Mark Crayton is a highly regarded countertenor, conductor, director, and voice teacher known for his exceptional vocal talent. He has received praise from both critics and audiences for the pure beauty of his voice, as well as his insightful interpretations and natural musicality. Mark has garnered international recognition, performing on prestigious concert stages and in renowned opera houses across the United States and Europe. Recently, Mark completed a successful lecture/recital tour titled "An Oratorio Odyssey," featuring the music of Handel's oratorios. Following this, he had planned a concert tour called "Cantante!" showcasing Handel's solo cantatas in the fall of 2019, but unfortunately, it was disrupted by the quarantine measures. However, this tour is currently being rescheduled. Since coming out of quarantine, Mark has toured a recital that focuses on forgotten composers from the Classical era called “Classical by Design.” The tour of  “Viva Vivaldi!” started the current season of all sorts of intermingling of recitals and concerts. Prayers for strength are accepted. Throughout his career, Mark Crayton has been invited to participate in notable projects. He had the privilege of singing in the world premiere performances of Philip Glass' opera "Galileo Galilei" in Chicago, New York City, and London, under the direction of Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman. Furthermore, Mark was personally chosen by composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb to perform the role of Louis Perch in their new musical, "The Visit," starring the legendary Chita Rivera. Mark's past seasons have been filled with remarkable performances at esteemed venues such as Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, Chicago's Orchestra Hall, Opera Theater of St. Louis (where he participated in the American premiere of Goehr's "Arianna"), Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Kennedy Center, among others. He is equally at home on both the recital and concert stage, having delighted audiences at the Jewel Box and Dame Myra Hess series in Chicago, recitals with Ars Musica Chicago and Washington, D.C’ s Phillips Collection, as well as performances at Weill Hall in New York City, Amstelrande in Amsterdam, Grovesnor Chapel in London, and the Handel Hendrix House in London. He gets to return to each of these soon. Mark Crayton has had the privilege of collaborating with renowned orchestras and ensembles worldwide. He has appeared with prestigious institutions such as the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Sarasota Symphony, Fargo Symphony, Sheboygan Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Chicago's Music of the Baroque, Chicago Baroque Ensemble, Ensemble Voltaire, La Petite Bande, the Netherlands Kammerkoor, El Ayre Español, and many others. Notably, Mark has earned a reputation for his exceptional interpretation of Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms," having performed it an impressive 178 times.  He has served as the Coordinator and Director of Opera for the Atlantic Music Festival, held annually during the summer in Maine as well as stage directed for Northwestern Univerisity’s Summer Opera Intensive. He has directed Bizet’s “Carmen,” Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” Britten’s realization of “The Beggar’s Opera,” Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas,” Cavalli’s “La Calisto,” Bernstein’s “Candide,” and Sullivan’s “The Mikado” among many others over the last 15 years. He is the director of music at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. Mark also loves teaching performance classes for the next generation and is passionate about passing on the incredible information given to him by his teachers (Nina Kor, Sharon Searles, Max van Egmond, Judith Haddon, and, his current teacher, David Jones). When not searching for caffeine, Mark can be found at home playing with his Scottish Terriers, Maisie and Sophie. For a comprehensive overview of Mark Crayton's career and his current season, please visit his website at www.markcrayton.com.