Meet Marcus Hart | Composer & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marcus Hart and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marcus, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
I think that with where I’m currently at in my life, although there may be a multitude of roadblocks at any given moment, at the core of it, I have an incredibly special opportunity to study a passion and I value and am purely grateful for every moment of this experience. Getting to see my cat when I get back from class, calling my mom to show each other our cats, meeting and working other musicians/learning about their own passions and life experiences, watching trash reality shows with my roommate and a bowl of Chef Boyardee; every moment is so uniquely special, and there can be so much beauty and joy found even in the mundane. I’m constantly growing and learning, and I’m very grateful that I can say that there’s an uncountable number of things that make me happy every single day.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am currently a second-year Music for New Media student at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University! The music that I write spans many different genres, but at its core, regardless of project or genre, I try to imbue my music with as much of myself as I possibly can. Most recently, I have been working on a series of concert compositions inspired by Claude Monet oil paintings. Within this series I try capturing the essence of the painting, the way it was intended to be perceived, and the way that it is perceived by me, and translate it into music. however, beyond my work composing, I teach music composition to local Baltimore middle schoolers, advocate for students on our Peabody General Assembly board, play saxophone and piano, occasionally coach dance at my former dance studio, oil paint, adventure through the woods, and play with my cool and wonderful cat!

All of these passions started in my hometown of Fargo, North Dakota. I was fortunate enough that my middle school offered band classes which is where I first picked up saxophone, and from the moment I had any sort of musical knowledge I began teaching myself music notation, composition, and piano. This continued all throughout high school where I was heavily involved in my school’s band, choir, and theatre programs as well as competing on a dance team through a local studio. The fall semester of my senior year, I expressed to my music teachers that I wanted to pursue music. This is where my first roadblock came as my portfolio at the time only consisted of the pieces I had written in my spare time, and I had no accolades to my name regarding composition at all. Through those next few months of trying to muster any sort of portfolio with my educators, I did receive a state and multi-state regional award for a piano solo that I had written to add to my application, and then after submitting my applications just had to cross my fingers and hope for the best. After the whole process of applications, auditions, and interviews, I was very graciously accepted at Peabody, and then this is where my next roadblock came being that college is horrendously expensive! I fully believe that anyone should be able to pursue their passion regardless of financial situation, and there was certainly a long period of time for me where college was just simply unaffordable. That being said, if there is a will, there is in fact a way, and after many trials and tribulations, I reached a point where attending school would be financially plausible. Something that I really appreciate about Baltimore is the sheer number of free opportunities there are to study music like the OrchKids and Peabody’s Junior Bach program that I teach in, so that any student, regardless of financial background, can comfortably pursue music. I feel such an overwhelming gratitude to study music at Peabody, and to the absurd amount of people that made it possible, and I truly hope that anyone who would like to pursue their passion but is hesitant for purely financial reasons knows that despite the challenges, there is a way for you too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I adore Baltimore’s inner harbor and Fell’s Point areas. There’s an insane number of fantastic stores and restaurants, all right on the water the harbor. Both the Baltimore Museum of Art and Walters Art Museum are both stunning galleries, free to the public that I spend hours and hours in. Lastly, there’s a number of trails and parks that are great pockets of stunning nature. At least within the city, Stony Run’s a great one and is super reminiscent to me of the trails I grew up near in North Dakota (although unlikely, if you are ever in Fargo for any reason, Forest River Sanctuary and Orchard Glen are magical).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are not words to express my gratitude for all of the wonderful educators I have had in my life, particularly Kristine Strege, Darcy Brandenburg, Carly Grandner McDougall, and Amanda Kretchman my incredible high school music teachers and dance coach, who not only encouraged me to pursue my passions but taught me what it means to be an incredible educator, musician, and person. I feel as though the unwavering support from my family is invaluable, from my mom especially who consistently ensures that I know that I am valued and loved despite her time and energy-consuming yet exceptional work with her own business as well as raising two other kids (and two other cats!) And lastly, all of the exceptional musicians and friends I have been lucky enough to meet in my time at Peabody have shaped me and taught me more than I ever thought possible.

Website: https://play.reelcrafter.com/OqgpdrPFQb2-_sh_mFsI4g

Instagram: @coolguy_marcus

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@MarcusHart-zm6mk?si=eyFnSE9_la9uAFEn

Image Credits
Photos taken indoors were taken by Olina Kilbury, any outdoors were taken by Isabelle Sunderlin.