Born and raised on a farm in Delaware, Mark’s musical inclinations were clocked
early on (his green thumb was decidedly not) and he began piano lessons at age 5.
The classical canon of Beethoven, Debussy, and Co. soon led to an obsession of performance
and performers and a deepening love of Rock, Blues, Jazz, R&B, Roots, Funk, and the immortal
American Songbook. From film scoring, to music education, to the stage, Mark is dedicated
to making music a visceral, emotional, and necessary force in collaborative storytelling.
Musical Director for: Rent (Regional Premiere), The Who’s Tommy, Company, Cabaret,
Fame - The Musical (Macao), Side by Side by Sondheim, Our Town (All-Star 75th Anniversary),
Tits Fisher with Kitten’s Kiss, Pippin, All Shook Up, Hello Again, Elegies, Hedwig and the Angry
Inch, Grace. Period., The Family Resemblance, Iraqi Rose, All the Rage, and many more. He
has appeared in concert with Darlene Love, Andrea Burns, Jerry Herman, Mary Birdsong,
Betsy Parrish, and many more; he has arranged for and supervised benefit concerts for
Live & In Color, Stella by Starlight, Actors Fund/Equity Fights AIDS, Westport Playhouse,
George Street Playhouse, Winter Clothing Closet, Hole in the Wall Gang, and others.
Mark is currently the Arranger and Music Supervisor for Little Girl Blue, a powerful
musical drama about cultural and musical icon Nina Simone. LGB’s extended 2022 Off-
Broadway run received multiple award nominations (Lortel, Audelco), including Best
Musical Direction (Mark Fifer, Little Girl Blue). A 2025 Broadway run is planned.
Mark has served as Vocal Coach to hundreds of actors and recording artists,
and his pop/rock transcriptions can be found in actors’ rep and audition books
from coast to coast. He has scored and orchestrated commercials as well as projects
for Comedy Central, Netflix, and more. Since 2012 he has been Vocal Director for
Carnival Entertainment, and is Musical Advisor/Artistic Associate for the Southern
Opera Theatre Company. He is adjunct faculty at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting
(NYC), and is a co-founder of Adler’s successful Musical Theatre Intensive (MTI)
program. Previously on faculty at Pace University’s BFA Musical Theater program
and Jacksonville State University’s School of Music, where he served as Director of
Athletic Bands. Mark has arranged for dozens of high school and college band programs,
as well as the Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps (DCI Finalist in 2002 & 2003).
Mark holds a BA in Film from Penn State University,
a Master of Music Education from Jacksonville State University,
and a Certificate in Film Scoring from UCLA-Extension.
He has been based in New York City since 2004.