Horn
Mark Robinson was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, but grew up in Joliet, Illinois. He has been playing music for almost thirty years. He started on the violin at age 4 or 5 and has studied violin, oboe, bassoon, horn, saxophone, voice, tabla, and computer music, and he plays at least 6 other instruments (bass, drums, guitar, keys, etc.). While attending Joliet Central High School, he played under Ted Lega. He studied French horn at Northern Illinois University under John Fairfield, played in numerous area ensembles, and sang for Dr. Elwood Smith in the NIU Madrigals for one season.
During Operation Desert Storm, Mark was a Marine bandsman and performed for General Norman Schwarzkopf, President and Mrs. Gerald Ford, Chuck Conners, Bob Hope, and Ginger Rogers. He also had the pleasure of singing for Kirk and Michael Douglas.
Mark has numerous classical compositions, as well as 80-100 Hip-Hop and R&B songs written and recorded. Currently, he is working on two Hip-Hop albums. Additionally, he is in the initial startup of a music foundation to support children with lessons, and a woodwind quintet with his wife, Martha Jacobson, a bassoon player in the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra. They have 3 children: Lars, age 9, Lydia, age 5, and Lorraine, age 1.