Message from Mark's family in New Zealand:

'Vale' to Mark Smythe, who died suddenly in May 2026 (aged 53) while hiking near his home in Los Angeles, USA.

Nelson-born, he was based in Melbourne, Australia for 14 years from late 1998, then in LA for 13 years.

Mark was an award-winning composer, conductor and college professor who was

much loved and will be greatly missed by many.

His spirit lives on through his uniquely beautiful music...

This website remains in memoriam to Mark. Messages to his family may be sent to his tribute page

[For enquiries about Mark's music, please see contact emails below]

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Photo Jan 16 2024, 10 44 56 AM_edited.jp

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BIO

Mark is a New Zealand-born composer of film and concert music, based in LA. His dichotomously beautiful and brutal score for The Reef: Stalked was nominated in the 2023 World Soundtrack Awards and SCL Awards. In the last 2 years, Mark has composed and performed 14 chamber works for 9 concert collaborations: LA Choral Lab (2), Choral Arts Initiative (1) and The Night Temple (6), and performed a selection of his choir & electric guitar works with Belgium's Lassenne Vocale.

On April 6 in Auckland, New Zealand, virtuoso harpist Helen Webby performed my 2022 piece “Moto Revivo” as part of @harpfestnz. She’s a phenomenal player, and I love composing with her dexterity and artistic nuances a mind. My sister got some excerpts from the concert. Enjoy these snippets if you like harp! 🪉🎵
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#harp #classicalmusic #composer #concert #virtuoso

LAST SATURDAY - Attended my first @lacmofficial graduation ceremony as Composing for Visual Media dept chair. I convinced the organizers to let me present a highlights reel of masters grad scores, and it was very well received. Unsurprising, as the work of @lehangk_777, @shihan_alejandro, @wanlunlovesmusic, @manamiosaka_music, @david.eizi and @yuxuanliumusic is very good. I’ve only known these 6 young composers since last summer, but it was a pleasure to teach them and a privilege to celebrate them.
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#graduation #filmmusic #masters #composer #professor

Last Friday, just a few hours after returning from the awesome @denisontuttifestival in Ohio, I hosted a showcase for my 5 graduating Bachelors in Composition for Visual Media students at @lacmofficial. It was a fantastic night, with family and friends from Brazil, China and South Africa in attendance. This clip includes LACM studio footage of their recent @budapestscoring session, and the scenes they scored. I had fun putting this together. Bravo again to @colinlockridge , @rodrigosilvestrinimusic & Teane Maseko, whose work is featured here.
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#filmcomposer #professor #showcase #graduation #celebration

I’ve just spent a whirlwind two days in Granville, Ohio as an invited composer for the biannual @denisontuttifestival - and it was AWESOME. Last night I performed Part III of my “Song of the Sea” for Choir and Electric Guitar with the Denison University Chamber Singers, conducted by the most excellent @whipock. Flawless. Big applause. The auditorium was full, and so is my creative heart. A concert recording will be out there at some point, but meanwhile here’s some imagery. Hooray!
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#composer #denisonuniversity #newmusic #choralmusic #electricguitar

Mega #flashbackfriday - back in the homeland, Aotearoa / New Zealand for a wonderful 2-week summer break, late December > early January:

1: Maitai River, Nelson
2: Pinot with a view at Mum’s
3: Mum & Son, day of arrival
4: ☕️ with Ludwig
5: 🎸 time with cousins
6: Tata Beach, Golden Bay
7: Wainui Falls
8: Totos Café 👌🏻
9: Mum’s bach, Tata Beach
10: Dad & Sisters, Wellington
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#newzealand #aotearoa #summer #holiday

New year, new ideas. Rough little sketch that I plan to stretch. 🎸🎵
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#electricguitar #newmusic #create #music

Flashback Friday: Last Monday’s remote recording session with @budapestscoring and my @lacmofficial Composing for Visual Media masters students. They all worked hard to develop excellent cues. Immensely proud. I present in order: @wanluun (“Far From Heaven”), @lehangk_777 (“Closing In”), @manamiosaka_music (“A Small Hero”), @shihan_alejandro (“Birth of Ultron”) and @yuxuanliumusic (“Unbound Spirit”). Take a break from the frenzy of awards season and check out these young composers of the future. 🎵🎥
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#filmscoring #composers #orchestra #professoring #proud

Mega #flashbackfriday Part 2: Rehearsal footage from the 2017 live score concert for FLYING SOUTH / excerpt from the film. LINK TO FULL 22 MINUTE FILM IN BIO. 🇳🇿🎵
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#newzealand #music #filmscore #composer #orchestra #concert

Mega #flashbackfriday - 10 years ago I had my 2nd @hmmawards nomination for FLYING SOUTH - a 22 minute, scenic docudrama adventure that traverses New Zealand’s Te Whaipounamu (South Island). I recorded the score with @christchurchsymphonyorchestra and @gk_474b. In 2017, the CSO performed a Live Score Concert of the film, for which I did a fun presentation and played the Ukulele part. FLYING SOUTH screened in tourism hotspots for a few years. To celebrate the anniversary of this epic project, I finally put the film on YouTube - LINK IN BIO! 🎵🇳🇿
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#newzealand #scenery #epic #southisland #fullorchestra #livescoreconcert #anniversary #10years #music #filmscore #concertmusic #composer #kiwi

One year ago today I premiered the full, 3-movement version of “Song of the Sea” for Choir, Electric Guitar, Violin and Double Bass with @lachorallab as part of their epic LAND’S END concert. It’s truly one of the best works I’ve written, and performing it with LACL, conducted by @barakamay, was surreal. Here’s some nice footage from rehearsals and the concert (Movement 2). LINK TO FULL PERFORMANCE IN BIO. Their next concert, IN/HUMAN: Arrivals is on November 22 - just go!
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#choir #electricguitar #newmusic #choralmusic #anniversary #1year #memories #composer

Concert #tbt : Excerpts from the October 18 premiere of my new Piano Quintet “VENTUS” (Breath of Life) at @thenighttemple 🎹🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻

Violin I - @thee.k.wolf
Violin II - @morgmaestro
Viola - @lacroiyalty
Cello - @winnie_liu_cello
Contrabass - @tony_green_
Conductor - @andrew_dalziell
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#newmusic #tbt #piano #quintet #premiere #losangeles #concerts #chambermusic #composer #community

“Susurrus” - to whisper. Wrote this in the weekend. A little twilight dreamscape to close your eyes to.
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#piano #twilight #whispers #ghostly #sunday #newmusic

My musically vibrant Aunt, Philippa Ward (Pippa) passed away a week ago, just after 7pm Wednesday July 23rd LA time, aged 84. She was a distinguished pianist, répétiteur, teacher and adjudicator. From as young as I can remember, with a knowing glint in her eyes, she’d say to me “Mark, keep doing your music. I think you’ll be a composer and will do great things.” I was working on this piano idea in Shadow Hills when she ‘moved on’…so I kept playing it when I found out. Her funeral is happening right now in New Zealand. This is for Pippa. 🩶
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#awesomeaunt #remembrance #nephew #piano

When it’s the last afternoon looking after a house in the hills with a Guild, you must play it even if the strings are old and your little idea is rough.
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#guildguitars #acoustic #veranda #saturday #newidea #newmusic #guitar #create

Mark Snow passed away yesterday. I only knew him for a week in 2011, but what a week it was - he was a mentor at the ASCAP/NYU Film Scoring Workshop - my first trip to the USA. Young small NZ town me was slightly overawed upon meeting Mr. Snow, but he made me feel like I belonged in the screen music world on a larger scale. That’s his ‘call to composer arms’ and signature on my workshop score. I did get busy, and I moved to America early 2013. Thank you Mark, for your music and that incredible, formative week. 🙏🏻🎵
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#legend #grateful #thexfiles #theloveboat #bluebloods #thenewmutants

Long overdue Sunday piano creating. 🎹
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#piano #newmusic #sundaymood☀️

Excerpt from last night’s premiere of NOX NOCTIS - newly arranged for String Quintet & Electric Guitar - closing event of Day 1 of @thenighttemple Music in Visual Media Conference. Thank you @carisa_bianca_mellado and @andrew_dalziell for all that you do for the LA music community, and @alisonlewismusic and @seabasse for the footage!

Violin I @eric.km.clark
Violin II @thee.k.wolf
Viola @marshweedinthegarden
Cello @cellobenz
Contrabass @tony_green_
Conductor @andrew_dalziell

FULL VIDEO YT LINK IN BIO 🎵
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#electricguitar #newmusic #premiere #stringquintet #chambermusic #artmusic #losangeles #musiccommunity

Finally I present to the world the full 3-movement version of SONG OF THE SEA for Choir, Electric Guitar, Violin & Contrabass - premiered by @lachorallab at their LAND’S END concert on November 9, 2024. Conducted by @barakamay with @eric.km.clark on violin and @davidtranchina on contrabass. Huge thanks to @scoringmixer and @genemicofsky for helping me fix the raw video audio. If you like these excerpts - FULL VIDEO LINK IN BIO. Also - LA Choral Lab absolutely ROCK and you should go to their IN / HUMAN concert on May 31 ! Scoot to their IG page as tagged here for full deets. 🎵
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#electricguitar #newmusic #choralmusic #premiere #choir
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A Saturday night musical rumination. 🎹
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#piano #saturday #newmusic #create #peaceful #thoughtful

SmytheLog, March 2025: How to recover from an ear infection:

- Get away from LA noise & chaos.
- Spend 1.5 days in Joshua Tree National Park with hilarious English friend @timdespic
- Hike off-trail; be a pathfinder.
- Watch the sunset. 🌅
- Watch the sunrise. 🌄
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#rejuvenation #recovery #escapefromla #joshuatree #adventure #hiking #camping

@thenighttemple March 15 - last section of my new piece “Solace in the Cracks of Light” for String Quintet, Soprano and Electric Guitar.

Soprano: @alisonlewismusic
Violin 1: @eric.km.clark
Violin 2: @thee.k.wolf
Viola: @marshweedinthegarden
Cello: @andrew_dalziell
Double Bass: Awesome Tony
Footage: @beccaschack

Solace in the cracks of light
Through the endless winding stream, we embrace what we can that moves us
Solace in the cracks of light
Tranquility found under the surface
Time unyielding
We sometimes lose ourselves
In a flow that runs dry
Fly! Do not drown in that place
Solace in the cracks of light
Halcyon song, speak to me
Breathe new life into me
Cradle your anima, hold it fast
Find it in the quieter places
Find it in the truer faces
Onward flies the night into day
Now you flow, now you grow
Fly! Do not fall, do not crash upon the world - you’ll be heard
Far beyond the blind
Lift me up into the shining
Solace of the cracks of light
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#newmusic #chambermusic #premiere #stringquintet #soprano #electricguitar

And then something new. Fun looking after a place with a real piano; adapting to the feel and seeing what comes out. 🎹
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#piano #sundaynight #newpost #adapting #exploring #dminor #seven

Sunday at sunset in Silver Lake. Wrote this years ago as part of my first film score. 🎹
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#sunday #peaceful #reflections #piano #composer #filmscore

The 6th Annual @_the_scl Awards. Fantastic night celebrating music, community, resilience and respect. Many attendees asked where my shark was, so I need to find more score thrills with gills…
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#awards #composers #music #celebration #fun

New week. New mojo. Con moto. 🎸🎵💡
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#monday #newweek #ideas #electricguitar #delay #fender

“Chrysalis” for Violin & Electric Guitar - debuted at the @thenighttemple @voxx_studios Launch Party, Feb 1. Wrote this over a couple of days last week. Again hugely grateful to @eric.km.clark for a sublime performance after just one run through. Chrysalis is the process of becoming - a state of reflection and preparation for things we can’t even begin to imagine, yet instinctively know will be extraordinary. FULL PIECE ON YOUTUBE - LINK IN BIO. 🎻🎸
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#electricguitar #violin #premiere #newmusic #composer

Excerpt from “OUROBOROS” for Violin & Electric Guitar, composed last week for @thenighttemple’s @voxx_studios Launch Party on Feb 1st. The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol of a circular snake, representing destruction, rebirth and connectivity. Kudos to @carisa_bianca_mellado & @andrew_dalziell for inviting me to perform, and @eric.km.clark for once again interpreting my music with sensitivity and technical panache. 👌🏻🎻🎸
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#ouroboros #yearofthesnake #connection #rebirth #newmusic #electricguitar #violin #composer

A musical lamentation on this week’s cataclysmic events. Can’t do it in words. This is for anyone that just…needs a moment, whatever your circumstance. ❤️‍🩹
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#musictherapy #lament #lafires #lovela #tryingtohelp

I haven’t done a 2024 SmytheWrap yet, as I’ve been thinking about friends who had a tumultuous end to their year, and to varying degrees are still navigating trauma. Wrote this in the weekend with them in mind: “Genesung” - a German word for recovery. ❤️‍🩹
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#piano #healing #recovery #genesung #2025 #newmusic #mindful #thoughtful #friends

A Friday pianistic thought. This is for anyone needing a quiet moment from the maelstrom of pre-Christmas times, or life in general. Lose yourself in this. 😀🎹
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#piano #friday #fridayvibes #prechristmas #quietmoments

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