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Martin Read in Prague (6K)
Prague 2006

Martin is Head of Music at Alton College.

He lives in Winchester with Beccy - a music therapist, their two sons Simon and Matthew, two cats, tropical fish and a collection of paintings by Catherine Barnes and Al Saralis.
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wma link Water Music
real ico - play audio nowalways - part of between now and always, conbol - part of The Death of Colonel Boles, survivcin - part of A Survivor from the Cinema, dialdiat - part of dialogues and diatribes, anghist - part of The Angel of History, dancemuseot - part of Dance music for the end of time

 



 

Biographical Notes

 

MARTIN READ was born in Birmingham, studying music at Colchester Institute and Goldsmiths College, London University, where he completed his M.Mus in composition. In 1988 he was admitted as a Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London and from 1996-2002 he was an spnm shortlisted composer.

Martin's music has been performed by numerous ensembles and choirs, and has been featured at many festivals - including Spitalfields, Southern Cathedrals, Corsham, Malvern, Farnham, Bath and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

His music has also been performed throughout the USA and Europe - most recently The Christmas Life was broadcast in Norway

In May 1999, Martin was appointed as millennium composer to the Hampshire Music 2000 project, a position that required him to write for a large number of Hampshire's county, area and school ensembles, and which culminated in him conducting nearly 700 performers in his Mary Rose at the Schools' Prom in The Royal Albert Hall.

Martin with children (15K)
Martin with Simon and Matthew
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However, his music is not exclusively performed in Hampshire: The Angel of History was commissioned and premiered by Camarada at the Radio Café in Vienna, dialogues and diatribes was commissioned and premiered at the Farnham Festival, whilst dance to the end of time - a chamber opera, written with the aid of an Investment in Individuals grant from Southern Arts, toured southern England after being premiered at the Corsham Festival in June 2002.

2005/2006 was a very busy time for Martin. As well as directing productions of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and The Threepenny Opera at Alton College, A State of Disharmony was premiered at the Farnham Festival in March,Oetztal Narratives was premiered in Munich in July, The Old Year Now Away Is Fled was premiered and published by Banks and ...no full legal advice was premiered by the Southwark Wind Ensemble. Whilst in his spare time Martin sat on the jury for Education/Community prize at the Radio 3/BACS composer of the year award.

Current work includes Rainforest - a commission from Opera Minima to be premiered in June 2007, and a fanfare - commissioned by Hampshire Music Service for David Bedford's 70th birthday concert, to be premiered in July 2007.

As Musical Director of COMA South and Camarada, Martin has commissioned and premiered many new works from - amongst others, Howard Skempton, Richard Rodney Bennett, and most recently Michael Zev Gordon's Common Ground.

Leisure pursuits include Italian food & wine, French food & wine, English pubs, cycling long distances in Europe with his family and watching football!!

His music is published by Banks, Editions a Coeur Joie, and Noteworks Publications.

Selected Works

 

 

 

Selected Works

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