Martin at Westminster Abbey
September 2005

Read the short biography

Born in Somerset, Martin entered Queen's College, Taunton, as an organ scholar in 1989, becoming a prize-winner at the 1992 Young Organist of the Year Competition. In 1994 he joined the Royal Academy of Music, studying under Nicholas Danby, Naji Hakim and David Titterington, participating in master-classes with many of the world's most eminent organists, winning all the major prizes for organ and early-music, and graduating with first-class honours. In 1998/9 Martin received support from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust to continue private tuition with Nicolas Kynaston and Dame Gillian Weir. He was also a featured artist on the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme for two consecutive years, which led to professional partnerships forming with other distinguished instrumentalists.

Since appearing in major European festivals and broadcasting concerts on BBC Radio and television, he has established a reputation amongst the foremost exponents of the younger generation of organists, receiving as much critical acclaim for his sensitive accompaniment of choirs, orchestras and chamber ensembles as for his solo performances. Martin recently collaborated with Jennifer Bate in two world-premier recordings of organ duets by Mendelssohn, as part of her new 5CD set of complete Mendelssohn recordings on the Somm label.

He was appointed Organist and Director of Music at St. Dominic's Priory (London) in September 2000, where he has established regular organ recitals on the famous 1883 Willis. Occasionally appearing as a pianist in chamber music ensembles, Martin teaches music at New End School in Hampstead, he is a guest-lecturer in early Iberian keyboard music and notation at Trinity College of Music, and also pursues an active interest in composition and arrangement. Recent compositions include the ongoing Secret Sayings of Jesus (based on the Gospel of Thomas) for organ and reader, a Cantata for choir, soloist, two pianos and percussion (on words by Coleridge), The Hymn of the Pearl - Symphony for organ (based on a Gnostic text from the Acts of Thomas) and a new work for the Shostakovich centenary, Prelude & Fugue on DSCH.

Martin is Director of the recently founded Annual Festival of New Organ Music, an international series of events for contemporary composers of organ music, providing a forum through which new works are promoted. Details of this project can be found at www.afnom.org..

Martin is a 1st Dan black-belt in karate and continues training under Sensei Nicholas Adamou at the Harrow School of Shotokan Karate.