RICERCA di POESIA (2002) This duo for violin and piano was commissioned by the American Composers Forum for their Composers Commissioning grant program. Arches was the initial working title for this piece, and the compositional process incorporates various developmental methods for projecting musical arches. As the work on the piece progressed, it became clear that a more expressive title would be better suited, and thus Ricerca di Poesia - the search for poetry.

Mark Zanter is an active performer/composer with interests in concert and popular music. He has been commissioned by the UIUC Creative Music Orchestra, String Society, CU Symphony, and the American Composers forum. He has appeared as a composer and performer on WILL, IPR, "Second Sunday" concerts, on KFAI and KUOM radio in Minneapolis, MN. His works have been performed nationally and internationally at conferences and festivals including MUSIC '98 (Cincinnati Conservatory) and June in Buffalo.

"I am interested in the expression of an idea," Mark says, "in realizing a piece through observation of its inherent musical potential. In each piece, I invent processes that express this potential creating contexts in which it is realized. In that sense my music results from the interaction of observations, intuition, and processes, rather than from a willful shaping of my materials."

Mark is currently assistant professor of composition at Marshall University. Mr. Zanter completed his A. Mus. D. in composition at the University of Illinois where he studied with Salvatore Martirano, William Brooks, Paul Martin Zonn, and Erik Lund.