Mark started studying the guitar in 1967 with Bill Loughman Jr.; he developed an early interest in classical guitar, and continued with Tony JanFlone from 1971-1976-He took a master class with Carlos Barbosa-Lima, then continued his studies at Duquesne University with Robert Clarke-
He moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1984, and lived there until 1999, returning to his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA-While in Boston, he studied under the late jazz educator, Charlie Banacos; he also studied with Mick Goodrick, the author of THE ADVANCING GUITARIST and other publications-
Mark has played in a wide range of musical genres; solo guitar, duos with vocalists, saxophonists, bassists; trio and quartet settings; he led two groups in Boston, Crosscurrents, and Oneira-
In 1996, he released his first CD, SILENT WITNESS/ONEIRA, a recording of original music for acoustic and electric guitar, in a solo, trio, and quartet setting-
In 1997, he arranged and played on vocalist Carolyn Thompson's CD, THE FIRST TIME, with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Lewis Nash-that year, he also produced, arranged and played on vocalist Pam Pryor's CD, PRYOR KNOWLEDGE-
In 1998, he released a solo CD, UNCOVERED, a recording of jazz and contemporary standards-
When he returned to Pittsburgh, he became active on the local scene and has recently been playing with bassist John Hall, drummer Jeff Montgomery, and keyboardist Joe Sheehan, at TANA, an Ethiopian restaurant in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh, on Wednesday nights-
In 2008, he released MYTH AND FEELING, a solo guitar CD, to coincide with his performances at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy-