Mark L. Snyder

Assistant Professor
Music
Academic Degrees
- B.A., Mary Washington College
- M.M., Ohio University
- D.M.A., University of Memphis
Areas of Expertise
- Electronic Music
- Music Composition

Mark Snyder is a composer, performer, producer, songwriter, video artist and teacher living in Fredericksburg Virginia. Mark’s multimedia compositions have been described as “expansive, expressive, extremely human, ….Snyder’s compositions attract performers who resist to works with electronics as well as audiences who don’t think they want to hear computer processing.” Dr. Snyder is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Mary Washington teaching courses in electronic music, composition and theory. He earned his D.M.A. from the University of Memphis, an M.M. from Ohio University and a B.A. from Mary Washington College. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).

Despite what you may think about electronic composers, Mark Snyder does not work in a laboratory. His music does not offer cross-sections of frequencies or waveforms, nor does it mix technology & the canon inside a closed petri dish. Instead, Snyder produces soundscapes that envelope the viewer, and charged arrangements keyed specifically to the moving image. Space is occupied, and space is offered.

Works such as Harvey and Alluvium are acutely aware of the passage of time, of duration, and successfully venture beyond the establishment of a mood. Working in conjunction with found and computer-generated video, Snyder moves seamlessly between high and low influences, and the realms of “art” and popular music. Put simply, it is his mission to engage the listener, as much to experiment with the esoteric forms and technology particular to his discipline.

Mark Snyder’s Compositions Performed Across the Country
Mark Snyder, Assistant Professor of Music, had his multimedia work, Butterfly for processed clarinet, electronics and video performed at Appalachian State University on February 19th by clarinetist Andrea Cheeseman. The recital featured electroacoustic compositions that incorporate recorded sound and images. Dr. Andrea Cheeseman is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Appalachian State University. An active and engaging performer, she has received invitations to perform at colleges and universities throughout the country as a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed for diverse festivals such as College Music Society Annual Meetings, the Montana/Idaho Clarinet Festival, the Michigan Contemporary Clarinet Festival and the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. She has been a regular performer at the Delta State University Electroacoustic Juke Joint Festival, and in the summer of 2003, Dr. Cheeseman was named first runner-up in the Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition. Snyder also had his multimedia work, Alluvium for processed accordion, electronics and video performed at Montana State University on February 24th by accordionist Whitney Salo. It was programmed as part of the Sunday Night Multimedia Series, Beneath the Surface - A Concert of Sonic and Multimedia Art. [vimeo width="600" height="339"]http://vimeo.com/707246[/vimeo] [vimeo width="600" height="330"]http://vimeo.com/16524166[/vimeo]
Electroacoustic Barn Dance Returned to UMW
The Department of Music at the University of Mary Washington hosted the second annual Electroacoustic Barn Dance from Thursday, Nov. 8 through Saturday, Nov. 10. The three-day electronic music festival included the works of more than 70 artists and composers from across the country presented in 13 concerts. Most of the performances were held in [...]
Mark Snyder’s Nature Boy Explorer EP Release
Assistant Professor of Music Mark Snyder’s CD release for Nature Boy Explorer will be held this Saturday, September 8 at 909 Saloon in Fredericksburg, Va . The EP contains four songs that were recorded from March to April of 2012. UMW students and alums, Becky Brown, Hunter Wooten, Paige Naylor, Katherine Preseren and Natasha Smoot performed on the CD as well. Nature Boy Explorer makes music about love, lobotomies, death, dirty politicians and concrete deities with an energetic and emotional blend of rock/pop that puts on no airs. The show starts at 8:30 and will also feature Paul Ivey and the Rubes from Richmond and The Crypts from Fredericksburg. [youtube width="560" height="315"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAwTyHPsycQ[/youtube] [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/44788621" iframe="true" /]