By Charles Baran 

Composer Mark Hayes began his musical career rather unexpectedly. At age 10, he was confronted with a tough grade school decision to choose between a band instrument or piano. He fortuitously chose piano.  Several Carnegie Hall and international concerts later, the rest, as they say, is history. His first mentor, an old Baptist pianist named Hazel Burke taught young Mark how to improvise which laid the foundation for a body of work that includes a Requiem, a Te Deum, a Magnificat and over 1,500 pieces of published music. In advance of Mark’s upcoming February 11th concert at the Sunshine Cathedral, I chatted with him about his latest monumental work that is nearing completion for a major New York premier. 

Charles Baran: Hello Mark! I’ve been enjoying listening to your music on iTunes and getting to know your work. It’s quite sensational. How did you become a composer? 

Mark Hayes: I studied piano from an early age and subsequently attended Baylor University in Texas with the goal of becoming a concert pianist. As it turned out, my courses in choral composition and orchestration became my focus and my path led me to becoming an arranger and composer of many types of music, from classical to jazz to gospel.  

Charles Baran: Who are the composers that inspire you? 

Mark Hayes: I love the romantic composers like Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. There’s a passion and drama to their music that’s amazing. I also like some of the impressionistic composers like Debussy and Erik Satie. I’m working on this big project now that’s probably one of the most challenging pieces I’ve ever done in my life. It’s going to be in the Baroque style influenced by J.S. Bach and Handel. There’s a uniformity, clarity and a symmetry to Baroque music. It kind of goes where you think it will go, all these different lines, like a puzzle, that fit together. It feels solid and satisfying and I’m enjoying it greatly. 

Charles Baran: Is this the piece you’re premiering at the David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center in May? 

Mark Hayes: Yes, It is. I’m calling it Kindness: A Chorale and Fugue in the Baroque Tradition. Kindness is a very important value to me and I wanted the piece to focus on the themes of kindness, courage and compassion. Growing up in Gurnee, Illinois, as a short little introverted gay boy, being kind was seen as being wimpy. It was very easy to be the target of bullying. But kindness takes great courage. So, it’s a really positive piece. It’s a work that not only church choirs can sing, but community choruses and even the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. I’ve written the text myself and there’s an operatic soprano and tenor solo in it. It will be heroic and epic sounding and hopefully reminiscent of Bach or Handel. The message is contemporary and timeless. It will be an odd fit with the Baroque style. But I’m up for it. 

Charles Baran: Will you be previewing it at the Sunshine Cathedral on February 11th? 

Mark Hayes: It requires a large number of singers so it’s not possible. For the February show, I’ve planned a great program, drawing work from among the 110 piano books I have in print. I’ll be playing my piano solo versions of film favorites and movie score themes, some classical works and some gospel. In addition, I’ll have vocalists Gabe Salazar and Sara Burns do some wonderful musical theater pieces. 

Charles Baran: It sounds like a wonderful concert. I can’t wait. 

Mark Hayes: Thank you, Charles. I look forward to seeing you in February!