Clarinetist Dr. Mark J. Cramer serves as the United States Clarinet Brand Ambassador for Backun Musical Services, representing Backun and Laskey throughout the country at universities, festivals, conferences, orchestral institutions, and educational events. In this role, he collaborates with professional performers, educators, students, and dealers to present Backun's complete line of clarinets, mouthpieces, barrels, bells, and accessories while fostering meaningful relationships throughout the international clarinet community through artist engagement, educational outreach, and masterclasses.

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An active performer, educator, and recording artist, Dr. Cramer currently serves as Principal Clarinet of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, Second Clarinet of the Nashville Opera, and is the clarinetist of the Khemia Ensemble for the 2026–2027 season. He also performs frequently with the Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga Symphonies. His career has spanned higher education, orchestral performance, chamber music, commercial recording, and artist relations. He has held faculty appointments at Tennessee Tech University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro College, Radford University, and Randolph College, where he taught applied clarinet, chamber music, and woodwind methods while mentoring the next generation of performers and educators. He is also a former member of the Cumberland Quintet, previously served as Principal Clarinet of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra, and served for six seasons as Third/Auxiliary Clarinet of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.

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Dr. Cramer has appeared as concerto soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral clarinetist throughout the United States. He toured with the four-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble eighth blackbird and has performed with numerous symphony orchestras and opera companies across the country, including the Nashville, Oak Ridge, Greensboro, Grand Rapids, Winston-Salem, Western Piedmont, Fayetteville, and Roanoke Symphonies, as well as the Nashville, Piedmont, Carolina, and Greensboro Opera Companies. His orchestral career has also included engagements with ensembles throughout Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

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Beyond the concert stage, Dr. Cramer is an accomplished studio recording artist with the Nashville Scoring Orchestra, recording film, television, and video game soundtracks at many of Nashville's premier recording facilities, including Ocean Way, Blackbird, RCA Studio, Curb Studios, Sound Kitchen, Castle Recording Studios, Uno Mas, and Wildwood Recording Studios.

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Dr. Cramer's professional interests extend to instrument acoustics, performance wellness, and the intersection of music and health. His doctoral research explored the acoustic properties of hardwoods in custom clarinet barrel design, leading to the development of his own line of custom clarinet barrels. He has also incorporated principles of physical fitness and performance psychology into his teaching, helping musicians optimize performance while managing the physical and mental demands of the profession. His commitment to music as a vehicle for healing led to a collaboration with the Arts and Health Program at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, where he presented regular outreach performances and educational programs.

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A Michigan native, Dr. Cramer earned degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (B.M.), the University of Michigan (M.M.), and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (D.M.A.). His principal teachers include Suzy Bratton, Richard Hawkins, Daniel Gilbert, Anthony Taylor, and Kelly Burke.

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Dr. Cramer is a Backun Musical Services Artist and United States Clarinet Brand Ambassador, Légère Reeds Performing Artist, and Rovner Ambassador. He performs exclusively on Backun Lumière clarinets, Hawkins/Backun Signature mouthpieces, Légère synthetic reeds, and Rovner ligatures.