Zadro, Mark - Ave Maria

After graduating with a Computing Science Degree (sub-major in Piano Performance), Mark worked in both the Computing and Theatre industries for several years before becoming a full-time freelance musician.
His involvement in theatre was in the capacity of arranger, pianist, musical director and composer. He has played for the Sydney Production of Phantom of the Opera and was arranger pianist and musical director for the long running one-woman show Piaf - No Regrets.
In the years of involvement within the theatre industry he has arranged and composed for over 100 productions. He has worked with the Troubadour Theatre Company for several years and in 1997 was composer, arranger and musical director for Hot Pies and Potato Chips - a show which was awarded the Frator Award by the N.S.W. Department of Education. His television appearances include Channel Nine’s The Midday Show and Good Morning Australia and Channel Seven’s Nine to Five - as well as numerous live Radio performances.

In 1996 he was arranger, and musical director in a project funded by the Australian Council - Bella’s Caravan: a cross cultural a capella presentation involving music from diverse cultures and periods such as; Bulgarian and South American folk songs, German art song, 16th century madrigals, African and Gospel singing traditions and music drawn from contemporary jazz idioms. Additionally he was involved in a project funded by the Department of Immigration - Outback Mungo Way: a project which required a composed tape for a one hour play which explored the interaction of teenagers from immigrant families with indigenous Australians – this involved living with members of the Muthi-Muthi Tribe at Mungo National Park N.S.W. Both of these diverse projects were administrated by Shopfront Theatre.

In 1997 and after many years as a freelance musician, he decided to study composition at tertiary level at Sydney University - in 2000 he was awarded the University Medal and the Frank Albert Prize and achieved 1st class honors in Music Composition. The year 2000 has seen his success in participating in the Australian Composer Orchestral Forum (resulting in performances of his pieces Promiscuous and Broadband), as well as winning jury selection and being played at ISCM World Music Days 2000 in Luxembourg with his piece Agra - for solo flute. In 2001 Mark was awarded an Australia Council Grant for the creation of an electro-acoustic work Voiceprint.

Mark is currently undertaking a Philosophy Doctorate in Composition sub-majoring in Film Music at the University of Sydney.