MARK KENT NAVARRO
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Sonic architect, composer, music producer, and audio engineer, Mark Kent Navarro employs his diverse musical skills to craft immersive worlds.
Capitalizing on his background in electronic, jazz, classical, avant-garde, ambient, pop, math-rock, post-rock, and alternative music, Mark's commitment is to delve into the nuances of his work. His dedication to innovation and growth is a consistent theme throughout his artistic journey and life. As a Filipino born in Baltimore City, his narrative unfolds as that of an independent D.I.Y. artist who continues to blur genre boundaries and explore diverse mediums on his creative horizon.
His story is a testament to the resilience and creative spirit that denes his unique path.
Mark is a Filipino-American musician and sound artist rooted in Baltimore City's vibrant music scene. Growing up with early musical influences from his grandmother, he first explored his passion for music by forming a post-rock/math-rock band, Yugennui, with close-friends during his high school years, establishing Mark early on.
Today, as a key member of A.S.H. (Ambient Sound Healing), Navarro performs improvised compositions on the Japanese Koto alongside Daoure Diongue's Senegalese Ngoni, accompanying Ellery Bryan's digitized 16mm films to create multimedia meditations on grief and cultural identity.
His recent film compositions, including Kelley Settles' documentary 'Eternal Lotus' (2024), demonstrate his narrative acuity through minimalist compositions centered around digitally manipulated singing bowls.
In collaboration with his sibling, visual artist Kat Navarro, he explores their shared Filipino-American identity through installations like 'When You Arrive' at Towson University, featuring his original composition 'Kalapati' (2023). Their animated short 'Bug Box' (2022) earned recognition at the 2022 Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival and screened at the 2024 Maryland Film Festival.
Mark was declared a finalist for the Bakers Artist Awards in 2023 through the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.
His theatrical sound design spans diverse emotional landscapes, from Truepenny Projects' science-fiction epic 'Lyra & The Ferocious Beast' (2023) to Paula Vogel's 'How I Learned to Drive' (2024) at The Vagabond Players.
Under the alias Baatchoy, Navarro has expanded into production and audio engineering, collaborating with DMV artist DYYO in G.O.L.D. and working with Baltimore artists including Abdu Ali, Baby Kahlo, and Bobbi Rush.
Navarro's journey is a commitment to harmonizing culture with contemporary expression. He continues to explore the metamorphic power of sound while seeking to enrich his own bonds and understanding the roots of his cultural heritage.
