What it means to be the LPO President

Wed 16 Oct, 2024

LPO Co-Principal Horn Mark Vines shares all about his role as President of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mark Vines has been Co-Principal Horn of the LPO since 2011 and in April this year, he became our President. We caught up with Mark to find out more about his role and how he ‘fell into music’…

Congratulations on your appointment, Mark! What is the role of the LPO’s Player Directors, and what will your responsibilities be as President?

The LPO has a proud status as a self-governing orchestra, fully owned by the member musicians; the Player Directors’ role is not only to represent those musicians but to help to steer the overall direction of the organisation. As President I’m already finding myself fully immersed and involved in all aspects of the Orchestra’s day-to-day life: from representing the players and liaising with our management team, to building relationships with our conductors and guest artists, meeting our supporters, and generally advocating for the LPO wherever possible. It’s a steep learning curve and I’m lucky to be able to draw on the expertise and advice of so many people within and outside the organisation. I also have to remember that, despite all the additional responsibilities, I’m first and foremost a horn player in the LPO, and I still have to perform on stage and continue to meet the high standards that we all set for ourselves. However, that is also one of the most rewarding parts of the job – to not only be involved in various stages of the planning as it all comes together, but to still be an integral part of the final performance.

How did your musical career begin?

I kind of fell into music more by accident than design. When I was nine, a teacher came to our school offering ‘auditions’ to take up brass lessons, which consisted of passing a euphonium around and seeing if we could get a note out of it! I succeeded and was given a tenor horn to learn, before moving onto French horn a few months later. I then joined the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra, which was (and still is) one of the top county ensembles – we have three alumni in the LPO, including two of us in the horn section. I loved my time in that orchestra, travelling the world, playing great music and making good friends. In the end I just didn’t want to stop doing that, so ended up taking it up professionally so that I wouldn’t have to! I’ve never regretted it, and it’s so important that today’s children are given the same opportunities so that we can nurture the next generation of accidental professional musicians.

Earlier in your career you spent 13 years as Principal Horn of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. What was that experience like?

I loved living and working in Hong Kong; I was young when I went out there and it’s such an amazing city to be a young person with a disposable income for the first time in your life! I still have close friends there, and try to visit whenever I can (especially if I can combine it with an LPO tour to Asia!). The biggest difference in working life was how relaxed the schedule was, compared to the intensity of London orchestral life; that said, standards were still high, the concerts were good, and we worked with great conductors and soloists. I have many career highlights from those years and I’d always recommend spending time working abroad to any young player.

What do you think distinguishes the LPO from other orchestras, or makes it special?

The thing that struck me when I first joined was how the pride fostered in the musicians by owning the Orchestra manifests itself in such wholehearted commitment to each and every performance. I struggle to recall a concert when the Orchestra has ‘dialled it in’, even during the extreme fatigue of a long-haul tour. You’ll never see an LPO concert where the Orchestra gives any less than 100%, and I think that is felt by our audiences. There are many fine orchestras around the world, but that commitment and sense of everyone pulling together isn’t something to be taken for granted.

The LPO has a busy few months ahead, with visits to Japan, the USA and Europe in the autumn, followed by China over New Year. Do you enjoy touring?

I do! The social side is amazing and the players really get to know each other on these trips. The concerts are often some of my favourites too, as we’re constantly playing to new audiences in great and often iconic halls (such as Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Carnegie Hall in New York and the Musikverein in Vienna, all on the schedule this autumn). There’s no denying that it’s exhausting, though – we’re very often travelling between cities and performing every day, and the jetlag on the long-haul trips can be brutal.

What do you like to do to enjoy yourself or unwind when you’re not working?

A few years ago I started participating in triathlons, so I love to get out running, cycling or swimming when I can – the running is easier to fit around work, but it takes more time and planning for the other two! In recent years I’ve also taken up standup paddleboarding, which is great fun.

Can you pick out a highlight from the Orchestra’s Royal Festival Hall concerts that you’re most looking forward to this autumn?

As a horn player, it’s hard to look far beyond a performance of Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, which we’re playing with Sir Mark Elder on 25 October. It’s one of the pinnacles of the late Romantic repertoire, and the horn parts are epic!