Name: Mark Sparks, flute and Peter Henderson, piano, Guest Recital
Start: 2026-03-06T19:30:00-06:00
Location: The 560 Music Center

Mark Sparks, flute and Peter Henderson, piano, Guest Recital

Ticketed - E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall
Purchase Tickets
General Admission: $25
WashU Faculty/Staff: $15
Youth/Students: $5
WashU Students: Free with WashU ID
A Taste of Italy: Romantic Sonatas by Busoni & Respighi
Program
Violin Sonata No. 2 in E minor, Op. 36a, BV 244 (1898-1900) by Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) transcr. for flute and piano by Mark Sparks
I. Langsam — Poco con moto, assai deciso— attacca:
II. Presto — attacca:
III. Andante, piùttosto grave
Violin Sonata in B minor, P 11 (1917) by Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) transcr. for flute and piano by Mark Sparks
I. Moderato
II. Andante espressivo
III. Passacaglia. Allegro moderato ma energico
Biographies
Mark Sparks
Mark Sparks is an American solo flutist, orchestral artist, teacher, and writer. He is the former Principal Flutist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure (2000-2021) he served under Music Directors Hans Vonk, David Robertson, and Stéphane Denève, and appeared as soloist with the orchestra numerous times. He has toured and performed with many orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago, Dallas, Bergen Philharmonic, Detroit, Cincinnati, Houston, San Fancisco, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. Prior to his appointment in St. Louis, Sparks served as Associate Principal Flutist of the Baltimore Symphony, Principal Flute of the Canton, Memphis and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras, and began his professional career with the Caracas Philharmonic.
Sparks maintains an active solo career, having appeared in recital and with orchestras on 5 continents. He presented the world premier of Katherine Hoover’s Four Winds Concerto in 2014. Sparks can be heard as solo recording artist on the Summit, Pesen, and AAM labels and has recorded with many orchestras on the Sony, Telarc, Nonesuch, and Decca labels.
Sparks recently celebrated his 32nd season as an Artist-Faculty member of the Aspen Music Festival, and is a former faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory and DePaul University. He has coached many of America’s emerging orchestral artists at top orchestral training programs such as the New World Symphony, National Youth Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, and the Pacific Music Festival. A frequent guest at major U.S. music schools and flute courses, many of his students occupy orchestral positions in America and abroad. Recent activities include classes and performances at UT Austin, New World Symphony, Cleveland Institute, and regular coaching at the Oberlin Conservatory.
Sparks writes and publishes several acclaimed book series for flutists, including Exploring Sound, Resonance, Orchestral Excerpt Practice Books, Excerpt Duos, and Mozart X2. He has published many arrangements with his own sparksflute publishing, and with Theodore Presser. Mark Sparks is a Pi Kappa Lambda graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory where he studied with Robert Willoughby.
Peter Henderson
A versatile pianist, Peter Henderson is active as a performer in orchestral, chamber music, and solo settings. Before the 2023-24 season, he was appointed Principal Keyboardist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) by Music Director Stéphane Denève. Henderson is also Associate Professor of Music and Artist-in-Residence at Maryville University, where he has served on the faculty since 2005. Since 2015, Henderson has been Principal Keyboardist of the Sun Valley Music Festival Orchestra.
Henderson was the piano soloist in the SLSO’s February 2016 California tour performances of Olivier Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux étoiles… (From the Canyons to the Stars…). Critics described him as a “powerhouse soloist” (San Francisco Chronicle) and praised his Messiaen playing for its “intense focus and thrilling vibrancy” (San Jose Mercury News). His most recent solo appearances with the SLSO, in March 2023, featured performances of Joseph Haydn’s Keyboard Concerto No. 11.
In addition to his regular ensemble performances with the SLSO, Henderson often delivers pre-concert lectures, introducing classical concert programs from Powell Hall’s stage.
Henderson’s discography includes collaborations with violinist David Halen, flutist Mark Sparks, bass trombonist Gerry Pagano, violist Jonathan Vinocour, and soprano Marlissa Hudson. His most recent solo album is A Celebration of African Composers for Piano (AMP AGCD 2706, released 2017).
Henderson also occasionally composes music. Rückblick (Looking Back), his song without words for trombone and piano, appears on bass trombonist Gerry Pagano’s album Solitude, released 2018. Printed and electronic editions of Rückblick were issued by Ascenda Music Publishing in January 2024.
Henderson holds a Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, where his main piano instructor was Dr. Karen Shaw; he previously studied piano with Dr. Jay Mauchley at the University of Idaho. He and his wife Kristin Ahlstrom, the SLSO’s Associate Principal Second Violinist, live in St. Louis with their lively, sweet beagle/terrier-mix, Zinni.