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.

  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 20th century and has played and recorded most of the chamber music for his instrument.

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  He has recently completed a series of recordings of the music of Giovanni Bottesini, the great 19th 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 was re-released on Naxos.

Tom has an impressive class at Birmingham Conservatoire and was for many years Senior Professor of Double Bass at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Professor at the Royal College of Music in London. He is in constant demand to give master classes internationally and 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 the International Music Company, New York.

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

 

  As a conductor: Tom studied with Sian Edwards in London and in Oxford with Stephen Darlington and has recently completed the first appearance on CD of Bottesini’s masterly “Messa da Requiem”  with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorus and Soloists for Naxos.