Mark M. Davis

The New American Mandolin Ensemble (NAME) is a group of virtuoso artists dedicated to presenting original compositions for plucked strings. Championing the best of contemporary composers for this medium NAME has a special interest in promoting works from the United States. NAME seeks to inspire this development through concerts, recordings, and educational outreach.

NAME's performances of new works by composers such as Frank Wallace, Chris Acquavella, Owen Hartford, Emiel Stopler and Annette Kruisbrink can be seen on YouTube. (Go to LINKS)

Recent performances include:

45th Festival Internacional de Plectro de La Rioja, Spain

Applause Series, Agawam, MA

Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Series, UConn, West Hartford, CT

The Vanilla Bean Cafe, Pomfret, CT

The Bread Box Theater, Willimantic, CT

Casa Branca do Gramido, Gondomar, Portugal
Teatro Gran Coliseo, Fuenmayor, Spain
Sala Gonzalo de Berceo, Logroño, Spain
Eurofest 2014, Bruchsal, Germany
English Reformed Church, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Europaische Akadamie Otzaehausen, Saarland, Germany
Museo Würth, Agoncillo, Spain
Doopsgezinde Kerk, Steenwijk, The Netherlands
The Classical Mandolin Society of America, Portland OR
The Performing Arts Complex of Delaware County, Wallingford Pennsylvania

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“"The New American Mandolin Ensemble … plays wonderful new music [and] will no doubt become a standard [for] the mandolin groups of tomorrow.” 

Mike Marshall

  “The music is played so fresh and I love the natural sense of groove that this group has.  Beautiful playing - very exciting!” -

Caterina Lichenberg 

"Brilliant and beautiful contemporary compositions performed by extraordinary musicians with finesse, power and heart."

John Goodin 

“I'm immediately struck by how adventurous the repertoire is.  The ensemble playing is tight…a well-rehearsed group with communal control over dynamics.”

Simon Mayor

BIOS:

All members of NAME are professional musicians involved intimately and at length with various aspects of plucked string performance – performance, teaching, composing, and arranging. 

NAME's founding director Mark Davis first studied guitar and mandolin with Hibbard Perry of the “Rhode Island” school of mandolin (G. Pettine and W. Place), and later with the pioneering German guitarist/conductor Siegfried Behrend, from whom Davis inherited his fascination with contemporary plucked string music. 

Guitarist Judith Handler and mandolinist Mark Levesque have created an enviable reputation for their concerts and recordings as the Handler-Levesque Duo. 

Robert Margo is equally adept at the mandolin, mandola, and his custom-made 'liuto-cantabile'; he is also a tireless arranger of music for plucked strings. 

Classical guitarist Beverly Davis is known for her duo performances with Mark Davis, with the Cafe Trio Plus, and with the Providence Mandolin Orchestra. 

Bassist Bob Asprinio is as often found playing electric guitar in an Americana band, playing the theorbo in an early music group, or jamming with his cowboy band.

NAME's REVERBNATION page