With high standards of performance on both classical guitar and upright bass, Mark works as a teacher, a bandleader, vocal accompanist and an in-demand side man.

     Mark’s formal musical education culminated in a BA in Bass Performance from San Jose State University, where he studied double bass under Bob Manning and jazz improv with Randy Masters. It began, however, when he was ten years old, in Southern California. After taking drum lessons and becoming adept enough to form a band, he taught himself guitar in order to teach a friend to accompany him.  

     At Cal State Northridge, he won a guitar chair in the big band and played in jazz combos under Gary Pratt, while also studying bowed bass with Ed Mears, the principal upright bassist in the film scores of Danny Elfman.  Mark complemented his CSUN education with stints at Cabrillo College near Santa Cruz, where he played guitar and acoustic bass in the big band while studying Arranging with Ray Brown, who’d been a principal trumpeter with the Stan Kenton Band.

     Having benefitted from mentorship throughout his life, Mark tutors music students of all ages.