Mark started playing darbuka in 1972 with his first performance at the Northern Renaissance for Bal Anat. He played Arabic and Persian nightclubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Orange County for most of a decade. He and his wife Ling Shien formed the group Helm and have taught and performed in England, Ireland, Spain, France, Poland, Italy, Russia, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Australia – among others. Mark has spent around 2 years in the Middle East from Morocco to Egypt and Turkiye, Oman, Iran, and Afghanistan which garnered him a wealth of experience.