Mark Lortz is the Director of Music at Stevenson University, where he oversees the music department and directs the university’s bands. He is an accomplished composer, arranger, and Music Editor for RWS Music Company, and the brass arranger for the multi-world champion Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps.

His compositions have been premiered internationally and featured at The Midwest Clinic, Bands of America National Percussion Festival, College Band Directors National Association, and the Baltimore Ravens Marching Band. Recognized by American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), his works have been praised in Gramophone and The Instrumentalist magazines and selected for Bandworld’s Top 100 and J.W. Pepper’s Editor’s Choice lists. He has collaborated with the U.S. Army Field Band, Jazz Ambassadors, and U.S. Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps.

In addition to composing, Dr. Lortz is a sought-after adjudicator, lecturer, and conductor, lending his expertise to honor bands, orchestras, and community ensembles. He has presented at The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, sharing his knowledge with music educators and professionals from around the world. The Maryland Music Educators’ Association recognized his outstanding contributions to music education by honoring him as an Outstanding Educator in 2024.

He holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from Temple University and degrees in percussion performance and composition from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. His performance career includes serving as Associate Music Director and Principal Percussionist for Phantom of the Opera and performing with Dallas Brass and major orchestras nationwide.