Biography - Francisco Martínez

Francisco Martínez

Concert Artist and Educator

Born in San Juan (Alicante), Maestro Martínez completed his formal music study in Alicante and Madrid. Later he completed additional studies in France with Daniel Deffayet, Serge Bichon, and J.M. Londeix among others.

His performances consist of concerts in various halls within Europe and the United States. In Spain, he has performed at the Auditorio Nacional, Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Teatro Monumental in Madrid, Real Academia de Bellas Artes, Palau de la Música in Valencia, Contemporary Art Institute of Barcelona, Festivals in Alicante, León, Salamanca, Granada, Málaga, Valencia. In Europe, his resumé includes performances at the Royal Conservatory of Paris, Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris, Pierre Thibaud Hall in Bordeaux, . The Sao Carlos Thetather in Lisbon and and Casa da Musica in Porto. The festivals of Annecy, Aix Les Bans, Angers and Gap in France, the Tilburg and Enschede Auditoriums in The Netherlands, the Contemporary Art Institute of London, as well as performances in Belgium, Italy, Germany, Crotatia, Moldavia, and Slovenia. Within North America, he has performed at the University of Québec in Montreal, Canada, the University of Minnesota, and UCLA in the United States. His Asian performance resumé is highlighted by a performance at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand.

Highlights include work as a soloist with the UCLA Contemporary Ensemble in Los Angeles, the Instrument Ensemble of the Royal Air Forces of Belgium, the Symphonic Orchestra of Córdoba, the International Orchestra Ensemble of Italy, the Gerhard Project, the Chamber Orchestra Villa de Madrid, the Portuguese Symphonic Orchestra, Portuguese Symphonic Band, the Madrid Symphonic Orchestra, the Radio and Television Orchestra of Kishinev, Moldavia, the Minsk Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mediterranean Symphonic Orchestra, the Savitra Chamber, UAM Symphonic Orchestra, and Sax-Ensemble Chamber Orchestra. With the last groups he performed respectively the world premiere of the Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra by Manuel Seco, the Spanish premiere of the Edison Denisov Concerto, the world premiere of the Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra by Carlos Cruz de Castro, the world premiere of the “Fuego Azul”, Concerto for Saxophone, Piano, and Chamber Orchestra by Claudio Prieto, world premiere of The Mediterranean Concerto By Zulema de la Cruz, the world premiere of the Concerto for Saxophone Soprano and Orchestra “Waiting” by Massimo Botter, the world premiere of “Pastoral “ by Benet Casablancas and the world premiere of “Quimeras, Unicornios y Ornitorrincos” by Tomas Marco.

Several of his performances have been broadcast on Spanish National Radio, Spanish Television, Swedish and English television, Radio France, FR3, RAI, RTBF Brussels, RTL Luxemburg and BRT, and Moldavian Radio and Television. More than 150 composers have written works for him, which he later premiered as a soloist or with the Sax-Ensemble group. Mr. Martínez is the artistic director of Sax-Ensemble and award winner of the Spanish Ministry of Culture’s National Music Award for Interpretation, the first time in history that such an award was granted to a chamber music group. It currently has eighteen CDs released by the seals: Author, Verso, RTVE Music, Naxos, Canticum, and two DVDs also edited by Canticum.

As an educator, he has taught courses in Vigo, Madrid, Benidorm, the European University of the Saxophone in Gap, France, the European University of the Saxophone in San Juan, Alicante, Ciudad Real, Almagro, el Escorial, and Madrid. He has also taught Master Classes in Utrera (Sevilla), Madrid, the University of California in Los Angeles and the University of Minnesota in the USA, the Art School of Kishinev, the Amsterdam, Enschede, and Tilburg Conservatories in the Netherlands, Gap, Paris, Bordeaux in France, Pescara, Faenza, Fermo, Milan, Turin, Roma and Ferrara in Italia, and Viseu and Aveiro in Portugal. He has participated on various occasions in international saxophone juries. He has been invited to participate in national saxophone juries and has recorded fourteen albums and two DVDs as a soloist or with the SAX-ENSEMBLE group. He has taught as professor at the Muchamiel Conservatory, Elche Municipal Conservatory, Murcia Superior Conservatory, the Teresa Berganza Conservatory and the Madrid Royal Superior Conservatory of Music, and the where he currently holds position as Chairman of Saxophone, and Head of Wood Wind Department.

Francisco Martínez i´ts Selmer Artist

an Gold Artist D´Addario

He is one of the saxophonists who has contributed most to the saxophone repertoire in the last 30 years. His activity has led to the world premiere of 203 works for saxophone and the publication of 18 CDs and 2 DVDs so far. He has performed in over 20 countries in the Americas, Asia and Europe and has performed five world premieres of concerts with orchestra. As an interpreter he is greatly appreciated for his sound, technique and quality of interpretation that has earned him the highest acclaim.

He is the founder and artistic director of Sax-Ensemble Group. This group is considered one of the best contemporary music groups in Europe and is the largest contributor to the international repertoire of saxophone in the last 20 years. It was the first group of chamber of Spain awarded the National Prize for Music.

He is a saxophone professor at the Royal Superior Conservatory of Madrid and also Head of Wood Wind Department. His training at conservatories in Madrid and Alicante, and later in Paris, Bordeaux, and with the most renowned professors of the French school have allowed him to be one of the best prepared teachers in Spain. Many students have passed through his classrooms and more than 70 teachers have completed their saxophone studies in his classrooms.

He has taught courses and masterclasses in addition to Spain, Russia, Poland, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Slovenia, Canada and the United States.

He was the founder of the Association of Spanish Saxophonists, and organizer of many activities to promote the saxophone in Spain. In 1987 he organized in Alicante the II European Saxophone Meeting, where the Sax-Ensemble performed for the first time. Later he taught the first Saxophone European University in France (1989), and founded the Saxophone European University in Spain (1990). In 1993 he founded the Sax-Ensemble foundation which is currently the artistic director and which organizes the cycle Music for the Third Millennium. He is currently president the Governing Board of the Foundation Sax-Ensemble. He was artistic director of the I European Saxophone Congress “Eursax 2014”. Also is president of the European Saxophone Committee.

He has published articles in the magazine “Anuario Musical” (Higher Council of Scientific Researcho of Spain) in the revues: Music and Education, Euphony, Melomano, Ritmo, El País, Viento, Allegro, “Music” published by Royal Conservatory of Madrid and the magazine ASE.

He has done PhDs in Musicology and Applied Creativity at the Autonomous University of Madrid. In 2011 he obtained the title of European Doctor in Musicology with the qualification “outstanding cum laude”. He have been part of the juries most importants in national and international competitions