Mark Rivera, American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, musician, singer, musical director and corporate entertainer was recently chosen as Top Musician and Entertainer of the Year given by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP).
While inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only a few members in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, other affiliations and contributions to their communities. All honorees are invited to attend the IAOTP’s annual awards gala at the end of this year for a night to honor their achievements. www.iaotp.com/award-gala
Mr. Rivera is being recognized for this honor for dedicating over 40 years of his professional career to the Music and Entertainment Industry. Mr. Rivera’s brilliance and musical albitites encompass vocals, guitar, bass, flute, percussion and keyboards. Additionally, Mark plays soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone.
The President of IAOTP, Stephanie Cirami, stated “Choosing Mark for this recognition was an easy decision for our panel to make. He has dedicated his career to providing entertainment and legendary music for the world. His musical direction will be spoken about for years to come. We are thrilled to be honoring him in this way and we are looking forward to celebrating his outstanding accomplishments at the gala.”
His phenomenal 40-year career began with his first national exposure with the band Tycoon in the mid 1970’s. Upon meeting the legendary producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange, he furthered his ventures and became part of an association with Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner. From this point Mr. Rivera was introduced to the “big leagues” of rock music, recording and performing.
Mark Rivera is most known for his work as Billy Joel’s saxophonist since 1982. Some of the most famous names Mr. Rivera has had the honor of working alongside include Hall & Oates, Tycoon, Simon & Garfunkel, John Lennon, Billy Ocean and Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh. Also, Peter Gabriel on his ground-breaking So album- where Mr. Rivera played on “Sledgehammer” and “Big Time”. In 1995 Mr. Rivera joined Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band and completed several tours.
Furthermore, in 2014 Mark released his first solo album, Common Bond which includes appearances by Billy Joel, Ringo Starr, Nils Lofgren and Steve Lukather. His song Money, Money, Money was a finalist for 2014’s Coolest Song in the World on Little Steven’s Underground Garage.
In addition to his successful career, The Mark Rivera Entertainment Group has produced events for HBO, IBM, Merrill Lynch, AT&T, Coldwell Banker, Northwest Airlines, and numerous trade associations, charitable events and local and national educational groups. His career has grown, and his company has developed along with his industry knowledge for promoting and producing corporate entertainment and events. As a prominent musical director, Mr. Rivera is recognized for his association with Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band, Billy Joel and Elton John.
Throughout his illustrious career, Mr. Rivera has received numerous awards and accolades. He has been recognized worldwide for his extraordinary talent in music and entertainment. This year he will be featured on the famous Reuters Billboard in Times Square, NYC and is being considered for a Front Cover feature article in TIP (Top Industry Professionals) Magazine. Mr. Rivera has written a memoir and his book will be released at the end of this year. For 2022, he is being considered for the Musician of the Decade Award & Lifetime Achievement Award given by IAOTP and he will be inducted into their exclusive Hall of Fame.
As a person who has always known the importance of paying it forward, Mr. Rivera has been active in his community and is a philanthropist with many charities and organizations. For the past 7 years he has been active with the Summit Speech School and Blythe Children’s Hospital.
Looking back, Mr. Rivera attributes his success to his perseverance, natural talent and love of all things musical and his resilience and integrity. When not working he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. For the future, he hopes to inspire all the talented musicians to pursue their dreams and continue building their careers within the music and entertainment industries.
For more information on Mr. Mark Rivera please visit: www.markrivera.com
About IAOTP
The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) is an international boutique networking organization that handpicks the world’s finest, most prestigious top professionals from different industries. These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers, and to help influence others in their fields. This organization is not a membership that anyone can join. You have to be asked by the President or be nominated by a distinguished honorary member after a brief interview.
IAOTP’s experts have given thousands of top prestigious professionals around the world, the recognition and credibility that they deserve and have helped in building their branding empires. IAOTP prides itself to be a one of a kind boutique networking organization that hand picks only the best of the best and creates a networking platform that connects and brings these top professionals to one place.
For More information on IAOTP please visit: www.iaotp.com
