Album Notes

Mark Henderson is an innovative composer and accomplished keyboard artist who has creatd music for such diverse worlds as film, television, animation, musical theatre, video, CD-ROMs and international trade conventions. And he has a composed for a comprehensive clientele running the gamut from Steven Spielberg, Kenny Loggins and NBC News to Reebok, Honda, Coca Cola - not to mention those clever "Got Milk?" television commercials.

Mark was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. He studied music at California State University at Northridge and graduated from the The Groves School of Music where he received a degree in composition. Among his earliest successes was the original score for "Trap Door", which was a Gold Award winner at the 1993 Houston Film Festival. He has also scored the music for an animated film for the Smithsonian entitled "Priscilla the Proton", and wrote the music for the children's television production "Fire House Tales."

"I have always been writing music for motion pictures in my mind, so to actually score was a very natural step for me. And having a canvas the size of a motion picture, it allowed me to draw from my past musical experiences and expand on the color and depth of musical instrumentation."

His songwriting has drawn the attention of top recording artists, including Kenny Loggins, Melissa Manchester, and Tiffany, who have included his work in their albums and live performances. Additionally, Mark's song "When You Smile At Me," was featured on the television series "Santa Barbara." Several other compositions have been included on "The Sentinel" series.

For over a decade, Mark has been resident composer for the nationally acclaimed, award-winning Santa Barbara Access Theatre. He has composed eleven musical productions, which have been staged at such prestigious venues as Los Angeles' James A. Doolittle Theatre and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as touring internationally. His well-received shows include "Storm Reading", "Legend of the Crystal Waters" and "Leap>"

In 1994, Mark partnered with Gregory Kuhn and formed Blazing Cactus Music, a music house for television commercials and other musical projects. Together they wrote thirty songs and underscore for Steven Spielberg's DreamWork's interactive premiere CD-ROM entitled, "Someone's In the Kitchen!", a joint venture with Bill Gates' Microsoft. He also wrote original songs and score the Cloud 9 interactive children's CD-ROM, "Nick and Nora in Troll Town" and composed for "Zoo Food with Grandpa Nature", a children's video featuring the voice of Jonathan Winters.

In addition to Blazing Cactus projects, Mark decided to follow a personal path and pursue a solo artist music career. This CD, "Music for the Movies in Your Mind", is a blend of keyboard talents and compositional skills to make a very moving cinematic selection of instrumental pieces.