Martin James Bartlett

Martin James Bartlett’s early public success was as the winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2014. This led to engagements with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as recitals across the country.

He made his BBC Proms debut in 2015 performing Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He also performed the piece with the Ulster Orchestra at the BBC Proms “Last Night” celebrations which was broadcast live from Belfast on BBC Four and BBC Radio Ulster. In the following year, he performed at Her Majesty The Queen's 90th Birthday thanksgiving service, which was broadcast live on BBC One from St. Paul's Cathedral. During this period he received support from the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT).

In 2017, whilst still an undergraduate at the Royal College of Music, where he has studied with Professor Vanessa Latarche, Bartlett was a quarter finalist in The Van Cliburn Competition, held in Fort Worth, Texas, attracting a considerable following both live in the hall and online on Medici TV. He is now in the final year of his master’s degree at The Royal College as a Foundation Scholar. 

In the 2020/21 season, Bartlett has been invited to play recitals across the UK, including Wigmore Hall and the Belfast International Arts Festival, as well as internationally, including recitals at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Salle Cortot in Paris, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and the Wiener Konzerthaus. Bartlett was also invited for his debut with the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Martin James Bartlett will make his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists Series this season.

During the past season, Bartlett returned to the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mark Wigglesworth and to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Orchestral debuts included the BBC Concert Orchestra and the RTE Symphony Orchestra. He made his recital debut in Paris for the Fondation Louis Vuitton and performed recitals at the Mecklenburg Vorpommern Festival and the Piano Aux Jacobins in Toulouse. He was also invited to the Rising Star series by the Basel Allgemeine Musikgesellschaft, and to the Verbier Festival for a solo recital and a duo recital with Timothy Chooi.

2020/21 season / 469words. Not to be altered without permission.