Marc Mellits was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1966. He was already composing music for the piano before he started formal piano lessons at the age of 6. He went on to study at the Eastman School of Music, Yale School of Music, Cornell University, and Tanglewood. His composition teachers have included Samuel Adler, Martin Bresnick, Dominic Frasca, Bernard Rands, Christopher Rouse, Joseph Schwantner, Roberto Sierra, and Steven Stucky, yet one hears other influences in Mellits' music.