Mark Varelas

Lead Instrumentalist, Head Composer,
Co-Founder and Creative Director.

Mark’s musical repertoire includes Greek Bouzouki, Sitar, Flamenco and Classical Guitar, Accordion, Violin, Piano, Trumpet, Penny Whistle, and Rauschpfiefe.

The Musician:
Mark's musical interest was nurtured from a very young age by his family, and most significantly by his parents, who exposed him to a wide variety of music, encompassing the classical, folk, rock, and world music genres. He remembers careening around his parent's house while his mother played selections from Carmen at the age of five and taking his first piano lesson at the age of eight.

The Vision:
Coming from this rich background in music, Mark studied Music Theory for two years at the University of Texas San Antonio. His strong drive, artistic vision, and a multitude of highly developed musical talents led Mark to pursue a career in music. Mark is always eager to teach and help upcoming musicians develop their skills.

The Performer:
Mark founded the band E Serenes in 1999 performing Greek Bouzouki with the group in the area around San Antonio, Texas. In 2001 Mark studied Bouzouki in Greece with a native proficient. In 2002 E Serenes changed its name to E Muzeki and began touring the US, performing at a variety of venues including several Renaissance Festivals in Texas, Michigan, Maryland, Florida, Arizona, and Ohio.

From 2002-2007, Mark devoted his life to music, working as the head composer and creative director of E Muzeki. In addition to composing original and arranging traditional music and playing Bouzouki, Lead Guitar, Accordion and a variety of other instruments in the band's countless performances, he also co-produced E Muzeki's four CD's.