Far Western District Dedicates Fall Convention to Mark Freedkin
Driving around town the first night he arrived, he saw an electric sign with the message: “Wanted – Men Who Like To Sing.” The local chapter was hosting a guest night, and he was hooked. Nine months later, Mark relocated to Southern California and transferred his membership to what was then the Santa Ana Chapter, and he quickly stepped up as the assistant director. Mark sang in a variety of chapter quartets, with the most notable being Nickel Beer. Mark commented, “We didn’t sing very well, but we sure were entertaining.” The Santa Ana Chapter eventually moved to Westminster, and became the ‘old’ Westminster Chapter, where Mark served as music director for just over three years.
In 1993, he assumed the music director position for the Saddleback Valley Chapter, which ultimately became the Irvine Chapter, and held that position for almost three years.
In early 1996, Mark joined the Masters of Harmony, who were on their way to their third International Chorus Championship in Salt Lake City. Mark has been singing baritone with the Masters ever since and has earned all six of their most recent gold medals. Mark has served the Masters as assistant baritone section leader, auditions coordinator, vocal assessor, and merchandise manager.
Where did Mark get his musical aptitude? “I played accordion as a kid, and started singing in elementary school, and continued through jr. high, high school and college” – more than many of us. He enjoys riding his motorcycle and is doing all of the electrical wiring for a new bonus room in his house. That takes care of his “spare time.”
The biggest contribution that Mark has made to the Far Western District is in the area of Youth Outreach. Starting in 1994, Mark chaired a committee of local barbershop chapters that helped raise and donate over $42,000 to support choral music education in Orange County high schools. In 1999, he organized a young men’s chorus of almost 80 high school singers that performed at the 1999 International Convention in Anaheim. Through that event, Mark established an ongoing relationship with the Southern California Vocal Association (SCVA), a professional organization for choral music teachers and the American Choral Directors Association. Mark has served the SCVA as webmaster since early 2000, and he has automated many of the administrative functions (such as registration for honor choirs and festivals) that were previously performed manually, saving countless hours and improving accuracy and timeliness of those registrations.
Starting in 2001 and every year since, Mark has been the organizer and chairman of the Southern California Young Men’s Harmony Festival, which has been adopted and endorsed by SCVA as their official young men’s event, completely replacing their previous “young men’s clinic” event. As a result of his efforts and contributions, the SCVA created a special position on their Executive Board for Vice President of Barbershop Harmony Festivals, and named Mark to that position.
Mark says, “I was deeply honored by this appointment as it shows that barbershop harmony has been embraced as a legitimate musical art form by the music education community, and it reflects positively on all of the Barbershoppers who have helped expose young men and young women to this wonderful style of music.”
A 36-year Society member, Mark has served the District and Society on the COTS (now Leadership Academy) Faculty for Youth In Harmony, been a recurring member of the music faculty for the NorCal Youth Harmony Camp, and has led the men’s musical program for the Tucson Youth Harmony Festival for two years.
Mark and his wife Shellie have been married for over 21 years and live in Irvine, California. They have a beautiful 16-year old daughter named Linda. To provide food for the table in addition to music for the soul, Mark is Director of Development and Quality Assurance for Active Storage, Inc., in Torrance (development and testing of networked data storage systems in media and entertainment).
