Saya, Mark

Mark Saya (b. 1954, Michigan City, Indiana), currently Professor & Chair of Music at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, studied composition at Indiana University South Bend with Barton McLean and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with Norman Dinerstein, Jonathan Kramer, and Allen Sapp. His works have been performed in many countries including Germany, Poland, Spain, Canada, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, and Japan, as well as throughout the United States, including performances at the Great Hall of Cooper Union, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and many major universities. He has received awards from ASCAP, BMI, New England Conservatory, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Society of Composers, Inc.

Saya has enjoyed a long association with The Percussion Group/Cincinnati, particularly with founding members Allen Otte and James Culley, who have premiered and championed many of his compositions, including The Murphy Sonata, From the Book of Imaginary Beings (comprising Bahamut, The Lamed Wufniks, A Bao A Qu, and The Fauna of Mirrors), Attention Span, Tigre Capiangos, and Bachanons, all published by Media Press. He also has written a variety of vocal works and several suites for solo piano, including 7 Preludes Revisited, Just-These Pieces, Joshu's Piano Book, Sleight of Hand: A Player’s Manual, and The Cabinet of Dreams. 7 Preludes Revisited has been recorded by Wojciech Kocyan for Dux Recording Producers and Jeffrey Jacob on New Ariel Recordings; Piers Lane has recorded Barcarolles on Hyperion.