Ford, Mark
Biography
Born: December 17, 1958
Country: Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
Studies: East Carolina Univ. (B.M.E.), Univ. of North Texas (M.M.)
Teachers: Harold Jones, Robert Schietroma, Leigh H. Stevens
Mark Ford is the coordinator of percussion activities at The University of North Texas in Denton, Texas and Immediate Past-President of the Percussive Arts Society. He is a marimba specialist and the director of one of the largest percussion programs in the United States at UNT. Ford has premiered a variety of new works for solo marimba, and he has been a featured performer/clinician throughout the states at universities and at music conferences including PASIC, MENC, TMEA, Mid-West and CBDNA. Mark has also performed at International Music Festivals in South America, Asia, Australia and Europe.
With several marimba and percussion CDs to his credit, Mark's recordings have further established his dedication to excellence in music. Ford's solo marimba CDs, Motion Beyond and Polaris, have received outstanding reviews including The Instrumentalist which stated Ford's performance is "superb and Ford's compositional style is equally outstanding." Mark has also recorded a DVD with Japanese virtuoso marimbist Keiko Abe and the UNT Wind Symphony.
As a composer Mark Ford has written several popular works for solo marimba and percussion ensemble including Head Talk, Polaris, Ransom, Stubernic, Heads Up!, Nightwatch and Standup Shadow. His compositions have been performed at universities and concert halls throughout the world and also featured on National Public Radio. Mark was the first percussionist composer to be invited by the prestigious Van Cliburn Foundation to present a performance/lecture on his compositions for the Modern at the Modern performance series in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Ford has been recognized as a leading percussion educator and his university percussion ensembles have won national honors from the Percussive Arts Society. Mark Ford represents Latin Percussion as a performing artist and clinician.[1]
Works for Percussion
Afta-Stuba! - Percussion Trio - 1 Marimba
Cabasa (Ford) - Percussion Quintet
Head Talk - Percussion Quintet
Heads Up! - Percussion Quintet
IE2 - Percussion Ensemble (15 Players)
Motion Beyond - Marimba
Nightwatch - Percussion Sextet - Steel Band w/ Rhythm Section
One-Eyed Jacks - Percussion Sextet
Polaris - Marimba
Ransom - Marimba
Standup Shadow - Percussion Quartet; Narrator
Stubernic - Percussion Trio - 1 Marimba
Stubernic Fantasy for Orchestra
Stubernic Fantasy for Wind Ensemble
References