“The recorded sound is beautiful. Mark Willsher has captured a true and natural quartet sound, and there is a real intimacy to the overall effect of the recording. Bravo." 

- Barry Shiffman (Violinist, Director of Banff International String Quartet Competition & Festival)

Classical Recording Engineer | London, UK

Grammy®-winning engineer & producer delivering high-end film score mixing, classical recording, and Dolby Atmos/immersive music production

“The Cypress Quartet's sheer instrumental mastery engages so seamlessly with the music's best intentions that touches, such as the cellist's brilliant way with the pizzicati in the third movement's Trio, would go almost unnoticed were it not for Mark Willsher's superlative recording made at Skywalker Sound.” — Gramophone Magazine

“On the recording, the orchestral and choral textures are subjected to refined engineering, the end result bearing sonorous clarity and attention to detail … Instrumental solos emerge from the fabric with pristine focus, and the orchestral tuttis unfold in gorgeously layered interlock.” — AIM - Adventures In Music

Concert poster for the San Francisco Symphony featuring Igor Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Concert poster with colorful abstract background, featuring yellow and red text for "European Wochengang" and "KORNINGO"; includes a pink flamingo illustration in the bottom left corner.
Abstract digital artwork with colorful mesh shapes on a black background promoting a concert featuring works by Bartók, with performers Pierre-Laurent Aimard, San Francisco Symphony, and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Book cover for Elena Ruehr's 'Six String Quartets' featuring a portrait of a woman with shoulder-length gray hair wearing a dark top, looking to the side.
Black and white portrait of a woman with wavy hair, wearing a patterned shawl and holding it with one hand. The image has text overlaid including the name 'Kaija Saariaho,' the title 'Adriana Matar,' and additional names of performers and institutions.
Abstract digital artwork with lines and colors forming an intricate pattern. Text at the top reads 'San Francisco Symphony,' and at the bottom, it reads 'Esa-Pekka Salonen Cello Concerto,' with additional text indicating Esa-Pekka Salonen as music director and Rainer Eudeikis as cello performer.
Album cover for 'Schubert' featuring a silhouette of a forest reflected in a lake during sunset with purple, orange, and dark blue tones.
Album cover with a landscape of rocky terrain and a small ice formation in a pool of water, featuring the text: "John Adams The Dharma at Big Sur, Tracy Silverman electric violin, ABC Symphony Orchestra, John Adams conductor."
Poster for a San Francisco Symphony concert featuring Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, with a colorful abstract flame design on a black background.
Album cover for Shostakovich string quartets 3, 7, and 8 by the St. Lawrence String Quartet, released by EMI Classics, featuring an abstract blue and green graphic.
Album cover featuring a black and white photo of Michael Tilson Thomas conducting, with the title 'GRACE' and text 'The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas'.
Album cover featuring Jennifer Higdon with a list of classical music works and a photo of Jennifer Higdon sitting in a room with a piano.

High-Resolution Classical Recording for Soloists, Chamber Ensembles & Orchestras

I am a Grammy®-winning classical recording engineer and mixer, specialising in high-resolution, acoustically detailed recordings for soloists, chamber ensembles, orchestras, and contemporary classical projects. My work appears on labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Nonesuch, Avie, Pentatone, EMI and Naxos, with artists such as The San Francisco Symphony, Esa-Pekka Salonen, The St. Lawrence String Quartet, The Cypress String Quartet, The Dover Quartet, The Turtle Island String Quartet, The Kronos Quartet, John Adams, Jennifer Higdon, Elena Ruehr, Garrick Ohlsson and Pierre-Laurent Aimard

Whether you need a traditional stereo recording, a modern immersive capture, or a hybrid production incorporating electronics, I provide a meticulous engineering approach shaped by decades of experience in world-class studios and concert halls.

Classical Recording Services

• High-Resolution Multitrack Recording

Orchestral, chamber, solo, and hybrid ensembles recorded in high-resolution with precision and clarity, using transparent signal paths.

• Studio & Location Recording

From concert halls and live venues to controlled studio environments, I adapt the recording approach to the acoustic and musical context.

• Producer-Focused Workflow

Collaborative session engineering supporting producers, conductors, composers, and artistic teams to achieve expressive, natural musical results that deliver the artistic vision.

• Immersive & Spatial Capture

Dolby Atmos and spatial/3D microphone techniques for classical releases, contemporary classical projects, and hybrid productions incorporating electronics, and amplification.

• Editing, Assembly & Post-Production

Multitrack editing, assembly, mixing, and mastering for album release, digital platforms, archival purposes, and broadcast.

Approach

My goal in classical engineering is to capture performances with depth, spatial dimension, and emotional immediacy - free from technical distraction, and true to the intent of the composer and performer. I combine proven classical recording techniques with modern immersive and hybrid workflows to create recordings that translate beautifully across all playback environments.