Grand Rapids Symphony

VIOLIN

Christopher Martin joined the Violin section of the Grand Rapids Symphony during the 1988-89 season. He came to Grand Rapids from central Ohio where he grew up in the Columbus suburb of Worthington where he had most recently been performing with the Columbus Symphony and the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus.

 

Having started his study of the violin at the age of seven, Chris decided on a career as an orchestra musician after an inspiring summer of study at Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC. He distinctly remembers playing Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony, the Kodaly Concerto for Orchestra, and Webern’s Passacaglia and Symphony, Op. 21. Later he would join the faculty of EMF the same year that he won the job in Grand Rapids. He played and taught there for twelve years until deciding to stay in Grand Rapids during the summers and perform with the Symphony on its Picnic Pops concert series. In February of 2007, Chris performed the solo violin part to John Corigliano’s Suite from The Red Violin on a Casual Classics program. Chris has also been featured performing Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’ from The Four Seasons on Symphony in the Schools concerts and in duets with Pete Spring and Bobby MeFerrin.

 

Chris received degrees in violin performance from The Ohio State University, where he studied with Michael Davis, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where his teachers were Jens Ellerman and Makoto Kaneshiro. During his college years he also studied at the Aspen Music Festival during two summers.

 

Throughout his tenure with the Symphony, Chris has performed with the Super Nova String Quartet/Quintet as part of the Symphony’s educational outreach program. He has also served the Symphony in virtually every volunteer capacity possible from chairing the Orchestra Committee (responsible for contract administration) and the musician’s Artistic Advisory Committee to serving on Music Director and President Search Committees, two Strategic Planning Committees, and serving as a musician representative to the Board of Directors. He has served as the musician’s delegate to the Regional Orchestra Player’s Association and has also served on the Executive Board of the American Federation of Musicians Local 56 and on several contract negotiating committees.

 

In spite of these commitments, Chris is nonetheless an active chamber musician. He performs in Ensemble Montage, a local group made up of mostly Symphony colleagues, which presents works for combined woodwinds, strings, piano, percussion, and whatever else strikes their fancy. The group plays concerts throughout west Michigan focusing on contemporary music, but also performing works from the rich and interesting repertoire of the more distant past.

 

Chris is currently also involved with artistic planning at the St. Cecilia Music Center where he also serves on the Board of Directors. It was at Diana Krall’s St. Cecilia performance where Chris took his now wife Laura, the Director of Design at a local custom carpet manufacturer, on their first date. They live in an 1888 Heritage Hill home with a Great Dane, Billie (Holiday) and a cat, Lester (Young).