Mark Volker

Mark Volker, Classical & Electric Guitar

Composer and guitarist Mark Volker is Professor of Music at the Belmont University School of Music, where he is Coordinator of Composition Studies, and he directs the New Music Ensemble. He received degrees in Composition and Guitar Performance from the University of Chicago (Ph.D), the University of Cincinnati (Master of Music), and Ithaca College (Bachelor of Music). Known for his colorful harmonic language and orchestration, as well as his facility with both electronic and traditional instrumentations, Mark’s music has been performed and recorded by numerous performers around the world, including the Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players, eighth blackbird, the Pacifica String Quartet, Musica moderna Poland, the Pinotage ensemble, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Gryphon Trio, the Kiev Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the Finger Lakes, So Percussion, Luna Nova, the Orquesta de Baja California, the Boston Brass, the Society for New Music, the Cold Fusion Ensemble, the Young Opera Company of New England, and the Nashville Ballet. His music has also been featured at many music festivals and conferences, including the Cincinnati MusicX festivals, the Gamper Festival, SCI and CMS regional and national conferences, June in Buffalo, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Chenango Summer MusicFest, the Belvedere Chamber Music Festival, International Computer Music Conferences, and SEAMUS Conferences. Mark is a past winner of the SCI/ASCAP international prize, the ERM Masterworks Award, the Tennessee Music Teacher’s Association Composer of the Award, as well as numerous grants and commissions. His music has been previously been released by Navona/Parma Records, Centaur Records and ERMMedia.

Mark is an active guitarist, specializing in the performance of new music for classical and electric guitar in chamber settings. He has premiered numerous chamber and solo works and performs regularly with the Luna Nova Ensemble and flutist John McMurtery.

In addition, the wide ranging subjects of his writings and research run from fifteenth century English music to modern electroacoustic music.

A native of Buffalo, NY, Mark holds degrees from the Ithaca College School of Music (BM), the Cincnnati College-Conservatory of Music (MM), and the University of Chicago (PhD). He has studied composition with Greg Woodward, Dana Wilson, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Darrell Handel, Shulamit Ran, Samuel Adler, and Marta Ptaszynska, electroacoustic music with Howard Sandroff and Mara Helmuth, and classical guitar with Pablo Cohen, Edward Flower, Fred Hand, and John Sawers. Prior to his appointment at Belmont, Mark taught at Colgate University. He lives in Franklin, TN with his wife Alyssa and two children, Molly and Jacob.