Mark Nuccio (G86), principal clarinet of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, will join the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music faculty in fall 2019 as lecturer of clarinet.

Critics have praised clarinetist Nuccio for his solo, orchestral, and chamber appearances, describing him as "the evening's highlight," full of "mystery and insight" and "shaping his phrases beautifully with a rich, expressive tone" (The New York Times). He began his position with the Houston Symphony Orchestra in the 2016-17 season after 17 years with the New York Philharmonic, where he served as associate principal and Eb clarinetist, as well as acting principal clarinet from 2009-2013.

Nuccio previously held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida working with distinguished conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Mariss Jansons, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, André Previn, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Gustavo Dudamel. Additionally, Nuccio has toured extensively with the New York Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in numerous countries and recorded with both orchestras.

An active solo and chamber musician, Nuccio regularly performs recitals in Asia and Europe as well as across the United States. During the 2017-18 season, he appeared with the Colorado Philharmonic and had his subscription solo debut with the Houston Symphony. Nuccio also performs and teaches in summer music festivals including the Texas Music Festival, Buffet Clarinet Academy, Strings in the Mountains in Steamboat Springs, and Tippet Rise Music Festival. As a studio musician, Nuccio is featured on numerous movie soundtracks and in various television commercials. His debut album featuring the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms, Opening Night, was released in November 2006.

A Colorado native, Nuccio was 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, Nuccio is a dedicated teacher committed to training the next generation of musicians and teaches master classes in the U.S. and abroad. He currently teaches on the clarinet faculty at the University of Houston's Moores School of Music.

The Bienen School of Music clarinet faculty also includes Steven Cohen, associate professor and coordinator of the winds and percussion program; Leslie Grimm, senior lecturer and wind chamber music coordinator; and J. Lawrie Bloom, senior lecturer, who will retire at the conclusion of the 2018-19 academic year.