THE MARK WOOD EXPERIENCE
This powerful group stars Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s original string master and powerhouse vocalist Laura Kaye performing exciting and original songs and music by other classic rock legends.
Recording artist, performer, producer, inventor, Emmy award-winning composer and music education advocate Mark Wood has spent the past four decades electrifying the orchestra industry – literally. Dubbed ‘The Les Paul and Jimi Hendrix of The Violin World’ by PBS, Wood is the premier electric violinist of his generation who pioneered the entire genre. Wood rose to fame as string master and original member of the internationally acclaimed Trans-Siberian Orchestra, selling over 10 million albums. A successful solo artist in his own right, Wood writes and records original music for film and television, has released seven albums, and tours with his band The Mark Wood Experience. He also is featured on his own TED talk, and his YouTube channel (markwoodtv) has over 4 million views.
Laura Kaye has a lyricism and musicality all her own, and is a rock and roll chanteuse whose take-no-prisoners voice invokes the likes of Steven Tyler and Aretha Franklin. As a singer, songwriter, performer, and vocal coach, Laura has spent the last 25 years empowering young singers as part of Electrify Your Symphony (EYS), a groundbreaking music education program she co-founded with Mark Wood. Laura has worked with legendary musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Lenny Kravitz and Sean Lennon and her voice has been featured on countless television shows and advertisements. In addition to her solo work, Laura is the featured vocalist on many of Mark’s recordings.
The true passion of this power couple is music education. Their groundbreaking music education program Electrify Your Symphony (EYS) celebrated its 25rd anniversary in 2025. EYS is an immersive rock and roll workshop and concert series for school music departments that boosts student self-esteem and helps raise much-needed funds. Mark, Laura, and their team of Artist Mentors visit upwards of 75 schools per year. EYS has been featured on NBC-TV’s The Today Show, CBS Evening News, CBS Morning News, and regional media outlets.
In addition to EYS, Mark and Laura run the annual Mark Wood Rock Orchestra Camp and Festival, now in its 16th year, as well as The Mark Wood Music Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to supporting music and the arts in America’s underserved communities.
The masterful musicians of The Mark Wood Experience band are Rob Bambach (guitar), Paul Ranieri (bass), Matt Vanacoro (keys), and special guest Elijah Wood (Shania Twain) on drums.
TRACY SILVERMAN
Tracy Silverman is one of the world’s foremost electric violin soloists, bringing concert hall legitimacy to this next-generation instrument. As part of Silverman’s vision for the “future of strings”, he has premiered and recorded several major new electric violin concertos written specifically for him by composers John Adams (The Dharma at Big Sur), Terry Riley (The Palmian Chord Ryddle), Nico Muhly (Seeing is Believing), Roberto Sierra (Ficciones), Kenji Bunch (Embrace), and 3 concertos of his own; appearing with the LA Philharmonic, BBC Symphony and many others at Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and stages all over the world. Formerly first violinist with the innovative Turtle Island String Quartet, Silverman was named one of 100 distinguished alumni by The Juilliard School and is notable not only for his development and use of the electric 6-string violin, but also for what he terms “progressive string playing”, an evolution of classical string playing that embraces contemporary popular idioms such as rock, jazz and hip hop. TV/internet and radio includes a solo Tiny Desk Concert on NPR, A Prairie Home Companion, Performance Today, St. Paul Sunday, and a profile on CBS News Sunday Morning. A longtime proponent of string education, Silverman is a leader in the progressive string community and the host of The Greater Groove: The Future of Strings podcast. His Strum Bowing method has been adopted by players and teachers all over the world. Silverman is the author of The Strum Bowing Method: How to Groove on Strings, and The Rhythm String Player: Strum Bowing in Action, as well as several etude books and online courses on his Strum Bowing Groove Academy. Silverman is on the faculty of Belmont University in Nashville, TN.
HAYDN VITERA
Haydn Vitera is one of the amazing Artist Mentors on our Electrify Your Symphony team and we’re thrilled to welcome him back this year! He is a versatile violinist, vocalist, guitarist and recording artist from Austin, Texas. He has toured and recorded professionally since 1997, most notably with Grammy winners Rick Trevino and Asleep At The Wheel. He has also been a featured soloist with musical icons George Strait and Stevie Wonder.
Haydn began his violin training with the Suzuki Method and pursued higher education at the University of Texas studying theory, composition and violin performance with Dr. Eugene Gratovich. He was also a member of the UT Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Timothy Muffitt and had the great honor to perform with the legendary Itzhak Perlman.
He received two Grammy nominations in 2005 as a member of Western swing heavyweights Asleep At The Wheel and subsequently embarked on an independent career with his original American Latino Rock group VITERA. Haydn now performs primarily with his mariachi/metal fusion project, Mariachi Rock Revolution, touring around the country in theaters and performing arts centers. Most recently, inspired by his work with Mark Wood and Electrify Your Strings, he has founded his own nonprofit, The Vitera Cares Music Foundation, whose mission is to empower school and community music programs through education and innovative live performances.
