Martin has been a teacher at the Academy for 38 years. His former students hold principal or key positions in orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout the world and include prominent soloists, professors and teachers who now pass on his important creative influence.
As violist of, primarily, the Maggini Quartet, but also other chamber ensembles, Martin has recorded over fifty discs which have been Editor’s Choices in Gramophone and The Strad magazines. He is the recipient of a Gramophone Award, the Diapason d'Or, a Cannes Classical Award, two Grammy nominations, and the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for chamber music. His nine solo discs have received wide international acclaim, including five-star reviews in BBC Music Magazine.
Martin’s arrangements and transcriptions are available from major publishing houses, including Boosey & Hawkes, Oxford University Press and Chester Music. Martin has also inspired concertos to be written for him by Adam Gorb, Peter Aviss and David Gow.
He has given masterclasses at premier conservatoires throughout Europe, China and the USA. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and an Honorary Fellow of Brunel University and Canterbury Christ Church University, and is in regular demand as a jury member at international competitions.
On receiving the honorary title, Martin writes:
Lionel Tertis, one of the very greatest violists of all time, inspired countless musicians across the globe. I feel deeply honoured to be associated with him and to be able to play my part in encouraging others to follow his great example. The bond between Tertis and the Academy lives on in the performances of our students and alumni around the world.