BIOGRAPHY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark Lybarger-Monson lives with his wife and two sons in Camarillo, California. As a family, Mark, Kara, Jonah and Dylan explore nature (parks, beaches and hiking trails), dance wildly while playing instruments, sing spontaneously and generally act silly. Mark and Kara also enjoy meditation, yoga, spiritual literature and the arts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In December of 2008, Mark received a Ph.D. in Music Composition from the University of California, Santa Barbara. At UCSB, he studied composition with Professor Joel Feigin, interim Corwin Professor Karen Tanaka, Kurt Rohde and Professor Curtis Roads. He also studied classical piano with Hee-Kyung Juhn and collaborative piano with Professor Anne Epperson. While attending UCSB, Mark was awarded seven Sherrill C. Corwin-Metropolitan Theatres Awards in composition. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AESTHETICS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Before Mark was born, his mother bought a piano with the intention of learning to play it while he was napping; however, the converse occurred – at three years old, he explored its magic while she slept. Throughout his youth, Mark studied improvisation more than repertoire, paving the way for his creative musical disposition. Throughout his life, Lybarger-Monson has drawn inspiration from meaningful relationships, nature and various composers. At the age of sixteen, he began a spiritual pursuit that has increasingly influenced his music. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the fall of 2003, Mark realized that he wanted to create music that was not only inspired by meditation, but that is a meditation. Mark perceived that performers must be in a state of meditation to express meditation in music. Therefore, to encourage meditative performance, he began incorporating spiritual practices into the character and structure of his compositions. These compositions function as templates that inspire and guide meditation while allowing performers sufficient freedom to express meditation spontaneously. In these works, performers are invited to consciously experience their breath and/or heartbeat, then to spontaneously express rhythms, phrases and gestures from this experience. Manifesting sounds from biological functions and associated feelings assists the performers and audience members in delving into the Consciousness that supports these functions. Mark enhances the nexus of spiritually inspired composition and meditative improvisation by incorporating sacred words, spatialization, ratio-based rhythms and frequencies, simplicity, and moments of silence. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REVIEWS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “In a rare instance of live, physical instrument enmeshed with ones and zeroes (binary code), Mark Lybarger-Monson's ‘Primacy’ involved his manipulations of a large, onstage gong, colluding with computer-generated sounds.” (Joseph Woodward, “Interplanetary, Internalized Sounds : UCSB's Primavera Festival Made Computer the Focus of Thursday's CREATE Concert,” The Santa Barbara Independent, 28 April 2008.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Choreographer Brittani Karhoff explored the emotional dynamics of her relationship with her father in ‘A Breath of Air’ through partner work and verbal expression. Karhoff also explored the relationship between dancers and musicians in her effective collaboration with Music Department graduate students Devin Burke on cello and Mark Lybarger-Monson on piano. The duet between Cherise Richards and Marcos Duran was a particular highlight. Overall, this intimate program left no doubt that these are four exciting artists to watch.” (Felicia M. Tomasko, “Trafficking in Dreams,” The Santa Barbara Independent, 16 March 2006.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “The last two were from 21st-century UCSB, elegant and mysterious works by Mark Lybarger-Monson (Merge with Dust, Into a Silent Om).” (Gerald Carpenter, “Time Travelers,” The Santa Barbara Independent, 9 June 2005, p. 74.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FEATURED ARTISTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) "Sunrise" (free improvisation) - Mark Lybarger-Monson (pianist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2) "New Life Symphony: I. Conception" - (Finale Synthesis) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3) "New Life Symphony: II. Prelude to a Breath" - (Finale Synthesis) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4) "New Life Symphony: III. Birth" - (Finale Synthesis) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5) "Water" - Jill Heinke (flutist), Tessa Gross (oboist), Andrew Tompkins (clarinetist), Kirstin Haaheim (bassoonist), Phil Kamhi (French hornist), Amy Abid (trumpetist), Tommy Phillips (trombonist), Chris Teeples (tubist), Matthew Stone (percussionist 1), Timothy Beutler (percussionist 2), Richard Biaggini (violinist), Jennifer Eberhard (violist), Claudia Kiser (cellist) & Miles Jay (double bassist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6) "Dissolving...Embodied" - California EAR Unit: Dorothy Stone (flutist), Phillip O'Connor (clarinetist), Amy Knoles (percussionist), Vicki Ray (pianist), Robin Lorentz (violinist) & Erica Duke-Kirkpatrick (cellist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7) "Breath Fire ~ Bliss Storm" - Mark Lybarger-Monson (djembist), Emilee Wong (alto flutist) & Shannon McCue (violist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8) "Awakening of the Butterflies" - Caitlin Boruch (flutist), Carla Townsend (flutist and tam-tamist) & Emily Noble (flute) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9) "This Tender Moment" - Mark Lybarger-Monson (pianist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10) "Anniversary at the Cabin" - Ervin Klinkon (cellist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11) "Sunset" - Nichole Dechaine (soprano) & Ervin Klinkon (cellist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12) "Float & Groove" - Jonathan Morin (violinist) & Mark Lybarger-Monson (pianist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 13) "Breathing to Center" - Jonathan Morin (violinist) & Mark Lybarger-Monson (pianist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 14) "Liquid Light" - Mark Lybarger-Monson (keyboardist and percussionist) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 15) "Breath Fire ~ Bliss Storm" (Improvised Version) with "Interfaith Peace Chant" - INSTRUMENTALISTS: Mark Lybarger-Monson (djembist), Joel Feigin (frame drummer), Emilee Wong (flutist) & Jonathan Morin (violinist) CHORAL SINGERS AND CHIME PERFORMERS: Eleanor Baylon, Brandi Bennitt, Brittany Brooks, Kara Lybarger-Monson, Mark Lybarger-Monson Gary Monson, Ian Mussman (and small wind chimes), Curt Peltier, Laura Roth & Ahmad Smadi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~