Festival Artist 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. In the San Francisco Bay Area, he can be heard performing with the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Symphony, Musica Marin, Ensemble San Francisco, and at UCSF. Formerly a professor at University of the Pacific and the Interlochen Arts Center, he continues private teaching and coaching for the San Francisco Academy Orchestra and summer teaching and performances 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, performing in natural grottos, amphitheaters, on the rafts themselves, and shooting Class V rapids, though not simultaneously.

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 recent chamber music collaborations include Corey Cerovsek, Jon Nakamatsu, Wu Han, Fabio Bidini, Sabrina Höpcker, 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.