Artist Info

Mark Lynch is completing his DMA at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music in Memphis, TN, where he studies under Dr Michael Shults. He specializes in both jazz and classical saxophone performance, with a focus on the instrument’s evolving role across South African and international musical landscapes. As a freelance educator, he has taught in several music departments, sharing his passion for saxophone performance and pedagogy.

Mark has a broad and active performance background. He has competed in major events such as the Yamaha International Gulf Scholarship Competition held in Dubai in 2020 and the International Woodwind Competition held in Bloemfontein in 2022. He has also received masterclasses from leading saxophonists including Pawel Gusnar, Dr Mathew Lombard, Dr James Barger and Byron Abrahams.

His current jazz ensemble, the Sun Quintet, was named both the overall and category winner of the 2023 SU National Ensemble Competition. In 2024, the group earned Best Jazz Album and Best Jazz Song at the Mzantsi Jazz Awards for their debut album Embrace the Path, with the award for Best Jazz Song given for their track titled Makhathini.

Mark’s musical experience spans wind bands, big bands, saxophone duos and quartets, as well as a wide range of professional work from weddings to studio sessions. He has performed with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra in productions such as Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and frequently collaborates with Cape Jazz pianist Ramon Alexander. In 2023, he also performed in the band for Pieter Toerien’s Cape Town run of The Buddy Holly Story at the Artscape Theatre.

Across all of these projects, Mark’s work is shaped by a commitment to versatility, championing the modern saxophonist’s ability to move fluidly between genres, spaces and artistic identities.