Elder, Mark Phillip (1947– )

English conductor. He was music director of the English National Opera 1979–93, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra 1989–94, and Manchester's Hallé Orchestra from 2000. He also served as principal guest conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra 1992–95.

Elder studied music at Cambridge. He made his debut at Covent Garden in 1976, with Rigoletto. He worked with the English National Opera Ensemble in London from 1974, where he led the first performance of David Blake's Toussaint in 1977. He was principal guest conductor of the London Mozart Players 1980–83 and in 1981 gave Die Meistersinger at Bayreuth. In 1986 he gave the British stage premiere of Busoni's Dr Faust (at the London Coliseum). He conducted Euryanthe at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, in 1994. He was awarded a CBE in 1989.