PSO concert celebrates “Nature’s Majesty”

Trombonist Mark Babbitt enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist, orchestral musician, and teacher. He was appointed as Principal Trombone of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra in 2011. This weekend’s performance of the Nino Rota Concerto is Mark’s solo debut with the orchestra.

 For several years Mark worked extensively with the Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Opera, performing as many as 50 concerts a season. While in the Pacific Northwest, he collaborated with numerous major artists including Gerard Schwarz, Mstislav Rostropovich, Van Cliburn, and Jane Eaglen. With the Seattle Symphony he has recorded the music of Bodine, Borodin, Brahms/Sheng, Dvorak, McKinley, Mahler, and Schuman. He has performed as guest principal trombone with the Seattle Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra. Additionally, he has worked with numerous orchestras throughout the country, including the Rochester Philharmonic, Chautauqua Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra, and Erie Philharmonic.

During his time in Seattle, Mark was active in the recording and film industry, playing on more than a dozen feature length film soundtracks such as Valkyrie, The Incredible Hulk, and Alpha and Omega, as well as numerous video games, movie trailers, solo projects, and commercials. Mark’s recordings encompass a wide variety of musical styles and include Trey Anastasio’s critically acclaimed album Time Turns Elastic and Central Illinois’ guitar superstar Matthew Curry and the Fury’s debut album. His recordings can be heard on Naxos, Albany, MCC, Mark, and R.E.D. Distribution record labels.

Mark has appeared as soloist with ensembles throughout the country, playing much of the repertoire for trombone and orchestra and trombone and wind symphony. An advocate for new music, Mark has recently given performances of compositions for solo trombone and wind symphony by Johan De Meij, Adam Gorb, John Mackey, and Anthony Barfield. In the past two years, he has performed Peoria composer John Orfe’s O Crux for solo trombone and choir both in Illinois and in New York City. He is currently involved in commissioning consortiums for new works by composers James Stephenson, Michael Schelle, and Steven Bryant.

Since 2010, Dr. Babbitt has been Professor of Trombone at Illinois State University. Prior to his appointment at ISU, he served for ten years as Associate Professor of Trombone at Central Washington University. In the summers he is on the artist faculty of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Tennessee. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Washington.

A proud native of the Buffalo suburb of Clarence, NY, Mark lives in Normal with his wife, PSO Principal Violist, Kate Lewis and their dog, Charley.