Piedmont Wind Symphony
Conductor
Dr. Mark A. Norman is the Artistic Director and Conductor of Piedmont Wind Symphony and the Director of Instrumental Ensembles and Conducting Faculty Artist at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). With a career spanning over 40 years as a conductor, tubist, educator, and producer, he is widely recognized for his dynamic leadership, artistic versatility, and commitment to excellence in music performance and education.
Raised and currently residing in North Carolina, Norman has lived and worked throughout the United States and guest conducted internationally. His previous conducting appointments were at the University of Michigan, UW-Milwaukee, UNC Greensboro, Washburn University, and Towson University. He is the former Music Director of both the American Wind Orchestra and the Riverside Wind Symphony and has led performances at the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) conference, the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) regional conferences, and numerous state music education conventions in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Kansas, and Georgia.
At UNCSA, Norman oversees the school’s large ensemble program, conducting the Wind Ensemble, Chamber Winds, nu Ensemble, Bergstone Brass Ensemble, and the Student Composer Orchestra. He teaches graduate conducting, music entrepreneurship, and studio lessons in conducting, and plays a key role in shaping the artistic training of high school, undergraduate, and graduate-level students.
As Artistic Director of Piedmont Wind Symphony, Norman has brought the ensemble to new heights through collaborations, commissions, and innovative programming. He recently produced and conducted a three-part video series titled Beethoven and the Winds and led the ensemble in studio recordings of newly commissioned works by John Mackey, Brian Balmages, and Randall Standridge. His recent projects include the studio recording of Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite (1945) with the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra for the national tour of Dance Theatre of Harlem, and James Syler’s Birds of Paradise, featuring saxophonist Robert Young. Throughout his career, Norman has been active in the creation of new works for wind bands and chamber ensembles by commissioning and consortium participation with composers including Kenneth Amis, Brian Balmages, Chris Cerrone, Gala Flagello, Jennifer Jolley, Catherine Likhuta, Joel Love, John Mackey, David Maslanka, Nkeiru Okoye, Jules Pegram, Joel Puckett, Jack Stamp, James Syler, and Barbara York.
A frequent guest conductor with both professional and academic ensembles, Norman has recently led the Winston-Salem Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, and the North Carolina Brass Band. He is the founder and conductor of Brass IMPACT!, a dynamic professional brass ensemble dedicated to raising funds for charitable causes across North Carolina and beyond. Under his leadership, Brass IMPACT! has been selected to perform at The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois, in December 2025. Brass IMPACT! is an entity of Amarka Creative, LLC.
Norman’s career began as a tubist in the 1980s, performing regularly with the North Carolina, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem Symphonies. His principal teacher was David Lewis of the NC Symphony and shortly after being first tubist to take top honors in the UNCG Concerto Competition, he earned a position with the premier U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C., at the age of 22. During his 14 years in the nation’s capital, he performed as principal tuba with the Georgetown Symphony, McLean Orchestra, and Mount Vernon Chamber Symphony—performing the Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Concerto for Bass Tuba with each ensemble. His solo and ensemble performances span appearances throughout the U.S. and Europe, including recordings with the Fountain City Brass Band and U.S. Navy Band.
Norman transitioned to conducting during his time in Washington D.C., where he gained early acclaim for his emotive style and expressive leadership. He founded the Loudoun Symphonic Winds in 1993 and the Riverside Wind Symphony in 1997, both ensembles that helped launch his conducting career. In 1998, he was appointed Music Director of the professional American Wind Orchestra. He also founded the Mid-Atlantic Wind Conductors Conference, which brought internationally renowned composers and conductors—such as Frederick Fennell, Frank Ticheli, and Mark Camphouse—to the region.
In 2002, Norman returned to North Carolina and completed both his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in instrumental conducting at UNC Greensboro. During that time, he also served as Music Director of the Greensboro Concert Band and began his first appointment as Director of Wind Ensembles at UNCSA.
In 2009, Norman was named Director of Bands at Washburn University, where his ensembles were frequently selected for conference appearances and invited to perform at prestigious venues, including the Kennedy Center, where they premiered works honoring Bob and Elizabeth Dole. He later accepted a visiting appointment at the University of Michigan and subsequently joined the faculty at UW-Milwaukee. During this time, he and his wife Amanda purchased and led the Charlotte Music School—an independent music academy with over 250 students—and launched their creative enterprise, Amarka Creative, LLC.
In addition to his conducting and performance work, Norman has been nominated for a Grammy Award as co-producer of the Fireworks album with the UNCG Wind Ensemble and for a Virginia Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. He is a frequent clinician and speaker at state music education conferences in North Carolina, Virginia, Kansas, Maryland, and Georgia, and has published articles including his contribution to Teaching Music Through Performance in Band, Volume 10. His work has been featured on NPR, in local and national television, and in major publications including The Washington Post.
Mark and Amanda Norman now reside in Pfafftown, North Carolina, where they live with their dogs Miles and Marley, and their cat Max. They remain active in arts leadership, education, and community advocacy, continuing to inspire the next generation of musicians and creative thinkers.