Dr. D. Mark McCoy
Dr. Mark McCoy is the Chair of the Department of Music at Shepherd University where he conducts the Shepherd Wind Ensemble, the Shepherd Orchestra and directs the marching band. Dr. McCoy earned a Bachelor's degree from Shepherd (then College), a Master's Degree at the Peabody Conservatory and a Ph.D. at Texas Tech University.
Dr. McCoy is very active as a conductor and guest conductor and has led many county, region, district and all-state groups throughout the US. During his tenure, the Shepherd Wind Ensemble has been in great demand, receiving invitations to perform in Ireland, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. In 2005 the wind ensemble was selected to perform as part of the concert season at Carnegie Hall. Dr. McCoy was the founding conductor of the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra (now the Shepherd Orchestra). That group blossomed under his leadership and regularly performs standards of the repertoire including symphonies of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. The group performs regularly on the Shepherd campus and continues to grow in size and stature. He is also the conductor of the TWO RIVERS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, a professional, resident chamber orchestra that performs regularly in the Eastern Panhandle and has met with wide acclaim.
Dr. McCoy was the director of Jazz Studies at Shepherd University for ten years. Under his direction, the Shepherd University Jazz Ensemble played for political leaders in the state of West Virginia and in the United States Congress. Dr. McCoy toured nationally and internationally with his jazz groups, including the "Ellington Centenary Tribute Tour" throughout the US, France and England and the Montreux (Switzerland) Jazz Festival in the Summer of 2003. The band continued that tour into Italy performing concerts from Florence to Rome.
Dr. McCoy taught elementary, middle and high school bands and orchestras for many years in West Virginia and Maryland. He taught Music Theory and Jazz at Texas Tech University from 1993-1995 and was appointed to Shepherd in the fall of 1995. Dr. McCoy was awarded the "Teaching Excellence" award for his work with his Howard County, MD musical groups and was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda in 1992. In 1998, he was inducted as a "National Arts Associate" by Sigma Alpha Iota for his dedication to excellence in the Arts. He was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi in the Spring of 2000. He was selected to the International Who's Who In Music and Musicians in the classical and light classical fields in 2001 and the Who's Who among America's Teachers in 2002.
He has composed operettas, musicals, an opera, many works for winds and several soundscores. His recent soundscore for THE SECRET GARDEN, and his new musical, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES is available through Baker's Plays/Samuel French and the second edition of his First Symphony, A SYMPHONY FOR SALEM, 1692 is now published by C. Alan Publications. He recently completed his first novel, Curtain Music, concerning the relationship of Brahms and the Schumanns. He is active as a composer, conductor, clinician and adjudicator and his works have been performed throughout the United States and Europe.
Call or write:
Dr. Mark McCoy
Department of Music
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
304.876.5223 or 800.344.5231 ext. 5223