Mark Kosower

Mark Kosower joined The Cleveland Orchestra as principal cello in 2010. Described as “a virtuoso of staggering prowess” by The Plain Dealer, he is a consummate artist, equally known around the world as a recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician. Prior to his appointment in Cleveland, he was solo cellist of the Bamberg Symphony in Germany (2006–10).

Kosower’s 2024–25 season includes appearances with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, Puerto Rico Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, and The Cleveland Orchestra, among others. He also returns to the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Seattle Chamber Music Society and appears as soloist at the Sunriver Music Festival.

Alongside solo appearances with The Cleveland Orchestra, Kosower has performed alongside the symphony orchestras of Detroit, Houston, Minnesota, Oregon, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Phoenix, and Seattle, as well as the Hong Kong Philharmonic, China National Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony of Taiwan, Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Ravinia Festival Orchestra. Kosower is also a frequent guest at chamber music festivals, including the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Taipei Music Academy and Festival, and Seattle Chamber Music Society.

During the pandemic, he performed J.S. Bach’s complete cello suites at Cleveland’s Trinity Cathedral to raise money for those affected by Covid-19 as part of his ongoing Bach for Humanity initiative. Founded in 2018, Bach for Humanity aims to bring people of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds together through presentations of Bach’s music in churches, community organizations, educational institutions, homeless shelters, performing arts series, radio and television stations, and retirement communities.

Kosower has recorded for the Ambitus, Delos, and VAI labels. He was the first cellist to record the complete solo cello music of Ginastera, which he completed for Naxos and was described as a “powerful advocate of Ginastera’s art” by MusicWeb International. Strings Magazine said of his Hungarian music album (also with Naxos) that “the music allows Kosower to showcase his stunning virtuosity, passionate intensity, and elegant phrasing.”

In addition to performing, Kosower regularly serves on faculty for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, Colorado College’s Summer Music Festival, and California’s Hidden Valley Music Seminars. He has taught students around the world, including at the New World Symphony, Shanghai Orchestra Academy, and Baccareli Institute of São Paulo. Koswer has also served on the faculties of the Cleveland Institute of Music and San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and was a visiting distinguished professor at the University of Oregon during the 2017–18 academic year.

Born in Wisconsin, Mark Kosower began studying cello at age of one-and-a-half with his father, who studied with Ernst Silberstein, principal cello of The Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell. He later studied with Janos Starker at Indiana University and with Joel Krosnick at The Juilliard School. Among his many accolades, Kosower has received an Avery Fisher Career Grant, a Sony Grant, and grand prize in the Irving M. Klein International String Competition.