Cruz Mark Anthony
USA
Guitarist and composer.
English
Mark Anthony Cruz earned his M. M. in guitar performance at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas) where he is the Professor of Guitar.
As a composer, Cruz’s music “...shares similarities with Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Lennox Berkely...” according to a review by Soundboard Magazine. Cruz has been published by Shawnee Press, Soundboard Magazine, MelBay and Clear Note Publications while managing his own company, MAC Publications. He was the first prize winner of the Austin Classical Guitar Society sponsored composition competition in 2006, '07, ’08 and ‘11. In 2008, Mr. Cruz was commissioned by University Baptist Church in Austin to compose an Anthem for choir and organ for their 100th anniversary celebration. He was commissioned by the Classical Minds Guitar Festival to compose a pair of guitar ensemble works for their 2009 and 2010 conference. Mr. Cruz’s Triptych for solo guitar has been performed internationally by guitar virtuoso Adam Holzman. Such notable artists as the Presti Trio, TxGQ and the Hanser/McClellan Duo have also performed his work.
As a performer, Mr. Cruz was a two-time feature artist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. He was the 2nd prize recipient at the National Finger Picking Championship at Winfield, Kansas in 1993 and 2001. He was a feature artist at the Eastfield Guitar Festival in Dallas, TX in 2008, the Classical Minds Guitar Festival in Houston, TX in 2009 and the Sixth Annual Guitar Ensemble Festival in Plano, TX in 2011. Tony Morris has featured Cruz’s all-original CDs Pequeñas Piezas para Mi Padre and Piezas Para El Mundo on the internationally syndicated radio program Classical Guitar Alive. Both Cds received positive reviews in the scholarly periodical, Soundboard.
Mark resides in Austin with his wife and two children.
Web: http://www.markanthonycruz.com/markcruz.html (2015)
As a composer, Cruz’s music “...shares similarities with Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Lennox Berkely...” according to a review by Soundboard Magazine. Cruz has been published by Shawnee Press, Soundboard Magazine, MelBay and Clear Note Publications while managing his own company, MAC Publications. He was the first prize winner of the Austin Classical Guitar Society sponsored composition competition in 2006, '07, ’08 and ‘11. In 2008, Mr. Cruz was commissioned by University Baptist Church in Austin to compose an Anthem for choir and organ for their 100th anniversary celebration. He was commissioned by the Classical Minds Guitar Festival to compose a pair of guitar ensemble works for their 2009 and 2010 conference. Mr. Cruz’s Triptych for solo guitar has been performed internationally by guitar virtuoso Adam Holzman. Such notable artists as the Presti Trio, TxGQ and the Hanser/McClellan Duo have also performed his work.
As a performer, Mr. Cruz was a two-time feature artist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. He was the 2nd prize recipient at the National Finger Picking Championship at Winfield, Kansas in 1993 and 2001. He was a feature artist at the Eastfield Guitar Festival in Dallas, TX in 2008, the Classical Minds Guitar Festival in Houston, TX in 2009 and the Sixth Annual Guitar Ensemble Festival in Plano, TX in 2011. Tony Morris has featured Cruz’s all-original CDs Pequeñas Piezas para Mi Padre and Piezas Para El Mundo on the internationally syndicated radio program Classical Guitar Alive. Both Cds received positive reviews in the scholarly periodical, Soundboard.
Mark resides in Austin with his wife and two children.
Web: http://www.markanthonycruz.com/markcruz.html (2015)