Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the Houston Symphony announced today that Mark Nuccio, current Associate Principal and Solo E-flat Clarinetist with the New York Philharmonic, has been appointed the Principal Clarinet of the Houston Symphony. Nuccio will begin his new role in Houston during the week leading up to the 2015-16 Season's Opening Night concert on September 12, 2015. He replaces former Principal Clarinet David Peck, who retired in 2013 after serving in that position for 33 years. During the two-year interim, Associate Principal Clarinet Thomas LeGrand served as Acting Principal Clarinet.

Mark Nuccio will join the Houston Symphony family this fall after serving as Associate Principal and Solo E-flat Clarinetist with the New York Philharmonic for 16 years, where he also served as Acting Principal Clarinet for four years from 2009-2013. Prior to his service with the Philharmonic, he held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida. Mark has toured extensively with the New York Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in numerous countries, recorded with both orchestras, and performs regularly with the Philharmonic on the award-winning series Live from Lincoln Center, broadcast on PBS.

"It truly is my honor to join the Houston Symphony under the incredibly inspirational and musically gifted leadership of Maestro Orozco-Estrada," Nuccio said. "I am humbled to have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the highly respected David Peck as the new Principal Clarinetist and I hope to contribute to the positive direction in which the orchestra is headed."

An active solo, chamber and studio musician, Mark has been featured with various orchestras in the United States and made multiple appearances as a featured performer at the International Clarinet Association conventions. Mark is featured on numerous movie soundtracks, including Failure to Launch, The Last Holiday, The Rookie, The Score, Intolerable Cruelty,Alamo and various television commercials. Additionally, he has performed on the Late Show with David Letterman and at the 2003 GRAMMY® Awards. His own debut album featuring the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms, Opening Night, was released in November 2006.

A Colorado native, Mark was recently awarded the "Distinguished Alumni Award" from his alma mater the University of Northern Colorado. He also holds a master's degree from Northwestern University where he studied with renowned pedagogue Robert Marcellus. Beyond his active performing schedule, he is a dedicated teacher and currently serves on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music and teaches master classes in the U.S. and abroad.

This latest appointment caps off an incredibly active year of new additions to the Houston Symphony, which include: Principal Harp Megan Conley, Principal Bass Robin Kesselman, Associate Principal Flute Matthew Roitstein, Fourth Horn Ian Mayton, Section Cello Louis Marie-Fardet, Section Second Violin Jing Zheng, and Section Viola Jarita Ng.

Executive Director and CEO Mark C. Hanson comments, "I congratulate Andrés and our orchestra colleagues for identifying such talented musicians, including Mark Nuccio, to join the exceptional Houston Symphony family. With the collective energy, musicianship and passion present on stage, and Andrés at the helm, we're destined to continue experiencing electric performances at the highest artistic level. In short, you don't want to miss what's in store for the 2015-16 season and beyond."

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