Biography

Mark George Carroll writes mostly acoustic music. It often has a strong sense of narrative, and has been described as “sinister”, “humourous”, and “completely original”. His focus is always on creating a moving experience for listeners and an enjoyable and challenging experience for performers. All other concerns are secondary; for Mark, music is simply a set of instructions for recreating these experiences.

His influences are varied: Christou, Sciarrino, Kagel and Ligeti stand with not only Débussy, Satie, Shostakovich and Chopin but also Prince, Dave Brubeck and Norwegian black metal. Mark tries to stand back and let his influences steer the music as they see fit, merging unconsciously into something unique.

Mark is currently academically supervised by Richard Rijnvos, and is particularly interested in Surrealist composition, as well as the use of space. When not composing or teaching the cello, Mark is probably trying to find the cafetière, or watching Twin Peaks.