Mark Davis

Mark Davis grew up in Haines, a small town in Southeast Alaska. Mark’s family played a huge part in his musical development; his grandma gave him piano lessons from a young age, and everyone in his family was constantly making music together–singing, playing brass quartets, ukuleles, and piano. He started playing the trumpet in the 5th-grade band, and since there were no trumpet teachers in Haines, he took Skype lessons with Mark Maliniak of the Atlanta Symphony. He made the Alaska All-State Band/Orchestra every year of high school, including the first chair in both the All-State Band and Orchestra. Other honor bands include the Southeast Alaska Honor Band as well as an Honors Series Band that performed at Carnegie Hall. 

Mark is currently the second trumpet in the Detroit Opera as well as the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and the third trumpet in the Jackson Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to his love for orchestral music, Mark also plays in solo competitions. In 2023 and 2024, he competed in the live rounds of the National Trumpet Competition–Undergraduate Solo Division as well as the Military Band Excerpt Division. In 2023, he also won the MSU Concert Orchestra Concerto Competition and performed Brandt Concertpiece No. 2 with the Concert Orchestra. One of Mark’s hobbies is gymnastics; in July of 2023, he won the Southeast Alaska State Fair Talent Show by playing the Carnival of Venice followed by a backflip.

Mark enjoys playing chamber music; he plays in the Grand River Brass Quintet at MSU as well as the MSU Large Trumpet Ensemble. When he goes home for summer and Christmas vacations, he plays in a brass quartet with his brothers and dad. Mark has always enjoyed singing at church as well as at home with his family, and he continues to sing in choirs; he’s currently a Choral Intern–tenor section leader–in the Okemos Community Church Choir. 

Mark is currently studying trumpet performance with Justin Emerich at Michigan State University.