Mark Votapek, formerly a professor for 8 years at University of Arizona, rejoined the Hawaii Symphony as Principal Cello in 2015. He has been a member of the Maui-based Ebb and Flow Arts contemporary ensemble and Oahu’s Pacific Concert Artists International. He calls San Francisco home, where he can be heard performing with the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Symphony, Musica Marin, and at UCSF. His past teaching positions include at University of the Pacific and the Interlochen Arts Center, and he continues private teaching and coaching as a guest of the Masaki School, the San Francisco Academy Orchestra and with the Mammoth Lakes Music Festival.

Votapek has gained renown for combining music with the outdoors. In 2013, he completed a 27-performance recital tour from Mexico to Canada, backpacking the entire 2700-mile Pacific Crest Trail from concert to concert. In 2015, he performed at the Moab Music Festival, including on a multi-day Colorado River raft trip of flatwater and Class V rapids, giving cello and chamber music performances in natural grottos, amphitheaters, river beaches, and even on the rafts themselves.

His previous posts as Principal Cellist of the Oregon Symphony and as Associate Principal Cello of the Saint Louis Symphony, and residencies at varied festivals, joined him with some of the world’s finest musicians and natural lands. He performed a duo with Sarah Chang at Aspen and climbed Mt. Elbert the following day, immediately followed by performances at the Olympic Music Festival and a climb of Mt. Rainier.

Votapek’s 2017 and 2018 chamber music collaborations have so far included performances with Jon Nakamatsu, Corey Cerovsek, Anthone Arnone, Wu Han, the Galliard Quartet, Fabio Bidini, Sabrina Höpcker, Iggy Jang, and Joseph Swenson. Votapek’s concerts have been aired numerous times on NPR stations across the United States, and his performance of Schelomo was featured on Performance Today. He can be heard performing Dvorak’s famous cello concerto with the Hawaii Symphony in November 2018.