Thomas Martin

One of the world’s best-known bassists, Thomas Martin studied in America under Harold Roberts, Oscar Zimmerman, and Roger Scott.

He has held front desk positions with the Buffalo Philharmonic and Israel Philharmonic Orchestras and Principal positions with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, the English Chamber Orchestra, The C.B.S.O., and latterly, the London Symphony Orchestra. Tom has been Principal Double Bassist with the Oxford Philomusica since its first season.

In recent years, he has been pursuing an ever-increasing interest in solo playing appearing in recitals and concertos with orchestras around the globe. He has made a number of television and broadcast appearances presenting a wide variety of repertoire ranging from the baroque to the 20^th century and has played and recorded most of the chamber music for his instrument.

He has recently completed a series of recordings of the music of Giovanni Bottesini, the great 19^th century virtuoso, which have met with great critical acclaim. His recordings in the Bottesini series with Anthony Halstead were awarded “Gramophone Magazine Record of the Year” and his recording with The English Chamber Orchestra was chosen as the “Sunday Times Record of the Year”. During 2008 the celebrated series has been re-released on Naxos.

As a teacher, Tom was for many years Senior Professor of Double Bass at London’s Guildhall School of Music and is now a Professor at the Royal College of Music in London and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow. He is in constant demand to give master classes internationally. His students can be found all over the world. He is responsible for a large number of editions of music for double bass notably for Thodore Presser and International Music Company in the U.S. and G. Billaudot in France.

Often asked to serve on International Competition juries, recent appearances have been in Moscow, Geneva, Cremona, Bucharest, Munich, Ludwigslust, St Petersburg and Wroclaw.

Tom is also well known and educated as a Luthier and is often seen playing his own double bass (one of the over one hundred sixty basses he has made to date).