Martyn Charles Brabbins (born 13 August 1959) is a British conductor. The fourth of five children in his family, he learned to play the

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" o ...

, and then the

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

during his youth at Towcester Studio Brass Band. He later studied composition at

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wo ...

. He subsequently studied conducting with Ilya Musin at the

Leningrad Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as th ...

. Brabbins first came to international attention when he was awarded first prize at the

Leeds Conductors Competition The Leeds Conductors Competition, is a music competition for young British conductors in the city of Leeds. History The competition was founded by Michael Johnson of the Leeds City Council and David Lloyd-Jones, Founder Director of Opera North wi ...

in 1988. Between 1994 and 2005, Brabbins was Associate Principal Conductor of the

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional r ...

. He became principal conductor of Sinfonia 21 in 1994. He was artistic director of the Cheltenham Music Festival from 2005 to 2007. During his Cheltenham tenure, he established a new ensemble, the Festival Players. In

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

, he created a new chamber music series called "Music in Transition". On 17 July 2011, Brabbins conducted the 6th live performance of

Havergal Brian Havergal Brian (born William Brian; 29 January 187628 November 1972) was an English composer. He is best known for having composed 32 symphonies (an unusually high total for a 20th-century composer), most of them late in his life. His best-known ...

's Symphony No. 1 "The Gothic", at

The Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

, which was later released on a Hyperion commercial recording. Brabbins was subsequently named president of the Havergal Brian Society. Brabbins is also conductor laureate of the Huddersfield Choral Society. In 2002, Brabbins founded a training course for aspiring conductors at the St Magnus International Festival in Orkney, which he continues to co-direct. Outside of the UK, Brabbins became principal guest conductor of deFilharmonie (Royal Flemish Philharmonic) in 2009. He held the position of chief conductor of the

Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra The is a symphony orchestra based in Nagoya, Japan, founded in 1966. The orchestra gives concerts primarily at the Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater Concert Hall and the Chukyo University Center for Culture & Arts Aurora Hall. The orchestra gave ...

from 2012 to 2016. Brabbins first guest-conducted at

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

(ENO) in 2012, in a production of Vaughan Williams' ''

The Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christianity, Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a prog ...

''. On 21 October 2016, ENO named Brabbins its next music director, with immediate effect. His initial ENO contract is until October 2020. Brabbins has conducted commercial recordings of music for such labels as Warner, Chandos, Hyperion, NMC, Nimbus, and Deutsche Grammophon. Brabbins and his wife Karen (née Evans) met at Goldsmiths. The couple married in 1985, and have three children. In January 2013, the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

awarded Brabbins an honorary degree, of Doctor of Music ''honoris causa''.

Selected recordings

Saint-Saëns: piano concertos n°2 & n°5, Louis Schwizgebel-Wang, piano, BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Martyn Brabbins & Fabien Gabel; label Aparté 2015

References

External links

Intermusica agency biography of Martyn Brabbins

Answers.com page on Martyn Brabbins

Dutch-language page of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic on Martyn Brabbins

"Martyn Brabbins moves to NPO". International Arts Manager, 15 December 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brabbins, Martyn English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) Artistic directors (music) Prize-winners of the Leeds Conductors Competition Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni 1961 births Living people 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British male musicians