Martin James Bartlett first gained prominence by winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2014. This early success led to performances with notable orchestras, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2015, he made his BBC Proms debut, performing Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” and in 2016, he played at the Queen’s 90th Birthday thanksgiving service, broadcast live from St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Bartlett’s career continued to flourish with numerous accolades, including second prize and the Audience Award at the 2018 Kissingen Piano Olympiad, and winning the Virtu(al)oso Global Piano Competition in 2020. He also received the Queen Mother Rosebowl in 2021, presented by HRH Prince Charles. He graduated with top honours from the Royal College of Music, earning a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Artist’s Diploma under Professor Vanessa Latarche. From 2020 to 2022, he served as the RCM Benjamin Britten Piano Fellow, during which he made his conducting debut with the London Mozart Players. Recently, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the Royal College of Music.
In July 2022, Bartlett was awarded the inaugural Prix Serdang by Rudolf Buchbinder, leading to a recital at Switzerland’s Villa Serdang. He has toured Europe since 2021, performing Philip Glass’s “Tirol” piano concerto with the LGT Young Soloists, including a gala performance for the Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein. His debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2022, featuring Rachmaninov’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” received high praise.
During the 2022/23 season, Bartlett performed at prestigious festivals like La Roque d’Anthéron and collaborated with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sinfonia of London on a UK tour.
In 2024, Bartlett expanded his international presence, with his debut tour of Canada and at the Lucerne Festival. He also performed alongside Imogen Cooper at the London Mozart Players’ 75th Anniversary Concert and collaborated with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields at the Cambridge Summer Music Festival. Additionally, Bartlett played at the Moritzburg Festival in Germany and has just returned from Amsterdam, where he performed again at the Concertgebouw.
PROGRAMME
Bach/Siloti – Prelude in B Minor, BWVV 855a
Siloti/Gluck - Melodie from “Orfeo ed Euridice”, Wq. 30
Schubert - 4 Impromptus, Op. 90, D.899
Schubert/Liszt – Ständchen, S.560 (from Schwanengesang No. 4, D.957)
Liszt/Wagner – Isoldes Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, S.447
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