Peter Markes

Peter Markes (Marcus) lives in Oklahoma City with his wife, Kris, and their two boys, Patrick and Vincent. Since 2020 he has taught on faculty at his alma mater, Oklahoma City University, as associate professor and head of music education and faculty advisor for OCU's NAfME Collegiate Chapter. Prior to that he taught orchestra in the Edmond Public Schools for 15 years, taking the Edmond North Orchestra to a performance at the Midwest Clinic in 2012 and two tours to Carnegie Hall. For over 20 years he has served in numerous capacities on faculty with the Oklahoma Youth Orchestras, including seven years as conductor for the Oklahoma Youth Philharmonic, and currently as Artistic Director and Conductor for the OKYO Summer Symphony Strings Camp. In 2013, he was selected as the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year and also one of the “50 Directors Who Make a Difference” by School Band and Orchestra magazine. 

 

Peter teaches and performs based on the belief that “music changes lives.” Among his greatest joys are the countless times he has witnessed music inspire, encourage, and heal widely varied audiences around the world. Peter writes music and performs guitar and vocals with his musical partner of 30 years, Kyle Dillingham. Together they have performed in over thirty countries, completing two separate American Music Abroad tours to Taiwan, Korea, Myanmar, and Russia (2013) and Kuwait and Kosovo (2019). In July 2019, the band had their debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry, and that same year were selected to perform at World Expo 2020 in Dubai. In 2022, they were honored by the Edmond History Museum with an exhibit entitled America’s Musical Ambassadors. Most recently they performed the 2025 New Year’s Eve Halftime Show for the Oklahoma City Thunder. As a solo artist, Peter actively performs with a focus on live-looping violin and folk-pop singer-songwriter styles. He has released two albums, I Have a Dream (2018) and My Father’s Age (2024), available to stream worldwide. 

 

When not creating music, Peter enjoys time with his family – building LEGO, watching movies, making more music, and rearranging the dishwasher after them. Learn and hear more at www.PeterMarkes.com and YouTube and social media @PeterMarkesMusic.