About
Mark Kirschenmann, PhD, Lecturer IV, whose pioneering live electric trumpet performances are internationally acclaimed, is a composer, performer and scholar of creative improvisation. He is also the creative force behind the band E3Q (blockmrecords.org), an eclectic jazz-influenced trio with his wife, cellist Katri Ervamaa and percussionist Michael Gould, and performs the music of Miles Davis with Big Fun. Most recently, he released the solo album Icosahedron: 20 Improvisations for Pitch-to-MIDI Trumpet (sonikmannrecords.com), recorded with the Nashville-based electronica duo Sub-ID (BFF, 1320records.com), and appeared with luminaries Taylor Ho Bynum, Wadada Leo Smith, Mark Helias, Thollem McDonas, Henry Grimes, Nicole Mitchell, Rob Mazurek, and Oliver Lake.
As a composer and writer, Mark explores the confluence of composition and improvisation. He has authored articles on Messiaen’s use of improvisation as a compositional technique, and on new approaches to melodic jazz improvisation. He is on the faculty at the University of Michigan, where he shares his time between the School of Music (Jazz) and the Residential College, a liberal arts living-learning community. He also directs UM’s Creative Arts Orchestra, an innovative, creative improvisation ensemble. Mark holds Ph.D. degrees in composition and music theory from the University of Michigan, and lives in Ann Arbor, MI with his wife and their three children.
