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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 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
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