Mark Dennis McConnell studied music at the University of Northern Colorado and the University of New Mexico. He studied composition under William Wood and Erik Ona, and double bass under James D. Vaughn and Mark Tatum. In 2005, he was a featured composer in the University of New Mexico's Composers Symposium.  He has performed with Performance Riverside, COD, Redlands Bowl Summer Musical, OnStage Musicals, Slee Sinfonietta, Santa Fe Symphony, San Juan Symphony, Roswell Symphony, ACLOA, June in Buffalo, and Western New York Chamber Orchestra. McConnell has had his compositions performed throughout the US by the Society for New Music (New York), the Colorado State University Arts Symposium, the Midwest Graduate Music Conference (Madison, WI), the SUNY-Buffalo New Composers Series, and on KUNM radio (Albuquerque, NM). In 2000, McConnell received the Brian M. Israel prize in composition. McConnell is Professor of Music at Crafton Hills College in Southern California.

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