pianomap : Thomas Carson Mark

Thomas MarkThomas Carson Mark holds AB, MA, and PhD degrees from Columbia University. He studied piano in New York with David Bar-Illan and Jeannette Haien, taught philosophy for several years at various colleges and universities, then returned to the piano. From 1992 to 2001 he organized and performed in the Newport Coffee Concerts, a chamber music series in Newport, Oregon. He attended the Taubman Institute of Piano from 1994 to 1999, where he served for three years as a practice assistant, and lectured from 2000 until 2002 at the Piano Wellness Institute. He has studied the Taubman technique with Robert Durso, and studies Alexander Technique and body mapping with Barbara Conable, founder of Andover Educators. He is a certified Andover Educator, an adjunct faculty member of Marylhurst University and a member of the committee on musicians' wellness of the Oregon Music Teachers Association.

Tom is the author of the book What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body, published by GIA Publications, Inc. and currently available in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean translations. He is also the author of the article "Pianists' Injuries" and of two philosophical articles related to performance: "Philosophy of Piano Playing: Reflections on the Concept of Performance" (Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 1981) and "On Works of Virtuosity" (Journal of Philosophy, 1980), as well as a book and several articles on the philosophy of Spinoza. He is currently at work on a new book, Motion, Emotion, and Love: A Practical Philosophy of Artistic Performance.

Tom teaches piano and Body Mapping in Portland, OR, where he offers the course What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body as well as the new Octave Workshop on a regular basis. He is available to teach the course and offer lectures, workshops, and lessons throughout the United States and Canada. He can be reached by Email.

Thomas Mark has taught and lectured in various locations, including

  • Oregon Music Teachers Association state conference(1999,2000)
  • Piano Wellness Seminar (2000-2002)
  • Raleigh Conservatory of Music
  • Conservatorio Superior de Musica, Las Palmas, Canary Islands
  • National Association of Pastoral Musicians
  • Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
  • Duquense University
  • Creston, British Columbia, Canada
  • Marylhurst University
  • Portland State University
  • Viterbo University, La Crosse, Wisconsin (February, 2007)

Click here for Tom's Schedule

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