Mario joins Sonoma Academy from Marymount School in New York City, where he chaired the Music Department and taught for about eighteen years. He has a record of building choir programs from the ground up into large, community-centered programs, both at Marymount and at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco.

He holds a doctorate in sacred music from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Oklahoma City, plus master's degrees in vocal performance and religious studies from Notre Dame de Namur and Fairfield University.