Mario O. Flores grew up in Los Angeles, CA and resides in Kamuela on the Big Island with his two dogs, Lola and Moony. He is a devoted Performing Arts educator of 27 years, and serves as the Upper School Arts Department Chair and Director of Music at Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy (HPA).
Prior to HPA, Mario served in various music teaching and administrative capacities at various Independent Schools on the East and West US Coasts, and served as Director of Orchestras for “Play On, Philly!”, an El Sistema non-Profit in Philadelphia. Mario holds a B.A. Honors in Music from Brown University (Providence, RI); an M.A. in Music Education from Columbia University(NY, NY); and, a Fellowship in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern Universityʻs Bienen School of Music (Evanston, IL).