Mark Flaherty - Department of Music

Dr. Mark Flaherty grew up in Colorado Springs and Anchorage, Alaska. He studied at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music. Further study led him to the Yale University School of Music, from which he earned a Master of Music Degree in Trumpet Performance in 1996. In the spring of 2002, he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Minnesota. His trumpet teachers have included David Baldwin, Gary Bordner, Allan Dean, Ray Mase, Lynn Deichert, and Linn Weeda.

Dr. Flaherty's musical interests are wide-ranging, and he has considerable experience as a performer in both classical and jazz settings.  He has performed at numerous festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Pine Mountain Music Festival, the Spoleto Festival U.S.A., and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.  In addition, he has worked extensively with Holland America Cruise Lines, and he has toured nationally with Troupe America musical theater productions.

Currently, Dr. Flaherty is a Professor of Music at Northern Michigan University where he teaches trumpet and horn, directs the NMU Jazz Band, and coordinates the annual NMU Jazz Festival.  He is also principal trumpet of the Marquette Symphony Orchestra, and he is an active freelance player in the Upper Peninsula. Dr. Flaherty is a frequent clinician at the middle school and high school level, he has published articles in the International Trumpet Guild Journal, and he has also recently presented at the Jazz Education Network Conference and the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors Conference.

Selected Publications/Presentations

• Off the Charts! - Developing Arrangements By Ear With Your Big Band - Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference, New Orleans, LA  (2011)

• Symposium Presentation:  The Cornet Style of Doc Evans - Carleton College Doc Evans Centennial Celebration (2007)

• Gary Bordner:  A Balanced Approach to Life and the Trumpet (Interview) - International Trumpet Guild Journal ( 2007)

• The Life and Music of Paul Wesley “Doc” Evans (1907-1977) - International Trumpet Guild Journal ( 2003)