A native of the Boston area, cellist Mark Bridges received the bachelor’s degree from Boston University where he studied with David Soyer and Leslie Parnas. He holds a master of music degree from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Steven Doane, and earned an Orchestral Studies Diploma as a section cellist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.  Mark holds a DMA degree in cello from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he was a student of Uri Vardi.  He has been a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra since 2016 and in 2018 became the assistant principal cello.  Mark is actively engaged in music education. He teaches a private studio in Madison and coaches chamber music for the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician he has performed with members of the Borodin, Muir, and Pro Arte String Quartets, attended the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar and the Banff Centre Chamber Music Residency, performed at the Token Creek Festival, and has appeared several times on the CBC and WPR for “Sunday Afternoon Live from the Chazen.” He is a core member of Madison’s highly acclaimed chamber music ensemble, The Willy Street Chamber Players.  Mark is a member of the duo “High Plains” with Vancouver-based electronic musician Scott Morgan. The duo released its debut album on the Portland-based label “Kranky” in 2017 and later that year released the EP “Pilot-Hill.” He has been the recipient of artistic residencies at the Banff Centre and the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts. In addition to his musical activities Mark completed a minor in studio art from UW-Madison and has many hobbies which include photography, ballet, modern dance, cycling and spending time with his two dogs.