Lionel Martin & Demian Martin
Biography Lionel Martin & Demian Martin
Lionel Martin
grew up in Tübingen and has been studying under Frans Helmerson at Kronberg Academy since 2024. He was previously taught by Joseph Hasten and Thomas Grossenbacher.
He made his solo debut with the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 14. Since then, renowned European orchestras have invited him as a soloist, including the Württembergische Kammerorchester Heilbronn, the Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra in Lithuania, the Camerata Balcanica in Serbia, the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the NDR Radiophilharmonie and the SWR Symphony Orchestra. In 2022 he won first prize in the Ton & Erklärung competition, in which musicians present their repertoire on stage themselves. In July 2024, he won the Prémio Suggia Cello Competition in Porto (Portugal).
Lionel Martin regularly gives recitals, including at the Lucerne Festival, the Oberstdorfer Musiksommer, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the SWR Schwetzingen Festival and the Beethovenfest Bonn. His brother, pianist Demian Martin, has been his duo partner for many years. A special feature of their concerts are duo improvisations at the call of the audience.
He has been a scholarship holder of the AnneSophie Mutter Foundation since 2017 and regularly tours Europe, South and North America with the violinist and her ensemble Mutter‘s Virtuosi. In 2021, he has been chosen for the coveted development program SWR Kultur (previously: SWR2) New Talent, which includes studio productions, concerts and media presence for outstanding young musicians. Under this framework, his debut album was released on SWRmusic with the cello concerto The Protecting Veil and Svyati by John Tavener.
Lionel Martin has received significant musical inspiration from Lynn Harrell, Martti Rousi, Jens Peter Maintz, Jan Vogler and Yo-Yo Ma. He plays a cello by Pierre Silvestre built in 1856.
