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Mark Kurtz, piano

Mark Kurtz is a composer, pianist, organist, and music director. Originally from North Dakota, he has lived and worked in Omaha since 2000. He has become known for being adept in an unusually broad spectrum of genres, including both art music and popular music. A sought-after performer and inventive creator, his work can be found in concert halls, churches, theaters, cabarets, and convention centers.

Besides being the music director at First United Methodist Church (Omaha) and Associate Director and Collaborative Pianist for Résonance (a professional choral ensemble), he has worked locally with many organizations such as the Omaha Symphony, Opera Omaha, and The Omaha Chamber Music Society; he has also performed at regional, national, and international festivals, including the national convention of the American Guild of Organists in 2018 and the international GALA choral festival in 2008. He frequently receives commissions for new work, from organizations such as the Willa Cather Foundation (2017), the Anti Defamation League (2012), Why Arts (2011), and the River City Mixed Chorus (2014 and 2008), as well as many churches and individuals, for example, poet Fred Zydek (2013) and Omaha Symphony members Craig and Mary Bircher (2012). He has received numerous scholastic, performance, and composition awards, most recently from the American Guild of Organists (2018 and 2011) and Omaha Entertainment and Arts (2011).