Marko Marcinko

During his years in the music industry, Marko Marcinko has worked as a freelance musician playing drum set, percussion, piano/keyboards, bass guitar, vocals, and trombone. He has also served as a studio session player, arranger, musical director, and producer for numerous commercial jingles, indie-films, and off-Broadway, club and theater engagements.

Born in Archbald, Pennsylvania, Marcinko studied technique with drumming master Joe Morello and continued his training at the University of Miami (FL) where he studied classical, jazz, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban styles under professors Fred Wickstrom, Steve Bagby, Steve Rucker, Harry Hawthorne, and Ney Resauro.

Marcinko toured and recorded with jazz legend Maynard Ferguson in the mid-90s and with NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman as a member of the Dave Liebman Group (2000-2014). He currently works with the Grammy-nominated Dave Liebman Big Band and the Organik Vibe Trio featuring Joel Frahm, Ron Oswanski, The Hal Galper Trio, The Chris Parker Septet and The Marko Marcinko Latin Jazz Quintet.

He is founder and artistic director of the PA Jazz Alliance and the Scranton Jazz Festival, and has served as a consultant, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the United States, Canada, South America, eastern/western Europe, and Japan.

Over the past 30 years, he has performed with Joe Henderson, Phil Woods, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton, Benny Golson, Bob Dorough, Red Rodney, Arturo Sandivol, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Mulgrew Miller, Wallace Roney, John Pizzarelli, Kurt Elling, Tierney Sutton, Janis Siegel, Terell Stafford, Joe Lovano, Anthony Jackson, Mike Stern and Will Lee. Also with popular musicians and entertainers including: John Legend, Jon Secada, Joan Rivers, Jay Leno, Connie Francis, Joe Piscopo, Don Rickles, Melba Moore, Juan Gabriel, Clay Aiken, Bob Newhart, and Nicol Williamson.

Professor Marcinko serves as Director of Jazz Studies and Professor of Drum Set Studies at Penn State University where he conducts Centre Dimensions, the premier twenty-piece jazz ensemble at Penn State University. This incredible jazz ensemble performs with several internationally known artists each year during the annual Penn State Jazz Festival. Marcinko also oversees the Jazz Combo program that features Vocal Dimensions and numerous small jazz and contemporary music ensembles during the school year.

Marko Marcinko endorses Yamaha Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, and Aquarian Drum Heads.