in 1982, mørk became the first scandinavian musician to reach the finals of the tchaikovsky competition in moscow since arto noras in 1966, and won the sixth prize. he subsequently went on to win second prize at the 1986 naumburg competition in new york city and, in 1986, the cassado cello competition in florence. in 1989, he embarked on his first major concert tour, soloing with many of the finest orchestras of europe. in 1994, he toured the united states with the oslo philharmonic, including debuts at carnegie hall and the kennedy center.