Guitarist Mark Edwards has been hailed by The Montgomery Advertiser as a player who “transfers to another zone, effortlessly strumming, plucking and picking a variety of classical masterpieces with clarity.”
After hearing guitarist Benjamin Verdery play in Boaz, Alabama, Mark began his life dedication to the instrument. Wanting further inspiration, he looked to the great masters of the guitar, such as Andres Segovia, Julian Bream, and David Russell. Mark’s major teachers during this formative time were Dr. Andrew Zohn and Douglas Back.
Mark has been performing since since he was 14. His first concert, performed at Baldwin Junior High School in Montgomery, Alabama, earned for him the Guitar Legend award. Since then, Mark has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Italy, and Germany. Engagements in the 2008-2009 season include Trinity Church in New York City, ArtScape in Baltimore, the Guitar Forum Guest Artist Series at Salisbury University, the Piedmont Guitar Workshop in Virginia, the Village Music Series, and the AfterNow Music Series at the Red Room, a venue recently featured in Rolling Stone. In 2009, Mark joined the Maryland State Arts Council Touring Artist Roster, a program which offers concert presenters funding to showcase Maryland artists.
Since 1998 Mark has earned 28 prizes in the United States and Canada. These prizes include the 2009 Montreal International Guitar Competition, the 2008 National Guitar Workshop/National D’addario Solo Competition, Le Concours International de Guitare de Lachine in Montreal, Canada, the 2007 Columbus State University Guitar Symposium, the Portland Guitar Festival XVI, the 2006 Appalachian GuitarFest Solo Guitar Competition, the 2008 East Carolina University Guitar Competition, the 2nd Annual Guitar Competition at the Music Academy of North Carolina, and the Baltimore Music Clubs Competition.
Since the spring of 2000, Mark has been featured on 6 recordings. Three were recorded with the Baldwin Ensemble, entitled El Cumbanchero, Cathedral Hill, and Fretworks. The newest three discs (for Moonlight, Yule Like This, and Giving Voice) feature the music of Baltimore composer, Karen Amrhein (ASCAP).