My blogs

About me

Industry	Arts
Occupation	Musician, Composer and Sound Designer
Location	Chelsea/Ottawa, Quebec/Ontario, Canada
Introduction	Born in Sudbury and raised in Timmins to Lise, an administrative assistant, and Camille Desormeaux, teacher and high school principal, Marc was always close with his siblings Fran and Mike. Sports, music and theatre kept him busy in those early years and fed his passions. After leaving high school he moved to Ottawa where he studied music at the University of Ottawa. Trumpet was his major, but Marc’s musical explorations covered a broad landscape of instruments, eventually leading him to composition. Outside of university he put these compositional skills to use writing music for his band Mark Stern and The Big Umbrella. The band enjoyed some success and even won the popular CHEZ 106 radio station’s band competition. The prize was a recording session and bookings in many of Ottawa’s ‘hot spots’. After the band split, Marc returned to an old love, theatre, this time in the capacity of composer. The National Art Centre’s L’Atelier would provide him his first gig. He was hooked.
Interests	The following years would take him to theatres across Canada and the United States. His award nominated musical scores enlivened the stage of The National Arts Centre for Written on Water, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Hamlet and The Vaudevilles of Chekhov, to name a few. Ten seasons with The Stratford Festival of Canada included work on productions of Richard III, Shakespeare’s Will, The Glass Menagerie, The Taming of the Shrew. At the Shaw Festival his music added much to Summer and Smoke, Pygmallion and A Room of One’s Own, and for the Mirvish Theater Company, Orpheus Descending, The Drawer Boy, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, A Street Car Named Desire, Zadie’s Shoes and Proof, a few of which toured nationally. Marc enjoyed his trips to work on productions for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre, and Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach. The Vienna English Theatre used his musical score, but alas, there was no trip in this one. Marc was a man of great imagination, wonderful creative vision. There were always new projects hatching, new plays to be conceived and written. It all began in 1997 with Cyberia for The National Arts Centre, a play he enjoyed his roles of playwright/composer/actor on. Following this, his co-creation, Time After Time, was produced by The Great Canadian Theater Company with him in the role of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker. Marc loved to act. In his time off from the regular theatre season jobs, he’d hit the road for summer stock theatre.
Favorite music	It was at Theatre Lac Brome in the Eastern Townships where he met his songmate, Trish Barclay. The show was Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave. Marc played guitar, Trish the fiddle. This was to be the beginning of wonderful collaboration, both on and off the stage. The two co-wrote Brigit’s Reel, and performed throughout the Eastern townships, Ontario and at Centaur Theatre in Montreal. Many years of collaborations and road trips would follow for the two. Summers to Dawson City, Yukon, to play ‘Bert’ and ‘Dot’ in Barclay’s fiddle theatre for young people, Fiddleheads. The two eventually settled two years ago in the Outaouais, to be closer to family, nieces Katya and Jaime included. The group Fiddleheads now flourish here in Chelsea, Quebec, thanks in good part to Marc’s creative talents generously given. Marc’s last gift to Trish is their beautifully crafted wee home in the Gatineau hills. He loved to work with his hands. He was a musician. He had found new work for those hands and a passion in building a home of spruce and pine. The lovely music studio he built with help from his friend Moe resonates with music still, and will for a long time to come. Thank you for all your generous gifts Marky, your talents and kindnesses freely shared.