Mark Hetzler

Born in Sarasota, Florida in 1968, Mark Hetzler began playing his father's trombone at the age of twelve. He went on to receive degrees in Music from Boston University and the New England Conservatory of Music. Trained as a classical musician, Mark spent 16 seasons as the trombonist of the Empire Brass Quintet, a world renown brass chamber ensemble. He was also the Principal Trombone of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops and the Florida Orchestra. Mark has concertized as a soloist and chamber player on five continents, including appearances in 15 countries and throughout the United States. He has released eleven solo recordings on the Summit record label, featuring classical works, avante-garde, modern and electro-acoustic music, and his own original compositions. His solo recordings feature collaborations with a variety of instrumental combinations, including piano, strings, percussion and brass. Active in the creation of new music, Mark has worked with composers in some of the leading new music studios around the world, commissioning music which uses interactive computer software, hardware effects processing and other experimental approaches to sound creation. He has appeared at numerous new music festivals, including the New York Electro-Acoustic Music Festival and the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the US (SEAMUS). Mark's lifelong fascination with rock and jazz styles eventually found its way into his curiosity for music technology and has led him to use his electro-acoustic skills in many classical, non-classical and improvised settings. Out of this interest, Mr. Chair was born. Joining a group of friends whose musical skills are varied and impressive, Mark helped form The Mr. Chair Quartet in 2016, and has been helping the group to forge a path into a place where classical, rock and jazz styles merge. When he isn't writing and arranging tunes or exploring performance opportunities for the MC Quartet, Mark is teaching music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is the Professor of Trombone and a member of the Wisconsin Brass Quintet.