BIO

Trumpeter/Composer/Educator Mark Tipton is committed to daily acts of radical kindness, honest expression & spontaneous fellowship, and lifelong technical, intellectual, and spiritual study and refinement through music. Mark is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, holds a BM from the Oberlin Conservatory, an MM from the Mannes College of Music (NYC), and attended the 2005 Henry Mancini Institute at UCLA. He has studied trumpet with Jack Sutte (Cleveland Orchestra), Roy Poper (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra), Ryan Anthony (Canadian Brass), Vincent Penzarella (NY Philharmonic), Charley Davis (Buddy Rich Big Band), Betty Rines (Portland Symphony Orchestra), and John Schnell (Portland Symphony Orchestra), and composition with Richard Hoffman and David Loeb. Mark is currently pursuing his DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) degree at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC), where he has been a Teaching Fellow, studying privately with John McNeil, Jason Palmer, Jerry Bergonzi, Billy Hart, Joe Morris, and Ken Schaphorst. Mark has also taught jazz trumpet and jazz composition/arranging lessons through NEC Prep and Improv for Non-Majors and the Non-Majors Jazz Ensemble through the NEC College. He is currently the Lead Instructor of Jazz and Contemporary Musical Arts at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA.

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Mark’s boundless musical curiosity has led him to perform and compose in myriad styles, including jazz, classical, rock, pop, folk, hip-hop, avant-garde, world, and free improvisation. He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Dave Holland, Anna Webber, Michael Formanek, Jason Moran, Don Byron, Frank Carlberg, Henrique Eisenmann, Mehmet Sanlikol, Emmanuel Attah Poku, Maria Schneider, Ray Barretto, Dave Liebman, John Williams, Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, Quincy Jones, Bobby McFerrin, Christian McBride, Peter Erskine, Alex Acuña, Patti Austin, Wycliffe Gordon, Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinsen, Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks, Kresten Osgood, Steve Grover, Tracy McMullen, TRIAGE (Noah Jarrett/Jarrett Gilgore/Kevin Ripley), Frank Mauceri, The Temptations & The Four Tops, Soulive, Ray LaMontagne, Rustic Overtones, DJ Kurtis Blow, Sir Shadow, Nailah Porter & The Committee, Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, Vassar Clements, Michael Cooney, JoAnn Falletta, Elliott Schwartz, Frederick Fennell, Sydney Hodkinson, Lee Holdridge, Vincent Mendoza, Bright Sheng, Mallory Thompson, Yves Abel, James Blachly and The New York Summer Mahler Project, Charles Peltz and the NEC Wind Ensemble, Eric Thomas and the Colby Wind Ensemble, and others. He has lived and worked in Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, and in his native state of Maine.

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Mark currently leads a jazz septet in Boston and a separate jazz quartet in Maine. His septet recorded their first album in June 2024, which features Mark’s recent original compositions. Since 2008 he has led Les Sorciers Perdus (LSP) [The Lost Wizards], a genre-defying ensemble that specializes in performing Mark’s original compositions, including jazz compositions, contemporary chamber works, multi-disciplinary installations, and his more than 30 silent film scores. LSP members include: Mark Tipton – trumpet, Danny Fisher-Lochhead – saxophones, Ryan Blotnick – guitar, Tyler Heydolph – bass, and Beau Lisy – percussion. LSP has performed at venues throughout Maine, including at Bowdoin and Colby Colleges, SPACE Gallery, Mayo Street Arts, the Apohadion Theater, Waterville Opera House (MIFF), The Grand in Ellsworth, 1932 Criterion Theatre in Bar Harbor, One Longfellow Square, Eastport Arts Center, and at other venues. Les Sorciers Perdus released their debut CD, Alchemist’s Dream, in March of 2017, and is working on their second album. Recent performance premieres have included: Joan of Arc (2019), 7th Heaven (2018) and Sunrise (2017) at the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF), The Haunted Castle (2019) at Mayo Street Arts, an evening of new jazz works at Bagaduce Music in July 2019, and a live jazz trio show at Camden Opera House in April 2021.

Mark has also taught trumpet, jazz, and composition/arranging lessons for the University of Maine at Augusta, the University of Maine (Orono), Bowdoin College, Colby College, University of Southern Maine, Ellsworth Community Music Institute, Midcoast Music Academy, and the Portland Conservatory of Music, where he also served as Executive Director. He released an original album of multi-track trumpet compositions in 2017 titled, new mythologies for trumpet(s), and is developing material for a second album in a similar vein called …secret histories…

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Mark is the Founder/CEO of Mark Tipton Music Productions, LLC, and has served as Development Director at Maine nonprofit organizations including WERU Community Radio in East Orland and the 1932 Criterion Theatre in Bar Harbor. He currently serves on the Board at Bagaduce Music in Blue Hill, Maine. He has served on the Boards of other arts nonprofits and was a member of the Bar Harbor/MDI Rotary Club.

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He lives in Jamaica Plain, MA with his wife Heather and their two energetic cats. When not playing trumpet, composing, or teaching Mark enjoys trail running, hiking, reading, meditating, social justice work, world cuisine, films from around the world & across time, collecting vinyl, and cultivating community.

Education

New England Conservatory of Music

DMA in Jazz Performance (expected graduation 2025)

Private Studies with John McNeil, Jason Palmer, Jerry Bergonzi, Billy Hart, Joe Morris, and Ken Schaphorst.

Recipient of the Max and Sophie Mydans Scholarship

Recipient of The Presser Foundation Graduate Music Award (2023)

Mannes College The New School For Music

MM in Classical Trumpet Performance

Private Studies with Vincent Penzarella.

Oberlin College

BM in Classical Trumpet Performance

Private studies with Ryan Anthony, Roy Poper, and Jack Sutte.

Interlochen Arts Academy

High School Diploma, Trumpet Performance

Private studies with John Lindenau

Henry Mancini Institute at UCLA

2005 Herb Alpert Scholarship recipient (Full Tuition)

Private studies with Charley Davis

Interlochen Arts Camp

IAC Jazz Studies Award

Private studies with Dr. Michael Davison and Jan Roller

Mark Tipton Music