David Martins

With a dual career as a performer and conductor, David J. Martins balances orchestral and chamber venues with an active teaching and conducting schedule. He is Music Director of the Boston University Wind Ensemble and Master Lecturer of Music.  In 2015 the ensemble released its second recording of Trumpet Concerti with Boston University Professor Terry Everson.  In 2013, the ensemble released its first recording of Ketty Nez’s Piano Concerto entitled Thresholds on Ravello Records and, in 2014, premiered the wind ensemble transcription of John Williams’ Tuba Concerto with Mike Roylance, principal tuba of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The ensemble performed at the 2014 CBDNA East Conference. He is Professor Emeritus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Music, where he was the Wind Ensemble Director and clarinet faculty for 35 years. He was a Berkshire Music Festival Tanglewood Fellow and holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Lowell, College of Music.

Professor Martins is the founding music director of both the Rivers Conservatory Youth Wind Ensemble 2014-2017 and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Wind Ensembles where he was conductor of the senior division from 2002-2012 and conducted the ensemble at Carnegie Hall. During his ten-year tenure as Music Director of the Metropolitan Wind Symphony (of which he is now Director Emeritus), the ensemble performed at the National Conference of the Association of Concert Bands and commissioned numerous new compositions.   During the past several years, he has been in demand as a guest conductor and has conducted Festival ensembles throughout the Eastern United States.  Since the summer of 1999, Mr. Martins has served on the faculty of Boston University Tanglewood Institute as Director of Wind Activities for the Young Artist Orchestra and, since the summer of 2005, conducts the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Wind Ensemble.

Professor Martins is a member of the clarinet section of the Boston Ballet Orchestra, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms Society Orchestra and Symphony New Hampshire.  He performs as a substitute player with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the Springfield Symphony.  For 25 years, he performed as second clarinet with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.   He has also performed with Boston Lyric Opera, Landmarks Orchestra, Boston Classical Orchestra, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Alea III, Musica Viva, and Monadnock Music Festival. In past years he toured with the Philharmonia Hungarica Orchestra of Germany on their U.S. tours, the Puccini Festival Orchestra throughout Italy, and performed six tours throughout Greece and Russia as soloist and member of the contemporary chamber ensemble Alea III. He can be heard on orchestral and chamber recordings on the BSO, CRI, Koch, Titanic, Gasparo and Albany labels.