Shenandoah Conservatory

Taryn Marks is a first-year Doctor of Musical Arts in percussion performance major from North Augusta, South Carolina, under the direction of Dr. Karlyn Viña at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. While at Shenandoah, she is a graduate assistant in the music history department under Dr. Ruth, and she participates in the conservatory’s Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, EDGE Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. She started her first year at Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy, and she started teaching lessons at the university this spring. Marks’s teaching is student-centered, giving autonomy to the student in creating their path in what they want to learn through their percussion and music journey. Through this approach, the teacher and the student will have a holistic experience learning what they want to learn in these fields, in the hopes of more appreciation and passion in the world of the arts.

Her love for music started as a child, growing up hearing different genres of music from rock to rap to pop and soul. She started playing percussion in sixth grade under the direction of Ms. Jamie Powell, where her love and involvement for music significantly increased. By the time she was under the direction of Mr. Chuck Deen and Mr. Blake Fowler at North Augusta High School, she was a part of the Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Region Band and the North Augusta High School Jacket Regiment. In fall 2017, she moved to the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, South Carolina, as a part of the music department, under the direction of Dr. David Hamilton and Mr. Everett Beale, going into depth in orchestral and percussion repertoire. In fall 2019, she started her college career at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, under the direction of Dr. Omar Carmenates. She was a part of the Paladin Regiment, Symphonic Band, Furman Symphony Orchestra, Pit Orchestra for Pauper Players and Furman Percussion Ensemble. With the Furman Percussion Ensemble, she has gone to the Percussive Arts Society International Convention twice, being a part of the New Music Concert in 2019 and the International Percussion Ensemble Competition Concert in 2022, where the ensemble was one ofthe winners and performed five world premieres on the international stage. She also participated in an internship for Kinds of Kings in summer 2021, as well as summer research in audio recording and post-production in summer 2022. Outside of music, she participated in multiple organizations and on-campus jobs, receiving accolades for her work in DEI initiatives throughout the music department and the university. She graduated from Furman Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Percussion) in May 2023.

In fall 2023, she started her master’s degree in percussion performance under Dr. Bonnie Whiting as a GSEE Fellow. There, she represented the music department and the Graduate Student Equity and Excellence (GSEE) office through programs such as the OG program, and as a graduate assistant in the non-music major theory class. She has performed in the University of Washington Percussion Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra and Modern Music Ensemble. Through these ensembles, she has had the opportunity to perform multiple world premieres, participating in masterclasses by Gwendolyn Dease and Allen Otte, performing at the WCCW Outreach Events, Woosong University in Daejeon, South Korea, and the Pacific Northwest Percussion Festival in Portland, Oregon and Ashland, Oregon. She also performed as a soloist for the UWWE in spring 2024, performing an arrangement of the second movement of Eric Ewazen’s Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra.

Degree Fulfillment

Taryn Marks is from the studio of Karlyn Viña. This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance (Percussion).

Partner Acknowledgment

nkoda

Some performances at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University feature digital scores accessed through nkoda, the world’s premier digital sheet music platform. Visit nkoda.com to learn more.