Mark Reeves originates from and is based in Horsham in West Sussex. He started reading music notation at the age of seven whilst learning to play the descant recorder at Chesworth Junior School in Horsham. At nine years old he progressed to playing the trumpet and at the age of twelve he began having piano lessons with Joyce Barlow, LRAM, GRSM, MRST at Collyer's Grammar School (now Collyer's College) in Horsham.

A few years later Mark broke the tradition at the school's annual classical music concert by playing Scott Joplin's Magnetic Rag for which he received a standing ovation.

After taking his GCE 'O' levels and 'A' levels, Mark went on to study fine art (photography and painting) and music (electronic music with Billy Cowie and piano with John Walker) at Brighton Polytechnic (now Brighton University) from 1979 to 1982, attaining a BA (Hons) Degree in Expressive Arts.

During the 1980s he played keyboards in various bands (Birds With Ears, Still Life, Retrospect, The Rhythm Method). With Still Life he released three singles and performed at many venues around the UK, occasionally with major chart acts of the day (Culture Club/Boy George, Midnight Oil, Sad Café).

Since 1990 Mark has spent less time performing in pop bands and has devoted more time to writing and arranging music (with Russell White, Natalie C and Lucy White).

Mark now gives piano lessons seven days a week and performs regularly as a solo pianist at private functions such as weddings, silver and golden weddings, birthday parties and as an accompanying pianist for vocalists and instrumentalists (Cliff Levene, Easy Livin', It Takes Two, Sarah Esser, John Noyce, Dianne Walters, The Pleasure Singers, The Millennium Voices, Bob Bogucki and numerous instrumentalists).

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In his spare time, as a voluntary worker for the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare Trust (NHS), Mark entertains Horsham Hospital patients and retirement home residents with his piano playing.

In March 2005 Mark joined the Crawley Millennium Concert Band and the Crawley Millennium Big Band as their keyboard player, which involves playing bass parts as well as piano, church organ, jazz/rock organ, harpsichord, guitar, harp, strings, mallet percussion (vibraphone, xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel) and various percussion instruments (tambourine, triangle, cabassa and castanets), although not necessarily all at the same time!

Both bands performed at sell-out concerts in Ezstergom and Gyula in Hungary during the first week in August 2006 and recently returned from their 2008 concert tour in Rome, Italy. Their 2006 CD "Millennium Live" is available via the CMCB Web site at www.cmcband.co.uk or at any of their concerts.

Crawley Millennium Concert Band and Mark Reeves
in Ezstergom, Hungary in August 2006

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© Copyright Mark Reeves 2004-2008. All rights reserved.