Westminster Band Director Follows the Music to Stevenson University

After 15 years as the director of Westminster High School's award-winning marching band, Mark Lortz is stepping down to take a position at Stevenson University.

Mark Lortz and Brian Drake have worked together as directors of the music program at Westminster High School for the last ten years, Drake said it is going to be strange to be in the band room without Lortz. 

"As Mark's co-worker for so long, it will be strange to be in the Westminster High School band room without his presence.  We've shared a lot of great times and accomplished things of which we are very proud," Drake said.

Lortz, 40, will be leaving his post to start up a marching band program at Stevenson University, a private university with about 4,000 students, with campuses in Stevenson and Owings Mills. 

Drake said that someone has been selected to fill Lortz's position, although he himself expects to take on many of the tasks currently fulfilled by Lortz.

"Since I've been working along with mark for ten years and understand all of the ins and outs of the program, I will be shifting over to cover most of his tasks including the head marching band director position," Drake said. 

Drake said he doesn't expect the program to change much in terms of scope or direction with Lortz leaving. 

"Mark and I have always shared the same vision of excellence for the program. We have worked hard to maintain it for all these years, Drake said.  

"The new teacher and I intend to continue the current trajectory and build on what we've already established. Of course, with a new person involved, there may be a different delivery to the content, but in the end it will all be about making great music," Drake said. 

Lortz will finish out this school year at Westminster and start at Stevenson in the fall. 

"As Mark's long-time friend, I'm happy for his new opportunities. I'm confident that he will do a great job at Stevenson. He's extremely tenacious and has a deep reservoir of musical experience from which to draw," Drake said.   

Lortz, according to the Carroll County Times, enrolled his students in band competitions across the country. In 2002, they competed in the Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis.

The concert bands and orchestra have also received superior ratings at the District Band and Orchestra Festival over the past 15 years, according to the band’s website.

Westminster’s music program has also been consistently named a Grammy Signature School National Semi-finalist, an award given to schools from the Grammy Foundation, which promotes the contributions of recorded music to American culture. The awards are designed to keep music programs thriving “despite budgets and school politics,” according to the foundation’s website.