Washburn University

Department of Music

Mark Norman

Director of Bands/Tuba

Office: Garvey Fine Arts 214

785.670.1780

mark.norman@washburn.edu

Mark A. Norman joined the faculty at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas as the Director Bands and Professor of Tuba and Euphonium in the fall of 2009. At Washburn, Mr. Norman is the conductor of the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds and is a member of the Washburn Faculty Brass Quintet. He is also a member of the Fountain City Brass Band in Kansas City, Missouri.

Immediately prior to coming to Washburn, Mr. Norman was the Director of Wind Ensembles at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He also was the conductor of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro University Band and the Greensboro Concert Band. Other past conducting appointments include the American Wind Orchestra, the Riverside Wind Symphony, the Loudoun Concert Band, and as the Assistant Director of Bands at Towson University. He has guest conducted professional and academic ensembles throughout the U.S. including the Towson Orchestra, Fairfax Wind Symphony, and Dominion Brass. His ensembles have performed at educator conferences, conductor workshops, and in famous concert halls in Washington, DC, and New York.

As a tuba performer, Mr. Norman is a former member of the U.S. Navy Band in Washington, DC, Washington Brass, Quintet Brazil′, McLean Orchestra, Georgetown Symphony, the Mt. Vernon Chamber Orchestra, and the international award winning Tubas in the Sun quartet. He has performed with the North Carolina, Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Richmond, and Fairfax Symphonies. As a soloist, he has appeared in over 200 concert and conference venues and won several regional and national competitions.

Mr. Norman holds a Bachelors Degree in Tuba Performance and a Masters Degree in Instrumental Conducting from UNC at Greensboro. While at UNCG, Mr. Norman studied conducting with Dr. John Locke and Dr. Kevin Geraldi and tuba with David Lewis of the North Carolina Symphony. He guest conducted the school’s Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band on a regular basis as well as the brass ensemble and chamber winds. He will complete his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Instrumental Conducting at UNCG in May of 2010. He has also studied with James Jenkins and Dennis AsKew on tuba and was an active participant in conducting workshops given by Jerry Junkin, Michael Haithcock, Kevin Sedatole, and Craig Kirchoff.

A commercially recorded conductor and tuba performer, Mr. Norman most recently conducted Donald Grantham’s Southern Harmony with the UNC Greensboro Wind Ensemble on their latest compact disc recording, Comet, the Wonderdog! He also conducted the Reston Chorale and BrassAmerica Ensemble on the recording, Brassmas which was featured as the soundtrack to Miracle of Lights in Manassas, Virginia.

Mr. Norman is member of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honors Society, the College Band Directors National Association, and the National Music Educators Conference. He has presented clinics and master classes at state music educator conferences and festivals in twelve states and regularly adjudicates for the North America Music Festivals. In 2007, Mr. Norman was selected into the Who’s Who of American Teachers and was nominated for the Virginia Governor’s Award in Arts Excellence in 2001.

Mr. Norman is a Besson Performing Artist.