Marc Irwin

Mr. Irwin’s Broadway credits include The Rink, Sunday In The Park With George, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Romance, Romance, City Of Angels, Crazy For You, Cats, and The Mystery Of Edwin Drood. In 1982 he was on the production staff of Comden and Green’s A Doll’s Life and in 1983 he was Assistant Musical Director for Mrs. Farmer’s Daughter by Jack Eric Williams, produced at the Pepsico Summerfare, SUNY, Purchase, New York. Mr. Irwin was Sound Designer and Keyboardist for Harry Belafonte from 1983-88, performing in the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. Since 1993 Mr.Irwin has performed in over a dozen musicals at The Kennedy Center, The National Theatre and The Lyric Opera, including Beauty and the Beast, Showboat, Cats, Annie, Dream Girls and Damn Yankees. Mr. Irwin was Assistant Conductor for Merrily We Roll Along at the Kennedy Center in 1998 as part of the Sondheim Festival. In 2002 he was Assistant Conductor for the Kennedy Center’s production of Words And Music, a musical trilogy including Bells Are Ringing with Faith Prince, Where's Charlie, and Purlie with Stephanie Mills. In 2002 he conducted for The Three Mo’ Tenors with performances at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and at the Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ. From 1993-2000, Irwin was an accompanist and arranger/composer for The Peabody Children’s Chorus under the direction of Doreen Falby, compiling over 35 choral arrangements and compositions.

Irwin released 2 jazz CDs in 1986 and 1988, Crossing of The Spirit and A Child’s Play with guitarist Dan Carillo. These were followed by the release of Suite For My Father, in 1997 and in 2006 Urbnergy, a jazz trio CD with bassist Marty Confurius and drummer Don Mulvaney. Since 1999, Irwin has been a pianist/musical director with The Capitol Steps, performing political satire throughout the 50 United States and Canada.

From 1993 to 2000 Dr. Irwin taught courses in music theory, ear training, class piano, and a studio of private students in piano and composition at Frederick Community College in Frederick, Maryland. At the Peabody Conservatory’s Preparatory Division he taught courses in theory and composition for commercial music as well as a studio in jazz and classical piano. Since 2004 he has been a co-director of jazz ensembles at The Park School in Baltimore, Maryland and has a studio of private students.
In 1975 Marc received his Bachelor of Music with a major in Music Theory from The Manhattan School of Music, studying music theory with David Lewin, composition with Ludmilla Ulehla and piano with Ada Kopetz-Korf. In 1992, he earned an M.A. with a major in Music Composition from The Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, SUNY, studying composition with Thea Musgrave, and in 2000 Marc earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) in Music Composition from the Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University, working with composer Robert Hall Lewis. His doctoral areas of specialty include the keyboard music of J.S. Bach, the nine Beethoven Symphonies, the choral music of Arnold Schoenberg, and the compositions and improvisations of Bill Evans. While at Peabody he was awarded an Assistantship in Music Theory with Dr. Vern Falby, emphasizing Schenkerian analysis and the work of contemporary music theorist and author Edward Cone. Additional studies at Peabody include Tom Benjamin in Modal Counterpoint.