Mark is a summa cum laude graduate of Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey where he studied with the late Laurence Jacobs majoring in percussion performance. He has studied drum set with jazz greats Andrew Cyrille and Freddie Waits in New York.
Mark performed with the Hoboken Chamber Orchestra as principal percussionist (1981-1993), and as a soloist with the New Jersey Chamber Music Society. Mark was an active performer with other orchestras in the New York metropolitan area, such as the Goldman Band (Lincoln Center), Queens Symphony and St. Paul’s Chapel Orchestra.
Mark is currently the principal timpanist of the Cape Symphony, now celebrating almost 30 seasons with the orchestra. He has also performed as a soloist with the Cape Symphony on xylophone and timpani. He is also the principal timpanist with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, and the principal percussionist for the Chatham Chorale, the Falmouth Chorale, and the former Simon Sinfonietta. Mark is an active performer in chamber and theatre productions throughout Cape Cod, most recently the Cape Playhouse.
Music education is one of Mark’s great passions. He spent 10 years teaching percussion at Montclair State University in the music prep division. For the last 25 years, Mark has brought percussion outreach programs to virtually every school throughout the Cape. He worked as a percussion specialist in the Nauset Regional School District from 1997-2013, encouraging each student to realize their highest potential.
Mark is happy to return to teaching with the Cape Symphony, and welcomes all learners, including students with special needs.
