Graduate student in flute performance Tyler Martin will represent Rice’s Shepherd School of Music as part of American Public Media’s “Performance Today” Young Artists in Residence series. His segments will be available online April 4 and will air on APM that week.
“Performance Today” is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country and reaches about 1.4 million listeners each week. The program showcases today’s classical music scene with concert highlights, interviews and stories, hosted by Fred Child. The Shepherd School was invited to select a student to participate.
Martin performed Valerie Coleman's "Wish: Sonatine for Flute and Piano," Adolphus Hailstork's "Flute Set" and William Grant Still's "Songs for Flute and Piano" during the recording sessions last month. Pianist Beilin Han, an artistic collaborator at the Shepherd School, performed with Martin.
"It was an incredible experience," he said. "Getting to perform all of this amazing music was a true joy.
Martin put together the program himself, and said it was extremely personal because all of the music he performed was by African American composers.
"In classical music, there's a very Eurocentric focus, but I'm glad to be able to share all of this amazing music that I believe stands right up alongside Beethoven and Bach and Mozart," he said.
A student of Shepherd School Professor of Flute Leone Buyse, Martin will complete a master’s degree in flute performance this spring. He has received numerous awards, most recently winning first prize in the Houston Flute Club’s Byron Hester Competition in 2021. He has received offers to attend the 2020 Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra and Texas Music Festival Orchestra and was awarded a teaching assistantship at the Brevard Music Center. As a freelance artist, Tyler has performed around the world, including in France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and the Dominican Republic. Other notable accomplishments include both solo and ensemble performances at the 2020 National Flute Association Convention.
An avid player of new and contemporary music, Tyler has performed numerous world premieres. He is also passionate about teaching, music advocacy and the amplification of the voices of people of color in classical music.
Martin joined the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra in the 2021-22 season as second flute and piccolo. He is also a substitute with the Houston Symphony Orchestra. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from the DePaul University School of Music and a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. More information on Martin is available online at https://www.flutisttyler.com.