You know that image of the swan? The one where all you see is the quiet, graceful, efficient glide above the water while the feet are pedaling furiously under the surface? Yeah, that’s Mark Vogel for you.

Mark, the VCS accompanist, is yin to creative director Jen Rodgers Beach’s yang – her job is to  lead, push, energize, make us stand up (which is a good thing by about 9:15 pm in the comfortable, softly lit space where we rehearse). The music can turn on a dime and joyfully does when we’re all going with the flow.

Amid all that is Mark – who we always hear at the piano, but sometimes never actually hear from, who changes course, slows down, speeds up, stops or turns on that dime from behind the piano. All of it effortlessly and with great kindness for those of us (a-AHEM) who are more clueless than the rest. And as it turns out, there’s a LOT of pedaling* in Mark’s life outside VCS.

Mark is accompanist with the Washington Master Chorale, which has a concert coming up – April 22, 2012, at 4 pm, at the Saint Luke Catholic Church in McLean VA. More important, Mark will be performing a solo piano piece by Ravel.

Here’s all the info if you’d like to attend, along with discount codes for cheaper tickets if you buy online: