Sharps & Flats

Meet our COMPOSITION teachers

Benjamin McCormack is a composer, vocalist, accompanist and music director from Trumbull, Connecticut. He currently attends Western Connecticut State University for music production, where he has won the Furman Music Competition and the NATS regional competition as a vocalist.

He has been studying both piano and voice for 19 years, and has performed both as a paid keyboard player and tenor/countertenor section leader at numerous churches in the Connecticut area.

As a composer, he has written for several area choirs, composed theme and background music for documentaries and podcasts, and is currently writing music for local campaign ads and the soundtrack to an upcoming mobile audio game, Sight Unseen."

Ridgefield's Premier Music Conservatory

(203) 438-3300

32 Danbury Road

Ridgefield, Ct

Mark Alexander  is a pianist, synthesist, songwriter and producer. Growing up in New Canaan, Connecticut, he started his formal classical piano training at the age of five. Strongly influenced by the Beatles and other bands of the British Invasion, as well as jazz greats as varied as Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck and McCoy Tyner, he was soon studying jazz piano and theory with Darius Brubeck and later with John Mehegan.

After graduating from New Canaan High School he attended Syracuse University where he continued studying classical piano and graduated with his Bachelor of Music degree. Upon graduating from Syracuse, Mark moved to New York City and was soon playing in local clubs and recording studios with a variety of bands and artists.

With 30 years in the music business, he has worked as a session and touring musician with a wide range of artists such as Meat Loaf, Joe Cocker, Luciano Pavarotti, Steven Van Zandt, Enrique Iglesias and performing in world renowned venues such as Madison Square Garden, Royal Albert Hall, Radio City Music hall, Wembley Stadium, and Shea Stadium. In addition to appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “Late Night with David Lettermen”, “The Brit Awards” and “The American Music Awards”, he has recorded for feature film soundtracks (The Bodyguard, Home Alone) and performed in Broadway shows including Jesus Christ Superstar and the Tony Award winning Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp collaboration, “Movin’ Out”. After touring with The Rascals reunion tour, “Once Upon a Dream” from 2012-2013, Mark joined the staff of Sharps and Flats. He currently lives in South Salem, New York with his family and continues to work as a live and session musician both locally and in New York City.