
A Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin)

A Rhapsody in Blue (promo) - Gershwin
Share
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Tumblr
Copy Link
Link Copied
Watch & Listen Below!
Contact
William Robert Martin is an American concert pianist based in Chicago, Illinois.
After making his professional debut in 2015 with the National Symphony Orchestra at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, he has been regularly
featured in performances with symphony orchestras throughout the United States
and Canada. His solo performances have been broadcast on WFMT and
Wisconsin Public Radio.
Mr. Martin specializes in the music of George Gershwin. With the permission of the Gershwin Family Interests, he has studied the original manuscripts of Rhapsody in Blue in the archives of the Library of Congress. These manuscripts, as well as Gershwin’s own recorded history, inform Mr. Martin’s interpretation of Rhapsody as a whoop from the Jazz Age—more Tin Pan Alley than Tchaikovsky.
An ardent educator and champion of the arts, Mr. Martin collaborates with Classical Kids LIVE!, the world’s leading producer of theatrical-symphony concerts for family audiences, to introduce over 100,000 children annually to the lives and music of the great composers. Their newest production, Gershwin’s Magic Key, is licensed by the Gershwin Family Interests, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, and performed around the globe. Mr. Martin co-wrote the script and music supervised the production, which has been nominated for the 2017 International Young Audience Music Awards as "Best Production."
A graduate of the Conservatory at Lawrence University, Mr. Martin studied under Emma Tahmizian and Michael Mizrahi. There, he took both the B.Mus piano performance and the B.A. English magna cum laude. He currently works with the world’s leading Gershwin archivist, Kevin Cole, and studies under Sheila Paige, who learned from Dorothy Taubman.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Roy Thompson Hall | Toronto, ON
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts | Chicago, IL
Muncie Symphony Orchestra
Emens Auditorium | Muncie, IN
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Chenery Auditorium | Kalamazoo, MI
National Repertory Orchestra @
Bravo! Vail Music Festival
Kensho Watanabe, conductor
Gerald R. Ford Ampitheater | Vail, CO
National Repertory Orchestra @
Breckenridge Music Festival
Kensho Watanabe, conductor
Riverwalk Center | Breckenridge, CO
Utah Symphony
Rei Hotoda, conductor
Abravanel Hall | Salt Lake City, UT
North Carolina Symphony
Grant Llewellyn, conductor
Meymandi Hall | Raleigh, NC
Peoria Symphony Orchestra
George Stelluto, conductor
Peoria Civic Center | Peoria, IL
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Brier, conductor
Chenery Auditorium | Kalamazoo, MI
Santa Rosa Symphony
Richard Loheyde, conductor
Weill Hall | Green Music Center | Santa Rosa, CA
Wichita Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Hege, conductor
Century II Concert Hall | Wichita, KS
Kansas City Symphony
Christopher James Lees, conductor
Helzberg Hall | Kauffman Center | Kansas City, MO
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Gordon Gerrard, conductor
Orpheum Theatre | Vancouver, BC
York Symphony Orchestra
Stephen Czarkowski, conductor
Appell Center for the Performing Arts | York, PA
Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra
Arie Lipsky, conductor
Michigan Theatre | Ann Arbor, MI
National Symphony Orchestra
Benjamin Rous, conductor
The Concert Hall | The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, DC