Trombonist J. Mark Whitfield is an active performer, educator, and clinician originally from eastern North Carolina. He is currently serving as Assistant Director of Athletic Bands at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. Prior to his appointment at NC State, Mark held teaching positions at Northeastern State University (OK), East Carolina University, Jackson State University (MS), and spent time teaching public school in North Carolina.
Mark has performed with a variety of ensembles throughout the country and around the world, including The North Carolina Symphony, the Andrew Thielen Big Band, the North Carolina Brass Band, the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus Band, the Midtown Men, and the Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. He gave the European premiere of Frank Gulino's Concerto No. 1: The Journey (a piece he researched extensively for his doctoral capstone project) with the North Carolina State University Wind Ensemble at the Royal College of Music in London in the summer of 2023. He was an original cast member of the Mason Entertainment Group production Blast! The Music of Disney, serving as Music Manager and performing on trombone and euphonium to sold-out crowds in Tokyo, Osaka, Shiga, and Nagoya in 2016. He was also a member of the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps from 2005-2009, serving as Drum Major from 2007-2009.
An avid Parrothead, Mark has been listening to Jimmy Buffett since he was four years old. Between 2015 and 2018, he was able to perform and record with 10-time CMA Musician of the Year Mac McAnally and the Coral Reefer Band and can be heard with several of the Coral Reefers on McAnally's 2017 album Southbound.
When he's not playing music, he enjoys cycling, craft beer, the occasional video game, and spending time with his family and friends. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Trombone Performance and Pedagogy from The University of Southern Mississippi, Master of Music in Trombone Performance from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and Bachelor of Music in Music Education from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Mark is a Yamaha Performing Artist and is proud to perform exclusively on Greg Black Mouthpieces. He holds memberships in the International Trombone Association and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
