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Edited: June 26, 2023
Mark Coniglio
Pronouns
He/him
Date and place of birth
b. 1961, Omaha, NE
Current location
Berlin, Germany
Year(s) of residency and/or fellowship
2006, Collaborator

Mark Coniglio is a media artist, composer, and programmer. He is recognized as a pioneer in the integration of live performance and interactive digital technology. With choreographer Dawn Stoppiello he is co-founder of Troika Ranch, a performance group that integrates music, dance, theater, and interactive digital media in its performance works. He is also the creator of Isadora, a flexible media manipulation tool that provides interactive control over digital video and sound.

Recognized as a pioneering force in the integration of dance and media, composer/media artist Mark Coniglio creates large-scale performance works that integrate music, dance, theater and interactive media. A native of Nebraska, Mark received his degree in music composition in 1989 from California Institute of the Arts where he studied with electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick. From that early time, Coniglio’s artistic practice has included the creation of custom interactive systems that allow performers to manipulate video, sound, and light in real-time. His first technological breakthrough came in 1989 when he created MidiDancer, a wireless system that allowed a performer to interactively control music. His passion for giving control to the performer led him to create the award-winning software Isadora, a flexible graphic programming environment that provides interactive control over digital media. Mark’s writings about new media in performance have appeared in numerous books and journals, including “New Visions In Performance”, “La Scena Digitale: Nuovi Media Per La Danza” and Movement Research Journal. He relocated from New York to Berlin, Germany in 2008.

Troika Ranch co-founders Coniglio and Stoppiello have been honored with the 2012 World Technology Award in The Arts; a 2011 nomination for the Alpert Award in dance; a 2005 ‘Eddy’ Award from Live Design Magazine; a 2004 Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA; a 2004 Honorary Mention at Prix Ars Electronica Cyberarts Competition; and a 2003 New York Dance & Performance ‘Bessie’ Award. The company has received major support from The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), the National Endowment for the Arts, the MAP Fund, the Arts Council England, and the Jerome foundation, among others.

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