"Live in the now"

Hey gang,

It's me.  Trying to be open to what God puts on my heart.  Last week was interesting.  I went to DC on Tuesday evening and had dinner with my brother Philip.  We don't get to see each other very often and we really had a great time.  The next morning I was one of the entertainment /guests at the Congressional Club luncheon where the first lady Michelle Obama was the guest of honor.  I saw my friend Barbara Valentine from North Carolina and made some new friends Faisal Al-Juburi who was my direct contact for the event and a friend of my wife's from past work experiences, Ms. Julia Murney.  All in all the experience was fun, though it would have been nice to have had the opportunity to get a picture with the first lady for my kids scrapbook.

On Friday I took off for Atlanta, GA. where I was in concert with Marvin Hamlisch and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.  I had a great time!  The audiences were very receptive and kind as was the orchestra and staff.  I look forward to my next opportunity to sing with that wonderful group of musicians.

Speaking of great musicians, I took a meeting with Wayne Haun a great musician who is currently a member of the Ernie Haas and Signature Sound gospel vocal band.  Wayne plays the piano, sings, writes and arranges for the group.  Wayne was in town and came to the Friday evening concert at the Symphony.  We had a very nice lunch and brainstormed a bit about how we might help each other spread Gods word to the masses in the near future. 

Most of you know that I am all about bringing as much joy to the world as I can.  Music, of course, is my main vehicle.  However, while in Atlanta I also got the chance to drive around the suburbs with an old friend of mine from Huntington who now lives in Atlanta and check out the neighborhoods.  As you know, the nation is still suffering from the housing bust.  I'm spending more time these days investing in real estate in various parts of the country.  Lot's of people need help and I hope to be able to help some of those suffering to find a way out of or into a home. 

That's it for now.  Remember to always be open to what God is leading you to do.  Ask for His guidance.  Listen and search the word for His advise.

I'm Back

Ever feel like you had no direction? Or even worse, feel like you were heading the wrong direction full spead and couldn't get back on the right track. Well that's what I've been experiencing for quite some time now in my career. I've been depressed. No motivation. No drive. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I should not be singing, or, anything like that. I am very fortunate to have been able to use the gifts God gave me to make a living for myself and my family. However, there came a time in my career that I stopped following my dreams and I stopped setting goals. I started depending on others to provide my inspiration. A huge mistake. In fact three huge mistakes! 1) Never stop following your dreams. 2) Never stop setting goals. 3) Never totally depend on someone else to provide your reason for living, unless that some one is GOD.

I feel like I am on the mend these days and will try to share more often. In fact you will probably get tired hearing from me. But, I hope you tune in anyway!

Make it a great day!

Mark

WV Concert and Snow, Snow and more Snow

Hi all,

How's everyone doing? It was great seeing so many familiar faces at the West Virginia Symphony concerts on Valentine's weekend. Thank you so much for joining us. Mom and Dad had to divide their time since Christy and I were appearing Friday and Saturday while my sister, Beth, was appearing in Huntington on Saturday. It was a great time to be down there as we also got to celebrate Dad's birthday.

Christy and I loved doing the concerts. The Symphony under Maestro Grant Cooper performed exceptionally well! It was our pleasure to be their guests! But, wow, what's with all the snow? We left NJ a day earlier to avoid the blizzard that was on its way north, but, ended up driving through it all the way to Charleston. Thankfully, we made it to WV and back with no trouble. However, you may or may not know that we got pounded with snow again several days after our return and again this past weekend. Oh well! I guess that's why this season is called winter. We'll make the best of it and look forward to spring.

Love to hear your feedback about the concert.

Be safe!

Happy New Year and West Virginia Concert

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope you all are well and pray that 2010 is an awesome year for us all.

Had a great gig on New Year's Eve with the Cleveland Pops (also starring Capathia Jenkins). On New Year's Day I flew home then drove up to join Christy and the girls at Camp-of-the-Woods. It was quite a busy few days!

I also wanted to remind everyone that I will be performing at the Clay Center in Charleston, WV on February 12th and 13th. I will be performing with the West Virginia Symphony and my special guest will be Christy Tarr-McVey. Would love to see you at this event!

Also, more dates have been added (and more to come) both on the Tour page on my website and on the events page on my Facebook page.

See you in WV!

Christmas Blessings

Getting ready for the big day. Mom and Dad are up for the holidays and my sister Beth will be joining us so we are having a West Virginia Christmas in NJ! The girls are loving it! (well, so am I!) Christy and Mom are getting all ready for our 'feast'. House smells great! Girls are waiting for tomorrow with eager expectation.

Thank you all for being there and the comments on FB. Its been an 'interesting' year and I am looking forward to 2010.

Sending my wish for Merry Christmas to all and warm wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year!

Some Dates and times for the PBS Special

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Just thought I'd let you know that there are a few dates/times/stations listed for the Tale of Two Cities in Concert PBS Special. I have listed them below - if anyone knows of more, feel free to list them.

WISCONSIN - WPT
December 13th 8pm

Phoenix/Tucson w/ KUAT
Sunday 12/6 at 8pm
Sunday 12/13 at 4pm
Friday 1/1 at 8:30pm

Tampa/WEDU
Sunday 12/13 at 1:30pm
(Note: earlier reports included WUSF/Tampa, but now we have WEDU as well)

San Diego/KPBS
Sunday 12/6 at 9pm

Cincinnati/WPTO
Monday 11/30 at 8pm

BOSTON (ADDS)

12/4 FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT 2:30PM

New York NJN
Sunday 12/6 at 4:30pm
Friday 12/11 at 8pm

Philadelphia WHYY
Sunday 12/6 at 8pm

Dallas KERA
Sunday 12/13 at 8:30pm

San Francisco KQED HD
Sunday 12/6 at 9pm
Tuesday 12/8 at 1pm
Monday 11/30 at 7pm on KQED LIFE and KTEH

Boston WGBH
Thursday 11/26 at 9pm on 2
Sunday 11/29 at 4pm on 44

Houston KUHT
Sunday 12/13 at 4pm

Tampa WEDU
Friday 12/4 at 12pm

Seattle KBTC
Friday 12/11 at 8:30pm
Saturday 12/19 at 10pm
Sunday 12/20 at 4pm

Miami WPBT
Sunday 11/29 at 4:30pm

Cleveland WVIZ
Sunday 12/6 at 9pm

Denver KRMA
Sunday 11/29 at 9pm

Sacramento KVIE
Sunday 12/6 at 9pm

Portland OPB
Wednesday 12/2 at 8pm
Sunday 12/13 at 8pm

Pittsburgh WQED
Sunday 12/6 at 9pm

Raleigh/Durham UNC-MX
Saturday 1/9 at 8pm

Kansas City KCPT
Sunday 12/6 at 7pm

Columbus WOSU
Sunday 11/29 at 4:30pm

Spartanburg SCETV
Sunday 12/6 at 9pm

San Antonio KLRN
Sunday 12/6 at 8pm

West Palm Beach WXEL
Tuesday 12/1 at 8pm and 11:30pm
Sunday 12/6 at 7pm

Grand Rapids WGVU
Sunday 11/29 at 9pm

Birmingham APT
Sunday 12/6 at 12:30pm

PBS Special

Hi Folks,

Just wanted to let everyone know that the PBS Special of A Tale of Two Cities in Concert, which I recorded this summer in London and Brighton (along with James Barbour , Brandi Burkhardt, Natalie Toro and many others), will be shown in December on PBS.

Here is a link about it: Tale on PBS

There is also a preview here: Broadwayworld preview

Check your local listings to find out when this will be shown in your area.

Hope you enjoy!