Buffet Clarinet Academy, Strings in the Mountains in Steamboat Springs, CO, and Tippet Rise Music Festival in Billings, MT.
As a studio musician, Mr. Nuccio is featured on numerous movie soundtracks, including Failure To Launch, The Last Holiday, The Rookie, The Score, Intolerable Cruelty, Alamo, Pooh's Heffalump, Hitch, The Manchurian Candidate, and various television commercials. Additionally he has performed on the Late Show with David Letterman and on the 2003 Grammy Awards. His own debut album featuring the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms, Opening Night, was released in November 2006.
A Colorado native, Mr. Nuccio recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater the University of Northern Colorado, a very selective honor bestowed on an elite group of 200 alumnus representing various fields throughout the long history of the university. He also holds a master's degree from Northwestern University where he studied with renowned pedagogue Robert Marcellus. Beyond his active performing schedule, Mr. Nuccio is a dedicated teacher committed to training the next generation of musicians and teaches master classes in the U.S. and abroad. Nuccio is a D'Addario Advising Artist & Clinician and a Performing Artist/Clinician for Buffet Music Group.