Orchestra Manager Mark Gillespie grew up in South and South-East Asia before returning to McLean, Virginia, where he graduated from The Potomac School. Beginning Suzuki at 5, Mark continued classical piano and voice training in the United States with James Selway and Sandra Harness of the World Children’s Choir, as well as music theory and composition with Francis McKay at Georgetown’s Levine School of Music. In 2004, Mark graduated Honours, Cum Laude from Bishop’s University, Canada, having been tutored by Juno-winning composer Andrew Paul MacDonald and written his Thesis under French-Baroque specialist Jack Eby.

In university Mark also began to explore popular music. Forming bands and collaborating with future members of Lifehouse, Vampire Weekend, etc., it wasn’t on stage, but in the studio that Mark's work as a producer/songwriter began to attract attention within the industry. This culminated in 2003 when hit-maker Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins (Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Destiny’s Child, Backstreet Boys, etc.,) invited Mark to join him in the studio for a year, co-writing and co-producing on a number of projects. Releases from this period include the soundtrack to the film Honey, starring Jessica Alba, TLC’s 3D (2X Platinum), and singles by K-Ci & JoJo and Tyra Banks, among others.

In 2006 Mark obtained a Master’s in Music (Maîtrise en musicologie) from Université Laval, Québec. Serge Lacasse (Mitsou), Paul Cadrin, and Philip Tagg (Kojak)  paneled his M.MUS Thesis. This was followed by a year-long postgraduate research program in Music Creation and Production Sciences (Musikkproduksjon / opptaksteknikk) at Universitetet i Stavanger, Norway, with Dag Overland.

An active musicologist, producer, and composer, Mark has published articles in academic journals (Music Theory Review, Journal of the Art of Record Production,...) and lectured in university courses, industry workshops, and academic conferences throughout North America and Europe (City University of New York, Swedish Institute of Culture – Paris, University of Toronto, University of Olso, Carlton University, Saint John’s University, IASPM, International School of Stavanger...). In addition to managing Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Mark is a Ph.D. candidate at Université Laval and Music Director of l’Atelier de Recherche et de Création Cinématographique et Audiovisuel, Paris, France.