Mark Sterlini Smith is joining Wessex Concert Orchestra as our new Musical Director! Mark will make his debut with us at our ‘Musical Landscapes’ winter concert on 6th December 2025, at St Paul’s Church, Chippenham. We hope you can join us to give him a warm welcome!
About Mark Sterlini Smith
Mark was brought up in a musical household in Keynsham, learning violin and piano from a young age. He went on to read Music at Cardiff University, where he graduated with First Class Honours and received the John Morgan Lloyd prize for performance on the piano. Mark pursued postgraduate education in piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music, London, under the tuition and guidance of prominent professionals including Sian Edwards, Michael Dussek, and Andrew West.
He is now Head of Music at Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School in Gloucestershire, where he continues to enjoy conducting, educating, and communicating through music, assuming the role of Musical Director in productions such as Les Misérables, West Side Story, and Beauty and the Beast.
Mark has conducted Longwell Green Orchestra since 2024, and is delighted to have been appointed as our new Musical Director. As a solo pianist, Mark performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto with Keynsham Orchestra in 2023. He is an accomplished string player, and has played violin and viola in Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra and many other amateur orchestras. You will regularly hear him playing keys in musical theatre pit bands around the Bristol area.
What Mark brings to WCO
Founded in 1940 (originally as the Westinghouse Concert Orchestra) and based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, Wessex Concert Orchestra is known for being both challenging and friendly.
We rehearse on Monday evenings and perform a wide-ranging repertoire, from light film music to full symphonic works.
Mark’s background as a conductor, teacher, accompanist, and ensemble musician fits strongly with who we are as a community. His technical skill and collaborative spirit will help us push our musical boundaries while retaining the warm, community feel that defines WCO.
Join us on 6th December
We’re really looking forward to Mark’s debut at our winter concert. The programme features Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Curzon’s Robin Hood Suite, Smetana’s From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields, and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”.
Over the rest of the season and beyond, Mark will be central to planning concerts, shaping rehearsals, and helping us grow both musically and as a community.