New Jersey Symphony bassoonist Mark Timmerman was Principal Bassoon of the Metropolitan Opera for one season. A native of Davenport, Iowa, he is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music; and also studied at Temple University and the University of Michigan. He is currently Principal Bassoon of the Palm Beach Opera.

An in-demand orchestral player, Timmerman has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Utah Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, St Paul Chamber Orchestra, St Louis Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.

Music festival appearances have taken Timmerman to Japan, the former Soviet Union, Italy, and Brazil. He has participated in the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, including several Music from Marlboro U.S. tours, and is a regular member of the St Barths Music Festival and the Glimmerglass Festival.

He currently serves on the bassoon faculty of Rutgers University, Columbia University, and NYU. In addition to playing bassoon, Mark is an avid woodwind doubler and has performed in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Broadway orchestra pits on oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor sax, and baritone sax.