| |
|
|
| |
|
|
BIOGRAPHY
One of America's most respected and foremost players of the bodhran,
Mark Stone
has performed and taught across the United States, Canada, and Europe
with many
of today's most renowned Irish musicians. Mark began his professional
music career
at the age of fifteen playing keyboards in local dance bands and doing
studio
work. He later focused his attention solely on Irish music playing
ceili piano.
His knowledge of chord movement and structure has been transferred to
the bodhran,
resulting in a unique blend of rhythm and tones that has established
Mark as
a top player in the United States. |
He has a reputation as an accompanist
with a subtle touch that can bring about a sense of power when the tune
warrants it. As a teacher, Mark has taught workshops and master classes
across the continent. He has taught for many years at the Augusta
Heritage Center's "Irish Week" in Elkins, WV, The Swannanoa
Gathering's "Celtic Week" in Asheville, NC, and The Mississippi River Celtic
Music Festival's "Tionol" in St. Louis along with classes in Nova
Scotia, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Mark teaches both beginning
and intermediate/advanced classes specializing in techniques involving
the use of both hands to fully explore all of the intricacies of a tune
with the ultimate goal of "playing" the tune along with the lead
instruments. Mark Stone got his start in Irish music with the
All-Ireland winning band, St. James's Gate. He is best known for his
work with the renowned Irish fiddler, James Kelly
and guitarist Zan
McLeod. Mark's recording credits include James Kelly's
critically-acclaimed solo fiddle album for Capelhouse Records and with
the group Ceoltiori on their award-winning Women of Ireland CD for
Maggie's Music Records. |
|
Mark Stone & John Skelton
|
He has a successful record as a stage manager and producer in South
Texas. Mark recently produced The Curlews for Irish hammer dulcimer
player Cliff Moses.
Mark was born in the coastal city of Corpus Christi, Texas into a
family steeped in Irish tradition. He still resides in Texas, living in
San Antonio with his wife, Cheryl, and two sons, Colin Michael and
James Brendan. By day, Mark teaches physics for O'Connor High
School in north San Antonio. He was recognized as a State Finalist
for the HEB Excellence in Education Award in 2006 ( an award he was
nominated for and named a state semi-finalist for again in 2007)
and was recently honored as "Teacher of
the Year" for 2006-2007 by the faculty of O'Connor HS. Mark
occasionally serves as Artistic Consultant to the O'Connor High School
Band. He taught their entire drum line to play the bodhran for their
"Riverdance" competition show and is currently working with the
directors on selecting the music and arrangements for a Celtic show for
the coming year.
|
Reviews
and Comments
"If you play the
bodhran, play it this way!"
-Billy McComiskey introducing Mark Stone in Los Angeles
"Players such
as
America's Mark Stone have added to the bodhran's luster, owing to their
sensitive and often unconventional approaches."
-Myron
Bretholz for MusicHound
Folk, The Essential Album Guide
"Mark is one of
the best players I know of, and is in
my opinion, the best 'American
style' player of the drum that there is. Mark is a
class individual who does what he does for the love of the music and
his fellow human being. Mark has done as much for the
drum in the US as McDonagh did for the drum in the UK. He is a world
class talent and always available to anyone to teach, often donating
any monies he gets for playing and teaching to charity. He's also a
great and close friend of mine.
-Rob Forkner,
bodhran maker/player of Metloef Bodhrans
|
|
Performance Highlights
* Milwaukee Irish Fest, Milwaukee, WI
* The Bermuda Folk Club Hamilton, Bermuda
* Aster Hall Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada
* Sheldon Concert Hall, St. Louis, MO
* The National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
* The National Building Museum, Washington, DC
* Summer Solstice Festival, Los Angeles, CA
* North Texas Irish Festival, Dallas, TX
* CelticFest, Jackson, MS
* Cleveland's Irish Cultural Festival, Cleveland, OH
* Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS
* Gaelic Park Irish Festival, Chicago, IL
* Grand National Irish Festival, Los Angeles, CA
* Ohio Irish Festival, Cleveland, OH
* Texas Folklife Festival, San Antonio, TX
* The Live Oak Festival, Santa Barbara, CA
* Austin Celtic Festival, Austin, TX
|
|
Mark Stone with Jean-Michel Veillon
and Yvon Riou |
|
Teaching Credits
* Augusta Heritage Center's "Irish Week"
Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV
* The Swannanoa Gathering's "Celtic Week"
Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC
* Mississippi River Celtic Music Festival/Tionol
St. Louis, MO
* "Irish Week by the Sea" Beach Meadows
Nova Scotia, Canada
* Milwaukee Irish Fest School University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee WI
|
|
* Summer Solstice Festival Soka University
Los Angeles, CA
* Winter Festival of Acoustic Music
Dallas, TX
* Upper Potomac River Valley Celtic Festival
Harper's Ferry, WV
* Additionally, various clinics for North Texas Irish Festival, Austin
Celtic
Festival, Walnut Valley Festival, etc.
|
Mark teaching a bodhran workshop in
St Louis
|
| Recording
Highlights
* Never Frae My
Mind, Ed Miller
Wellfield Records 2006
* The
Dove's Perch, Jeff Moore
Fleagull Records 2006
* The Bodhran, Mark Stone
Barking Dog Music 2005
* Generations
of Change, Ed Miller
Wellfield Records 2004
* James Kelly - Traditional Irish Fiddle, James Kelly
Capelhouse Records 1997
* Women
of Ireland, Ceoltiori
Maggie's Music Records 1998
* Blow
Hard, Poor Man's Fortune
PMF Records 1999
* St. James's Gate IV, St. James's Gate
Independent release (co-produced) 1992
|
|
Studio and Production Work
* The
Curlews by Irish hammer
dulcimer player Cliff
Moses
(2005); Mark Stone, Producer
*Carving in Stone by
Singer/Songwriter Peggy Roach Loyd
(2007); Mark Stone, Producer
* Over 25 years of recording and
production experience
* Artistic Consultant to the O'Connor High School
Marching Band
|
|
