“Luminous.” That is the word that five actors from A Civil War Christmas settled on to describe their Music Director Markus Williams, who swept into their lives in early November. Two days into tech rehearsals, Markus complained of a headache, and returned to his home in Silver Spring, Md. He died there of a brain aneurysm; his body was discovered on November 20, 2018. He was 46 years old.
He was a gifted teacher and musician who was always searching for new ways to share his gifts.
“Markus brought a spirit all his own in to the rehearsal room,” 1st Stage Artistic Director Alex Levy told us. “He was not a traditional theatrical music director. While he had a remarkable music career, this was only his second time working in theater [his first was Theater J’s The Christians]. That meant he walked in with no rules.
“He was always willing to experiment, to hear new ideas, to try something else. He loved to play despite his very proper exterior, he housed a joyful spirit that came out every time he touched the piano. Markus brought people together and honored every individual’s gifts and loved to see them bring themselves into the room.”
“Aside from being a magnificent artist, he was a wonderful collaborator!” director Deidra LaWan Starnes wrote. “He was always generous enough to listen to ideas I had related to the music and singing in the show. And would try it and make it work. I loved to hear him sing. His range was amazing and his voice was beautiful.”
Cast member Rebecca Ballinger, who played Mary Todd Lincoln, wrote: “I’m still astounded that someone who was only in my life for three weeks was able to drop so many nuggets of wisdom. Markus was beautifully unfiltered and had no problem offering you a new (healthier) perspective. Case in point: Walking out of rehearsal one night, I was complaining to Markus that I had to take my car into the shop the next day. He just turned to me and simply said, ‘Oh, but you’re so lucky to be able to do that!’ Ever since then, I’ve been trying to notice which daily annoyances are actually blessings being taken for granted.
“He was hilarious, refined, and completely approachable. He would have us run through a section of a song and then say, ‘Good for you.’ before moving on. The cast would instantly crack up because he was the only person on earth that could say that phrase and make it sound sincere.”
Markus found a fellow musician in cast member V. Savoy McIlwain . “We bonded over his music and I instantly became a fan! He forwarded me his music and I immediately started distributing it to artists that would do it justice! I am formally submitting his music to the African American Arts Song Alliance.! He should be honored for his contribution to Music.
“His music is full, passionate and honest. His signature is woven throughout the threads of every note. I heard a recording of his ‘My soul of my soul… Cries out to Thee’ and I was smitten. The recording is glorious! It’s a style that is rich in heritage and roots. His compositions and arrangements stand on the level of great Anthems and cherished African American Art Songs. It’s as if his music spoke directly to me.”
“The soul of my soul… cries out to Thee” from the song cycle ‘Songs of Adoration’ by Markus Williams, performed here by tenor Issachah Savage, with Markus at the piano.
Who was this luminous soul, this good-hearted musician who shot like a comet through the area’s artistic scene?
Mark Courtland Williams was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, one of four siblings. By the time he was eight, his parents had separated and he lived with his mother and younger sister, April, in Orlando. Although she was two years younger, they were inseparable.
She has many happy memories of their adventures, which turn darker when she mentions the extreme poverty they grew up in. “We were latch key kids,” she told us, remembering the time when they tried to barbecue hot dogs in the living room. Mark ran outside for sticks and reached for one, which turned out to be a snake. “The projects were made of solid concrete” she said, so no harm came of their experiment.
They both loved Michael Jackson and raced home from school every day to hear the 4pm broadcast of “Thriller”. “We danced all over the couch and table, she said with a laugh.
Mark showed an early gift for music, while April was into sports and didn’t mind jumping into a scuffle if anyone picked on her big brother. “He’d get picked on because he wasn’t a jock. He was a musician and in the chorus and had a reserved spirit,” she said. “When you grow up in adversity, you can find a safe haven in the arts.”
When he was 16, he got his first job bagging groceries at Albertson’s, where he often worked until closing. “I don’t know how he did it,” April said. But with the money, they were able to buy new, brand name clothes.
April believes that what helped she and Mark break the cycle of poverty were their teachers, who showed them that education was the way out.[ezcol_1third]
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A Civil War Christmas
at 1st Stage Tysons
closes December 30, 2018
Details and tickets
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Mark took that to heart, and his attention to his studies earned him a degree from Pacific Lutheran University and a Masters Degree from Florida State University School of Music. When April moved to Washington, DC, Markus followed her and the city’s musical community embraced him.
He was the creator and founding Artistic Director of The Human Symphony Foundation, then home to The Living Legends Awards for Service to Humanity. April specifically remembers the ceremony honoring Civil Rights leader John Lewis and Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee. Denyce Graves debuted his composition “The Moment I Fly” with Markus conducting.
He became a teacher himself, at the KIPP magnet school in DC, and was Minister of Music for several churches.
April ended by saying that if there are any young people facing adversity, they should seek out the arts to be lifted up.
Rachel Ballinger had a final thought, too, about the way that Markus Williams brought his subtle insight into the way music can move an audience. “The show’s finale ‘I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day’ ends with a high, loud four-part harmony (‘of peace on earth, good will-‘) followed by an abrupt beat of complete silence. Then the chorus comes back in softly on the exact same note that we hold until we run out of breath and fade out (‘to men…’). Markus worked the dynamics of this section quite a bit. Not the loud, showy harmonies, but the collective breath the company takes before ending gently on the same note.
“In the short time we knew him, Markus wasted no time making our lives richer. But in his absence, the cast has adopted a bond only grief can create, reflecting and healing as a unit. Taking that collective breath and singing that one note feels like a tribute to Markus and the great work he left with us.”
Alex Levy concluded “He is deeply missed but we are honored to be the home for the last piece of art that he ever created.”
A Civil War Christmas has been extended to December 30, 2018. April will be there on December 22nd to hear that collective breath.
We are deeply grateful to April Williams, Alex Levy and the cast of A Civil War Christmas for their contributions to this article.
Markus was my music mentor in voice for SEVEN YEARS. You’ll always be in my heart. You did not live in vain. Sleep on dear brother take your rest . We all loved you , but God loved you best!!!!!!
Lovely write up. We considered Markus one of our kids when he was in school. Loved him to pieces, such a loss of a wonderful young man. Our sympathies to April on this tremendous loss.
This was a beautiful, well written article. Markus was definitely a character and was well loved by all of his family. We will truly miss him.
I absolutely agree Susan.. Very beautifully written.
I never knew Markus, but what a lovely tribute to such a gifted and generous spirit.
I hope his family and friends hold close to his music that lives on.