Southern California native, Mark Alpizar, enjoys a multi-faceted and entrepreneurial career as a conductor, clarinetist, and music educator.
As a conductor, he has worked with ensembles of all ranges and abilities. From 2013 to 2015, he was the assistant conductor for the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. During this time, Mr. Alpizar also conducted the Collegium Musicum at the Cole Conservatory of Music at Cal State Long Beach.
In addition to his professional engagements, Alpizar remains committed to music education. Since 2012, he has been the music director of the Four Seasons Youth Orchestra in Orange County, California. During his tenure, the orchestra has performed an unprecedented amount of new music and premiered a dozen new works. One of their most ambitious seasons included the Grammy-nominated Calling All Dawns from Civilizations 4 and the world premiere of Luke Hannington’s comic opera, The Inferiority Complex of Old Sippy. Alpizar has frequently conducted the South Coast Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2008. Between the two groups he has played two concertos, performed in Segerstrom and Walt Disney Concert Halls, and completed performance tours to England, Wales, Ireland, Spain, Greece, New York, and Sydney.
Alpizar currently resides in Phoenix while pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting at Arizona State University where he studies with Jeffery Meyer and Tito Muñoz. Since moving to Phoenix, he has commissioned new works for the ASU Symphony, conducted a mainstage opera, and has conducted both The Phoenix Youth Symphony and the East Valley Youth Symphony.