CRUZ Mark Anthony

Mark Cruz is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His formal training began when he attended Oklahoma City University in 1984 where he studied guitar with Michael Millard and composition with Frank Payne. In 1989 he entered the first annual national composition contest for solo guitar sponsored by the University of Arizona and placed second with his Trilogy for Guitar. After earning his undergraduate degree in guitar performance, he went on to earn a Masters degree at Southwest Texas State University (Now Texas State University). While there, he studied composition with Dr. Russell Riepe and guitar with William Gangel, whom he succeeded as professor of guitar from 1999 to the present.

As a clinician, Cruz was guest director for the 2023 Austin High School Region Guitar Ensemble Concert. Also in 2023, he was guest director for the Oklahoma City Public Schools All-City Guitar Ensemble Concert. He was guest director for Nevada's 2022 Clark County School District All-City Guitar Ensemble Concert.
As a composer, Cruz has been published by Les Productions d'Oz, Shawnee Press, Soundboard Magazine, Mel Bay Publications, and Clear Note Publications while managing his own company, MAC Publications. He was the first-prize winner of the Austin Classical Guitar sponsored composition competition in 2006, ‘07, ’08, ’10 and ‘17. He has received numerous commissions including: Nevada’s Clark County School District for their 2022 Honor Guitar Ensemble, San Antonio SummerFest 2022, Kossler Duo in 2020, Beatty Music Competition in Washington D.C. 2015, Sarah Herbert (a DMA student from the Cincinnati Conservatory, 2016), Brett Floyd (DMA student from the University of South Carolina, 2013), Classical Minds Guitar Festival, Houston, Texas, and University Baptist Church in Austin, TX (for choir and organ for their 100th anniversary celebration). Mr. Cruz’s Triptych for solo guitar has been performed internationally by guitarist, Adam Holzman. Such notable artists as Austin Guitar Quartet, Presti Trio, TxGQ and the Hanser/McClellan Duo have also performed his work in addition to numerous high schools and universities across the United States and abroad.

As a performer, Cruz placed 1st in the 2022 Indiana Fingerstyle Competition and 1st in the 2013 Winfield International Fingerstyle Competition. He was a featured artist at Dr. Isaac Bustos’ Southwest Guitar Symposium in 2022, San Antonio SummerFest 2022 (with his jazz quartet), Dr. Joseph Williams’ Texas Guitar Conference in 2016, Dr. Bustos’ Houston Classical Guitar Workshop in 2016 and ‘17, Dr. Michael Quantz’s Brownsville Guitar Ensemble Festival in 2014 (as a lecturer), Valerie Hartzell’s Classical Minds Guitar Festival in Houston, TX in 2009 and 2014, and Enrique Madriguera’s Eastfield Guitar Festival in Dallas, TX in 2008. Cruz also performed Vivaldi concerti with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Ballet in 1993 and ’98. Five of Cruz’s CDs have been featured on the internationally syndicated radio program Classical Guitar Alive. Two of his all-original CDs received positive reviews in the scholarly periodical, Soundboard.

As a teacher, Cruz’s students have won top prizes in the national Brownsville Guitar Ensemble Festival. In the summer of 2015, he taught at the Narnia Music Festival in Narni, Italy. Many of his former students are active in the Texas education system.