Conductor Martyn Brabbins was born in England on August 13, 1959. His musical journey began as a child when he studied both the euphonium and trombone while performing with the Towcester Studio Brass Band. While attending Goldsmiths, University of London, he studied composition before studying conducting at the Leningrad Conservatory in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 1988, Martyn Brabbins won first prize at the Leeds Competition which led to him taking a position as the principal associate conductor for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra from 1994 to 2005. In 1994, he also become the principal conductor of Sinfonia 21. While serving as the artistic director of the Cheltenham Music Festival (2005-2007), he formed a new ensemble called the Festival Players. Martin Brabbins conducted the sixth live performance of Havergal Brian’s Gothic Symphony at the BBC Proms in 2011 before becoming the principal conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan from 2012 until 2016. He then became the Huddersfield Choral Society’s principal conductor while also assuming the position of musical director and guest conductor of the English National Opera from 2016 until 2020. Martyn Brabbins’ recorded legacy features many recordings with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and other ensembles including Mackenzie: Orchestral Music (1995), Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 (1996), Gregson: Blazon, Violin Concerto, Clarinet Concerto & Stepping Out (2003), Brian: Symphony No.13 - English Suite No. 4 & Violin Concerto (2012), British Piano Concertos (2022), and Stanford: Requiem (2023).
