John Mark Ainsley (tenor),  began his musical training in Oxford and continues to study with Diane Forlano. In 1990 he made his American début with concerts in New York and Boston. In 1992 he made his début with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1993 he made his début in the Vienna Musikverein, singing J.S. Bach's St Matthew (BWV 244) and St John Passions (BWV 245) under Peter Schreier. The role of the Evangelist in J.S. Bach’s Passions remains one of the main staples of Ainsley’s repertory. He is also known as one of the best interpreters of Geman lieder. His concert engagements have included appearances with the London Philharmonic under Roger Norrington, London Symphony under Sir Colin Davis, Les Musiciens du Louvre under Marc Minkowski, Berlin Philharmonic under Bernard Haitink and Simon Rattle, New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Kurt Masur and both Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Orchestre de Paris under Carlo Maria Giulini, London Symphony Orchestra under Previn, Vienna Philharmonic under Roger Norrington and Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa. His operatic roles have included Idamante with the Welsh National Opera, Fenton with Scottish Opera, Don Ottavio at the Aix-en-Provence and Glyndebourne Festivals and in San Francisco, Orfeo with the Netherlands Opera and many others. Ainsley's extensive discography (more than a hundred recordings) includes appearances with all the major recording companies.