Meet Dr. Mark Bartley, the director of the West Texas A&M University Symphony Orchestra. We are so proud to feature the orchestra, along with concertmaster and violin soloist Havuka Lund, in a beautiful performance and music video of Dr. B.J. Brook’s Pathway to Polaris. We are also including a three page article on all of the work that went into this gorgeous music video, from composition to performance, recording and filming. It’s an exciting piece, a thrilling performance and the video is beautifully shot, with footage from the campus in Canyon, the Cadillac Ranch, and Palo Duro Canyon. I am so grateful to Mark for submitting this gem, and I love putting in a plug for a Texas University! We’ll be featuring Dr. Brooks tomorrow, so stay tuned for more from WTAMU.
If you’d like to know more about Pathway to Polaris and watch the video, please subscribe or buy the issue: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/
Mark Bartley has conducted professional orchestras across the U.S., China, South Korea, Portugal, Romania, and the Czech Republic. He has also directed ensembles from Cornell, Yale, Boston University, New England Conservatory, University of Texas, University of Hawaii, Baylor University, Changwon National University (South Korea) and the Orquestra Nacional Sopros (Portugal). In the Texas Panhandle, he has served the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra as associate conductor and led the Amarillo Youth Symphony.
As the Lilith Brainard Professor of Music at West Texas A&M University, Mark conducts the WTAMU Symphony Orchestra—honored with awards from The American Prize, National Opera Association, Golden Nail Awards, and an appearance at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) convention in San Antonio. Additionally, he teaches graduate-level conducting and leads the top orchestra each summer at WTAMU’s Chamber Music Strings Camp. When not in isolation due to global pandemics, Mark and his wife, Kellie, enjoy traveling with their three children: Anna, Nathan, and Kathleen.