DENVER — Mark Sheldon, singer, choral conductor and nationally recognized radio announcer and producer who had worked at KBYU radio for five years, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003, at his home in Denver after a long battle with cancer.
He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in music education and choral conducting at Brigham Young University.
Mr. Sheldon began what was to become a high-profile career in public radio as an employee at KBYU-FM from 1988 to 1993. He was a producer who created such highly recognized national programs as "The Russian Messiah," the first syndication of a Japanese orchestra, "The NHK Tokyo Symphony" series and an annual Christmas program, "Glad Tidings," featuring BYU School of Music performances and readings.
He was also the producer of the Utah Symphony live broadcasts and was heavily involved in KBYU-FM's broadcasts of Utah Opera and the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition.
KBYU-FM general manager Walter Rudolph praised Mr. Sheldon as "a genuinely good person, who cared intensely about people, about the music he presented on the air and about the possibility to uplift and be uplifted by doing things on purpose. Even more, he was a gifted musician and actor and the person everyone wanted to be around."
Mr. Sheldon worked for Minnesota Public Radio from 1993-1998 and joined the Classical Public Radio Network as an announcer and producer in May of 1999.
Funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. in St. Elizabeth's Church in Denver.