Biography
Mark Cummings has performed in both opera and musical theatre in the U.S. and abroad, notably with New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera and Sarasota Opera. He has toured the U.S. and Canada and has also moved into the art form of cabaret.
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History
Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Mark began his performing with three different productions (in a span of nine months) as Young Patrick in Mame (one of which was his professional debut!). He followed that up with performances of George M!, South Pacific and Guys and Dolls. Once in college he began to pursue singing in opera. Performances included Così fan tutte, The Bartered Bride and The Coronation of Poppea. After graduating, he was invited to be an Apprentice Artist with The Santa Fe Opera and Sarasota Opera. At Santa Fe he was cast in the role of Morphée in Orphée aux enfers as well as covering other roles.
On to New York!
With sights set on opera in New York, Mark came on to the scene with principal roles in performances of La Bohème, Così fan tutte, Lucia di Lammermoor, Die Fledermaus, Il barbiere di Siviglia, among others. He was also invited to sing the role of Guglielmo in Così fan tutte in Rome, Italy along with some concert appearances. Eventually, he was asked to fill a coveted position in the Associate Chorus for New York City Opera. During all this time Mark was seen frequently with the group Three for the Show around the New York tri-state area for 20+ years with over 300 performances of shows highlighting the music of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Berlin, Kern, Gershwin, Porter, Carmichael, et al.
As time moved on, Mark chose to return to his beginnings in musical theatre while still giving some performances of classical music and also ventured into the world of cabaret. He was one of thirty-eight people invited, worldwide, to be a part of the International Cabaret Conference at Yale where he worked with industry professionals such as Faith Prince, Jason Graae, and the legendary Julie Wilson.