Anna Markland (born 23 May 1964) (also known as Anna Markland-Crookes and Anna Crookes)[1]) is an English soprano and pianist who won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in 1982,[2] playing Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto.

Anna Markland
Background information
Birth nameAnna Marie Markland
Also known asAnna Markland-Crookes, Anna Crookes
Born (1964-05-23) 23 May 1964 (age 60)
Wallasey, Merseyside, England, UK
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)
Years active1982–present
LabelsDecca, Signum, Naxos, Chandos

Education and early life edit

Markland grew up in a small house on a council estate in Liverpool. Her grandparents on each side had immigrated from Ireland to Liverpool, and on her mother's side her great-grandparents were concert musicians. Her grandmother graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a degree in music at just 14 years old.[3] She studied at Chetham's School of Music (1974–1983) with Heather Slade-Lipkin[4] where she was encourage to play the piano.[5]. She achieved an ARCM diploma at the age of 17.[6] In 1984, she won an instrumental scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford where she studied for a BA Honours degree in Music while continuing her piano performance schedule, also singing with the choir or Worcester College and with Schola Cantorum of Oxford. This was followed by two years' postgraduate piano study with Philip Fowke and vocal study with Kenneth Bowen at the Royal Academy of Music.[7]

Markland has featured in a long-term study of the lives of gifted children.[8][9][10][11]

After two years of study at the Royal College of Music, she had to give up playing the piano due to health issues with her arms.[12]

Career edit

Pianist edit

In 1982, Markland was the first female and pianist to win the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. She has performed with several British orchestras including the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra,[13] Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,[14] and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.[15]

She has accompanied vocalists including Roderick Williams, James Gilchrist, Paul Agnew, Nicholas Mulroy, Matthew Brook,[16] and Clare Wilkinson.[17] She has also accompanied the vocal ensemble I Fagiolini.[18][19]

Markland has run Masterclasses for schools, including at Monkton Combe School near Bath in 1998.[20]

Soprano edit

In 1986, while studying at Oxford, Markland became a founding member[21][22] of the vocal ensemble I Fagiolini. She subsequently toured and recorded extensively with the group, which specialises in Renaissance and contemporary music and has received a number of awards.[23][24][25]

She is a founding member of Tenebrae, The Finzi Singers and the Britten Sinfonia Voices, and has performed with The Sixteen, The Monteverdi Choir,[26] The Dunedin Consort, Trinity Baroque, Les Arts Florissants,[27] La Grande Chapelle, The Scholars’ Baroque Ensemble, Pixels Ensemble[28] and the BBC Singers.

Radio and television edit

Markland appeared throughout the 1982 BBC Young Musician of the Year series and in subsequent years as an interviewed guest in 1984[29] and as a judge in 2010 for the keyboards category final.[30] She was interviewed on BBC World Service's Meridian[31] shortly after winning the competition, she was the subject of a BBC documentary feature on past competition winners in 1984,[32] twice again in 1986,[33][34] and then in 1988.[35]

She presented a series of BBC Radio 3’s Young Artists’ Forum highlights in 1995.[36]

On the subject of gifted children, she was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour programme in September 2010[37][38] and in I was a Child Prodigy (2008).[39][40]

She has performed live on BBC Radio 3's In Tune in April 2016.[41][42]

Audio recordings edit

Audio discography
Year Title Other artists Role Label
1990 The Art of Monteverdi I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth Soprano Factory
1991 Bliss Choral Works Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer, Roderick Williams Soprano Chandos
1993 Howells and Bax Choral Works Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer Soprano Chandos
1993 Warlock and Moeran Choral Works Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer Soprano Chandos
1994 Insalata I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth Soprano Metronome
1994 Elgar Part-songs Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer Soprano Chandos
1994 Walton Choral Works Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer Soprano Chandos
1995 Tippett Choral Works Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer Soprano Chandos
1995 Purcell The Indian Queen Scholars Baroque Ensemble, David Van Asch Soprano Naxos
1995 Handel The Messiah Highlights Scholars Baroque Ensemble, David Van Asch Soprano Naxos
1995 Bach Magnificat, Cantata ‘Ich habe genug’ Schola Cantorum / Nicholas Ward Soprano Naxos
1995 The Early Byrd I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth Soprano Chandos
1996 Schütz Christmas Story Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly Soprano Naxos
1996 Bach Magnificat, Christmas Oratorio Choir of New College, Oxford, Edward Higginbottom Soprano BBC Music
1996 Bach Motets Scholars Baroque Ensemble, David Van Asch Soprano Naxos
1997 Purcell Dido and Aeneas Scholars Baroque Ensemble, David Van Asch Soprano Naxos
1997 Handel Dixit Dominus, Salve Regina, Nisi Dominus Scholars Baroque Ensemble, David Van Asch Soprano Naxos
1997 Kenneth Leighton Choral music Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer Soprano Chandos
1997 The Caged Byrd I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth Soprano Chandos
1997 Vivaldi Gloria, Bach Magnificat Schola Cantorum, Nicholas Ward Soprano Naxos
1998 Purcell The Indian Queen Scholars Baroque Ensemble, David Van Asch Soprano Naxos
2001 Croce Carnevale Veneziano I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth Soprano Chandos
2003 Mother and Child Tenebrae, Nigel Short Soprano Signum
2003 The Dream of Herod Tenebrae, Nigel Short Soprano Signum
2006 Monteverdi Flaming Heart I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth Soprano Chandos
2006 Howells Choral Works Finzi Singers, Paul Spicer Soprano Chandos
2006 Handel Messiah Dunedin Consort, John Butt Soprano Linn
2009 Monteverdi Sweet Torment I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth Soprano Chandos
2010 Johann Mattheson: Christmas Oratorio; Magnificat Kölner Akademie, Michael Alexander Willens Soprano CPO
2011 Magnificat: Rogier and Palestrina choral works Philip Cave, His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts Soprano Linn
2012 Dover Beach Choral Music, songs by Stephen Wilkinson Stephen Wilkinson, Stephen Wilkinson Choir Soprano Deux-Elles
2016 Amuse-Bouche I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth Piano solo and soprano Decca
2017 The Sunlight on the Garden: The Songs of Stephen Wilkinson Stephen Wilkinson, choir Piano accompaniment Signum
2019 Leonardo: Shaping the Invisible I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth Soprano Coro
2020 Fresh Air Breathe Out Various Piano solo Besant Hall

Filmography edit

Year Title Other artists Role Label
2007 Simunye SDASA Chorale, I Fagiolini Soprano Polyphonic Films
2007 The Full Monteverdi I Fagiolini, John La Bouchardière Soprano / actor Polyphonic Films
2013 How Like an Angel I Fagiolini, Circa Soprano / actor IAR
2016 Ode à la Gastronomie I Fagiolini, John La Bouchardière Actor Polyphonic Films
2016 Amuse-Bouche I Fagiolini Piano / soprano Decca
2020 The Stag Hunt I Fagiolini, John La Bouchardière Soprano / actor Polyphonic Films

References edit

  1. ^ "Anna Markland-Crookes (Piano, Soprano) - Short Biography". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  2. ^ "BBC - BBC Young Musician - Past winners". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  3. ^ Freeman 2010, pp. 114–115.
  4. ^ "ANNA MARKLAND". Bitesize Proms. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  5. ^ Freeman 2010, pp. 115.
  6. ^ "Music For Youth: Anna Markland". 28 September 2010.
  7. ^ "Anna Markland (piano) on Hyperion Records". Hyperion Records. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  8. ^ "BBC Radio 4: Gifted Lives". Archived from the original on 1 October 2010.
  9. ^ Dowling, Sian Griffiths and Kevin. "The maestro and the misfit". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Gifted children no more likely to succeed". The Telegraph. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  11. ^ Freeman 2010.
  12. ^ Freeman 2010, pp. 116.
  13. ^ The Final (Music), B. B. C. Philharmonic, Humphrey Burton, Anna Markland, Bryden Thomson, 25 April 1982, retrieved 24 January 2021{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. ^ "Anna Markland Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Jan 16 1983 - The Times". The Times. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Index to Short Biographies of Performers - M". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Matthew Brook reference to Anna Markland". Archived from the original on 16 May 2010.
  17. ^ "Markland Wilkinson Brook Gilchrist". Archived from the original on 6 July 2017.
  18. ^ "Amuse-Bouche: French Choral Delicacies". Presto Classical. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  19. ^ "I Fagiolini / Anna Markland, Wigmore Hall". Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  20. ^ Monkton Combe School Archives
  21. ^ "About". www.ifagiolini.com. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Performers' hidden secrets – I Fagiolini". microsites.ifagiolini.com. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Diapason - Diapason d'or de l'année 2011 : demandez le palmarès !". 25 March 2012. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Early Music". Gramophone. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  25. ^ "RPS Music Awards | Royal Philharmonic Society". 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  26. ^ "BBC - Radio 3 Euroclassic Notturno". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  27. ^ "Les Arts Florissants canta i Madrigali di Cremona, mercoledì 16 maggio 2018 – Comunicato stampa | Unione Musicale" (in Italian). Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  28. ^ "Players – Pixels Ensemble". Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Young Musician of the Year 1984". The Radio Times. No. 3152. 5 April 1984. p. 54. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  30. ^ "BBC - BBC Young Musician - The 2010 judges". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  31. ^ "Meridian - The Joke Collector - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  32. ^ "BBC Young Musician" Young Musician of the Year 1984 (TV Episode 1984) - IMDb, retrieved 24 January 2021
  33. ^ "Young Musician of the Year 1986". The Radio Times. No. 3255. 10 April 1986. p. 41. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  34. ^ "The Music Machine: Young Musicians 96". The Radio Times. No. 3765. 21 March 1996. p. 122. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  35. ^ "Comparing Notes". The Radio Times. No. 3359. 14 April 1988. p. 63. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  36. ^ "Young Artists' Forum". The Radio Times. No. 3693. 20 October 1994. p. 144. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  37. ^ "Radio 4 Woman's Hour: What happens when gifted children grow up? 27.09.10". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  38. ^ "Woman's Hour - 27/09/2010 - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  39. ^ BBC Radio 4 I Was a Child Prodigy
  40. ^ "1 Was a Child Prodigy". The Radio Times. No. 4403. 4 September 2008. p. 125. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  41. ^ BBC Radio 3 In Tune Hollingworth Markland 27.04.16
  42. ^ "In Tune - Robert Hollingworth and Anna Markland perform Poulenc's smoky 'Hotel' live on In Tune - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2021.

Bibliography edit

Freeman, Joan (2010). Gifted lives: what happens when gifted children grow up?. London; New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-47008-7. OCLC 527702794.

External links edit