Mark Hodges joined the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra as Principal Percussionist in 1998 and is also a member of the Board of Trustees. Prior to his engagement with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Hodges performed regularly with the Cleveland Orchestra, held the positions of Principal Percussionist of the West Virginia Symphony, Principal Percussionist of the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, and Percussionist of the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to being an active performer, Hodges also is a member of the percussion faculty at the State University of New York, Buffalo State College.
Hodges is the founder of the Buffalo-based program Druminar™, a corporate training, leadership development, and team building consulting firm. Druminar is employed by Fortune 100 companies, national banks, international manufacturing companies, and major non-profit corporations designed to teach both business managers and employees the value of highly functioning teams, resulting in increased levels of employee/team engagement and business performance.
As an artist/endorser for Freer Percussion and Zildjian Cymbals, Hodges has been a clinician, adjudicator and lecturer throughout the United States including the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). He has performed in over thirty recordings with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra as well as many with the Cleveland Orchestra.
Some of the pop artists Hodges has shared the stage with include The Moody Blues, Sarah Mclachlan, The B-52s, Johnny Mathis, Stewart Copland of the Police, Lou Gramm of Foreigner, Burt Bacharack, Olivia Newton John, The Temptations, and The Four Tops. Hodges earned a Bachelors of Music degree from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and his Master of Music degree in Percussion performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music.