Mark Christopher Brandt was born on February 2, 1961 in San Diego, California. At age 6, Mark's family relocated to Northern Virginia, where he began to develop his musical talent and ability. His first professional club gig was at a piano bar in McLean, Virginia when he was just 16 years old. By the age of 18, Mark was playing jazz, fusion, and pop music for a living.

In 1979, Mark graduated from high school and attended Catholic University as a classical piano performance/traditional composition major, working nights and weekends as a professional keyboardist with a local jazz and pop group. After three years at CU, he entered the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he completed his formal education studying jazz composition and arranging.

From 1977 to the present moment, Mark has continued to compose, perform, record, and teach music of every style while collaborating with musicians, visual artists, dancers, and educators from every genre and every aspect of the music industry.