He made his debut in 1982 at the Festival Spaziomusica of Cagliari, thenceforth his compositions are regularly performed in the main Italian and European institutions.[3] His musical language merges old Sicilian cultures with the main techniques of the contemporary music, in particular the minimalism and the neotonality genres.
Between 1994 and 2002, he was artistic director of the Teatro Massimo, working on the project for the reopening of the theatre, that happened after 23 years on 12 May 1997, with a concert of the theatre choir conducted by Franco Mannino and the Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado.
Averroè, 1999, three scenes from Averroè, Le mille e una notte, Il Cantare del Cid. Text written by Daniele Martino. Publisher: Sonzogno
Il Fantasma nella cabina, 2002, opera. Text written by Andrea Camilleri and libretto by Rocco Mortelliti. Duration: 110'. Publisher: Sonzogno.[6]
Il mistero del finto cantante, 2002–2003, opera. Libretto written by Rocco Mortelliti from Le Inchieste Del Commissario Collura by Andrea Camilleri. Duration: 55'. Publisher: Ricordi.
Che fine ha fatto la piccola Irene?, 2002–2003, opera. Libretto written by Rocco Mortelliti from Le Inchieste Del Commissario Collura by Andrea Camilleri. Duration: 50'. Publisher: Ricordi.
Sette storie per lasciare il mondo, 2006, opera. Film directed by Roberto Andò, performed at the Teatro Bellini di Catania in September 2006. Publisher: Ricordi.
Il viaggio del Commissario Collura, 2004, ballet, libretto written by Rocco Mortelliti from "Le inchieste del Commissario Collura" by Andrea Camilleri. First performance at Teatro Filarmonico, on 8 December 2004, conductor David Coleman, choreograph Maria Grazia Garofoli, orchestra and corps de ballet of the Fondazione Arena di Verona. Duration: 30'. Publisher: Ricordi.
Orchestra
Città azzurradall'alba all'alba for woodwind and orchestra (2005). Publisher: Ricordi.[7]
Corone di pietra for tenor, chorus and orchestra (2003–2004), text written by Daniele Martino. Publisher: Ricordi.
Lacrime for orchestra (2004); in memory of all the victims of the Mafia and violence. Publisher: Ricordi.
Lux æterna per soprano, tenor, chorus and orchestra, (1993 ), text written by Vincenzo Consolo, from the Requiem per le vittime della mafia. Publisher: Sonzogno.[8]
Magaria for voice and orchestra (2001), text written by Andrea Camilleri. Publisher: Sonzogno.
Resurrexi for choir and orchestra (2000), from the Missa Solemnis Resurrectionis. Publisher: Sonzogno.
Senti l'eco, aria for orchestra (1989). Publisher: Ricordi.
Sorpresa, aria for soprano and orchestra (1993), text written by Dario Oliveri. Publisher: Ricordi.
Chamber music
Ballata for violin and piano (1991). Publisher: Ricordi.
Cadentia Siderafantasia for piano and strings (1990). Publisher: Ricordi.
In ombra d'amoreballata for viola (1988). Publisher: Ricordi.
Maiores umbrae for five instruments (1989). Publisher: Ricordi.
Soledad for eleven string instruments (1992). Publisher: Ricordi.
Ultimo canto for viola (2001). Publisher: Ricordi.
Ombre sul mare per piano, clarinet, viola, violoncello and contrabass (2003).
Incidental music
Paolo Borsellino essendo stato, 2004, stage music for the text and the stage written by Ruggero Cappuccio. Directed by Ruggero Cappuccio, Production: Teatro Segreto. Publisher: Ricordi.
La notte delle lucciole, 2008, stage music, directed by Roberto Andò and Marco Baliani, from texts written by Leonardo Sciascia and Pier Paolo Pasolini. Production: Nuovo Teatro.
Il tredicesimo punto, 2011, written by Sergio Claudio Perroni, directed by Roberto Andò. Production: Teatro Stabile di Catania.
Leonilde, 2011. Production: Teatro Stabile di Catania.
La Mennulara, 2011. Production: Teatro Stabile di Catania.
Film score
Il Manoscritto del Principe, (2000), soundtrack, directed by Roberto Andò. Production: Sciarlò Film di Giuseppe e Franco Tornatore. Distribution: Warner Bros. Publisher: Ricordi.
Viaggio segreto, (2006), soundtrack, directed by Roberto Andò. Production: Medusa Film and Manigolda Film. Publisher: Emi Music – Ricordi.
Soundtrack (contributes) of the documentary film Oltre Selinunte (2006).
Maria Montessori, una vita per i bambini" (2007), soundtrack, directed by Gianluca Maria Tavarelli. Production: Tao Due Film. Publisher: Rti Music – Ricordi.
Aldo Moro il Presidente (2008), soundtrack, directed by Gianluca Maria Tavarelli. Production: Tao Due Film. Publisher: Rti Music – Ricordi.[9]
Con gli occhi di un altro (2010), soundtrack, directed by Antonio Raffaele Addamo. Production: Tersite. Publisher: Unda Maris Edizioni.
Le cose che restano, (2010), soundtrack, directed by Gianluca Maria Tavarelli. Production: Angelo Barbagallo for BiBi Film TV.
Il Viaggio di Ferruccio, 2006, Ensemble Ottava Nota, Anita Vitale voice, Orchestra Roma Sinfonietta, Marco Betta Orchestra Conductor. Publisher: Ricordi.
Maria Montessori – una vita per i bambini, 2009, score from the fiction directed by Gianluca Maria Tavarelli. Publisher: Ricordi.
Aldo Moro,2009, score from the fiction directed by Gianluca Maria Tavarelli. Publisher: Ricordi.
Con gli occhi di un altro, 2010, score from the film directed by Antonio Raffaele Addamo. Publisher: Unda Maris Edizioni.
DVD
La Corona di pietra, starring Plácido Domingo, La Corona di pietraSony Music, conducted by Ivo Guerra.
^"Betta, Marco". L'ENCICLOPEDIA DELLA MUSICA DE AGOSTINI (in Italian). Novara (Italy): Istituto Geografico De Agostini S.p.A. 1995. p. 126. ISBN88-415-2055-8.
^"Betta, Marco". DIZIONARIO DELLA MUSICA E DEI MUSICISTI UTET (in Italian). Vol. APPENDICE 2005. Torino (Italy): Unione Tipografico-Editrice Torinese. 2004. pp. 56–57. ISBN88-02-06216-1.
^Merli, Andrea (January 1997). "COSENZA: Bellini-Ultime luci, la nuova opera di Marco Betta, al Teatro Rendano". L'Opera (in Italian). Anno XI (104). Milano (Italy): Monthly Magazine: 24–25.
^Forlani, Mimma (2002). Il fantasma nella cabina. Stagione Lirica 2002 (in Italian). Bergamo (Italy): Stamperia Stefanoni. pp. 267–324.
^Viagrande, Riccardo (2011). Il Concerto dalle origini al novecento. Monza (Italy): casa musicale eco. pp. 147–153. ISBN978-88-6053-435-4.
^Consolo, Vincenzo (1993). Requiem per le vittime della mafia. Palermo (Italy): Ila Palma. p. 26. ISBN88-7704-189-7.