"...to the ingratiating solos from trumpeter Mark Inouye...it was a performance to lift all spirits."
Gershwin - An American In Paris
"There were many expertly rendered solos, but one stood out, the melancholic song of the fisherman in Le Chant du Rossignol as played by Mark Inouye, the SFS’s Principal Trumpet. It was so beautiful, so simple, and so bittersweet."
Stravinsky - Le Chant du Rossignol
"Mark Inouye, the Symphony’s superb principal trumpeter, was more than
just a partner to Wang in this performance — at certain junctures, he
seemed to be spurring her on to even greater peaks of eloquence. His
contribution to the slow movement, a long, dark-hued and muted
soliloquy, was breathtaking in its shapely insinuation; in the finale,
his ferociously bright attack seemed to lead both Wang and the orchestra
galloping into the concerto’s concluding moments."
Shostakovitch - Piano Concerto No. 1
"...trumpeter Mark Inouye expressed it brilliantly during recent
performances of the oratorio in Davies Symphony Hall. Mark Inouye is a front-runner for MVP when he solos..."
Phillip Campell, Dec. 2015 Bay Area Reporter
Handel - The Trumpet Shall Sound
Phillip Campell, Dec. 2015 Bay Area Reporter
Handel - The Trumpet Shall Sound
"Trumpeter Mark Inouye brings his delightful take on jazz to Davies Symphony Hall."
Stephen Smoliar, July 2015
"In an orchestra packed with virtuosos, Inouye still manages to stand out
consistently for the tonal brilliance and expressiveness of his
playing, not to mention a fearsome technique that makes even the most
challenging passages sound like child’s play."
Haydn Trumpet Concerto
"Mark Inouye, the principal trumpet player, may be the best performer on his instrument in the world. He's a reason alone to go to the San Francisco Symphony these days."
Michael Strickland, Sept. 2014 Civic Center Blogspot
Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
"Every element came through as cleanly as a piccolo, or Mark Inouye’s perfectly clarion principal trumpet."
Jeff Dunn, Sept. 2014 San Francisco Classical Voice
Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
"Solos by principal trumpet Mark Inouye were sensational."
Janos Gereben, Sept. 2014 San Francisco Classical Voice
Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
"...Mark Inouye, the Symphony's remarkable principal trumpet, who practically exploded out of the gate in a performance combining raw power and eloquent finesse. Playing his intricate assignment from memory like the quasi-concerto that it is, Inouye tore through the passagework of the outer movements with gleaming tone and a pointed, impeccably precise rhythmic touch."
Joshua Kosman, May 2014 San Franicsco Chronicle
Bach - Cantata No. 51
"...soloist Mark Inouye, the orchestra’s principal trumpet, caught all of the rhythmic verve and poke-in-the-ribs melodic fun."
Harvey Stelman, April 2014 Seen & Heard International
Shostakovitch - Piano Concerto
"...brilliant interplay between soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Mark Inouye, the Symphony's superb principal trumpeter...the two brought out all the inventive and elegant qualities of this quasi-double concerto, from the brisk, sardonic exuberance of the outer movements to the shadowy wistfulness of the slow waltz"
Joshua Kosman, April 2014 San Francisco Chronicle
Shostakovitch - Piano Concerto
“The orchestra's soloists are impressive, starting with a very virtuoso brass section. The first trumpet and post horn in the third movement, stand out for their profound musicality.”
Antoine Leboyer, March 22, 2014 Concerto.net GENEVA
Mahler - Symphony No. 3
"...the solo trumpet Mark Inouye, whose virtuosity is matchless.”
Patrick Georges Montaigu, March 22, 2014 ResMusica PARIS
Mahler - Symphony No. 3
“the trumpets and trombones shine starting with Mark Inouye's virtuoso trumpet in both the
Kräftig solo and the Comodo scherzando, particularly the very last note, that seems never-ending.”
Gilles d’Heyres, March 19, 2014 ConcertoNet.com PARIS
Mahler - Symphony No. 3
"...the trumpet solo in the third movement so perfectly depicted the summer sun that it almost felt as if the audience was in the open air, experiencing the heat of the real thing outside the hall."
Penny Horner, March 18, 2014 Bachtrack LONDON
Mahler - Symphony No. 3
"The long and chromatically fecund unaccompanied trumpet prologue makes a point manifest: a badge of honour, please, to the San Francisco SO's lead trumpeter, who plays with such unity of tone that you begin to suspect he or she has had a sustain pedal hooked into the bell of the instrument."
Phillip Clark, Oct. 2013 Gramophone
Cowell - Synchrony
"Starting a San Francisco Symphony concert with a long solo from principal trumpeter Mark Inouye is like putting money in the bank. Whatever else may happen over the next two hours, you're already ahead of the game."
Joshua Kosman, Sept. 2013 San Francisco Chronicle
Mahler - Blumine
"...the unearthly purity and beauty of Inouye's playing during the concert's first minutes. Inouye's expansive solo - rendered with bright, liquid tone and phrased with a combination of fluidity and strength - led into a performance of exquisite allure."
Joshua Kosman, Sept. 2013 San Francisco Chronicle
Mahler - Blumine
"Mark Inouye played a solo so wonderful that, for the first time ever at Davies, we heard the audience applaud in the middle of the piece."
Antheil - Jazz Symphony
"...breathtaking virtuoso work by principal trumpet Mark Inouye's mischievous exploitation of the composer's instruction "to use all the tricks of the trade and ad-lib."
Janos Gereben, Sept. 2013 San Francisco Examiner
Antheil - A jazz Symphony
"Tuesday's performance featured two superb soloists: pianist Robin Sutherland . . . and trumpeter Mark Inouye (growling through his mute, like Ellington's Bubber Miley in '25)."
Richard Scheinin, Sept. 2013 San Jose Mercury News
Antheil - A Jazz Symphony
"Here, again, Inouye dazzled with some first-rate trumpet work..."
Stephen Smoliar, Sept. 2013 Examiner.com
Gershwin - An American In Paris
"...and the gleamingly eruptive trumpet of Mark Inouye, made for an evocative finale."
Richard Scheinin, Jan. 2013 San Jose Mercury News
Debussy - La Mer
The Lady Bull
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"The finale, launched by trumpeter Mark Inouye with a blazing initial fanfare, felt like a summing-up of the entire concert."
Dvorak - Symphony No. 8
"...when the ballet score was marking time and one wished for dancers, it seemed as though principal trumpeter Mark Inouye was always there to save the day with a heel-clicking Spanish dance tune, a legato Russian folksong, or a nose-thumbing jeer from the sassy puppet."
Stravinsky - Petrushka
"Note the fast blazoning trumpet solo by Mark Inouye for the Ballerina Dance."
Stravinsky - Petrushka
"The orchestra's principal trumpet, Mark Inouye brought to the solo something resembling but not jazz, something resembling but not soulful klezmer. He made it his own."
Mahler - Symphony No. 5
"...trumpeter Mark Inouye and percussionist Jacob Nissly performed with sensitivity and elan, an eclectic, culture-spanning sensibility, and lively sense of humor emerged."
Steven Wynn, February 2018 San Francisco Classical Voice
Jolivet - Heptade for Trumpet & Percussion