Mark Rodgers was born in Winnipeg into a musical family, where he first studied piano with his mother. He changed instruments to the cello early on and studied with James Hunter in Victoria, B.C., and later at Brandon University with Malcolm Tait while completing a Bachelor of Music. A Master’s Degree from the University of Western Ontario followed, where he studied with Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. At this time Mark occasionally performed with the Winnipeg Symphony and Winnipeg Ballet Orchestra, CBC Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon and London (Ontario) orchestras. In 1981 he was principal cellist with the National Youth Orchestra on their tour of Canada. After graduate studies he joined Symphony Nova Scotia whom he performed with from 1985 to 1989. He then studied and taught cello in Victoria B.C. for a number of years before taking the position of principal cellist of the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra in 1994. Mark has been teaching the cello for more than thirty five years, including positions as teaching assistant at the University of Western Ontario, and cello faculty at Acadia University, N.S., the Victoria Conservatory of Music and presently at the U of L Conservatory of Music.