Meet the Musicians

Mark Gigliotti, Music Director

Mark Gigliotti has served as Music Director of the Lower Merion Symphony since 2005 and has guest conducted ensembles worldwide, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Plovdiv State Opera Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. A dedicated conductor and educator, he has led programs for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Education Department and studied with renowned maestros like Kees Bakels and Luis Biava.

As Co-Principal Bassoon of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1982, Mark has performed under legendary conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Leonard Bernstein, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. A Curtis Institute of Music graduate, he comes from a distinguished musical lineage—studying with his father, former Philadelphia Orchestra clarinetist Anthony Gigliotti, and performing alongside his wife, contrabassoonist Holly Blake. Beyond music, he is a certified ski instructor at Hunter Mountain and enjoys sailing with his family.

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Martin Knoblauch, Associate Conductor

Martin Knoblauch’s musical passions span from Gregorian chant to Gilbert and Sullivan, and Bach to Wagner. Since 1968, he has served as an assistant conductor with opera companies including the Philadelphia Lyric Opera and Opera Company of Philadelphia, while leading orchestras, choruses, and educational ensembles from grade school to college level. A dedicated church musician, he spent nearly 20 years as Music Director of Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish. Today, he serves as Music Director of the Settlement Music School Adult Orchestra and Associate Conductor of the Lower Merion Symphony, while frequently guest conducting with groups like the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia. His decade-long Bach Cantata Series with the Northeast Oratorio Society has already presented 70 cantatas, with ambitions to perform all 218.

Knoblauch holds BM and MM degrees from the University of the Arts and a Juris Doctor from Temple University, alongside studies in arts management, gross anatomy, and ancient languages. A lifelong learner, he enjoys amateur radio, astronomy, and medicine. He resides in Philadelphia with his wife of 50 years, Dianne, balancing his musical pursuits with intellectual curiosity and eclectic hobbies.

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Mark Inchoco, Assistant Conductor

Mark Inchoco is a multifaceted musician with expertise in conducting, composition, and musicology. He holds an M.A. in Historical Musicology from the University of California, Riverside and a B.A. in English (Honors, cum laude) from Temple University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was the first music historian named lauréat of the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. His original film scores for Joyrider (dir. Sebastien Tobler) and We Are in the Same Boat (dir. Marika Maijala) were premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival and the Los Angeles International Shorts Festival, as well as several galleries in Finland. His compositions have been performed internationally from Los Angeles to Helsinki.

An active conductor, Inchoco regularly leads the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia in premiering new works and has guest conducted ensembles including the Lower Merion Symphony and UC Riverside Chamber Opera. He studied conducting with Myron Moss, Mark Gigliotti, and Robert Schiavinato; composition with Gaëll Lozac’h and Tim Labor; and he has worked with luminaries such as George Crumb, Roger Boutry, and Thierry Escaich. Beyond classical music, he has acted in film and DJs at WKDU 91.7FM, reflecting his wide-ranging artistic passions.