Dr. Michael G. Martin
Currently the Director of Choral Activities at Hilliard Darby High School, Director of Music – New Albany Methodist, founding conductor of Una Voce- The Michael Martin Chorale and newly-appointed conductor of the New Albany Symphony Chorus.
As former assistant conductor and accompanist of The Ohio State University Men’s Glee Club, Dr. Martin’s passion continued to grow deeper and resulted in the development of numerous choral groups within the educational and community environment. After writing his first major work at the age of 17, Dr. Martin pursued a college career at The Ohio State University, earning a Bachelor, Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in education, vocal pedagogy and choral music. He has studied with Craig Jessop, Robert J. Ward, Russel Mikkelson, Marshall Haddock, James Gallagher, Hilary Apfelstadt and Maurice Casey, and the late Robert Shaw.
While at Ohio State, Dr. Martin had the opportunity to study with and served as accompanist for Robert Shaw, as well as an invitation to study at the Robert Shaw Choral Festival Chorus in France in 1994. He has also performed and conducted major concerts throughout Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Ireland and France and performed on the BBC network. Dr. Martin has conducted the Hilliard Darby Symphonic Choir on tours of England and the United States, which included performances at St. Paul’s Cathedral and at Carnegie Hall, New York for a performance of Durufle’s Requiem in 2006. The choir was invited by Dr. Craig Jessop to sing at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. for the National High School Memorial Day Choral Festival in 2011 and was conductor in residence in the fall of 2015 for a performance of John Rutter’s “Mass of the Children.” In February of 2018, Una Voce was invited to participate with Dr. Jessop once again for a performance of “Dona Nobis Pacem,”by Vaughan Williams at Carnegie Hall.
Darby Symphonic Choir has performed for several ACDA Conventions and ten OMEA conventions during the school’s history. The choral groups at Hilliard Darby have consistently received superior ratings at district and state level OMEA events and have been ranked as one of the top 3 choral programs in the country.
In 2019, Dr. Martin received two top honors. The American Prize Foundation honors exceptional artistry in many facets. Martin received one of the top three awards for Choral Conducting and one for outstanding choral performance of American Composers in the secondary education division. In addition, Dr. Martin performed and conducted his own arrangements for men’s voices with the OSU Men’s Glee Club of such notable works as Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera”, and Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns”, two of many arrangements included on the group’s recordings. Recently, Martin toured Austria and the Czech Republic in the summer of 2023 with The New Albany Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with prominent concert venues such as St. Stephens and Salzburg Cathedrals. Also, Dr. Martin was commissioned by The Ohio State University to compose a piece celebrating the 150th anniversary
of the Men’s Glee Club to be premiered in 2025 and by The New Albany Symphony Orchestra for an arrangement for the 2024 Holiday Pops for full orchestra and chorus. His compositions are published with Alfred Music, Alliance, Lawson Gould and he is also a composer/arranger for Alfred, Alliance and Lawson Gould Music Publications. Recently,
He has prepared choirs for major works for conductors as Mr. Robert Shaw, Dr. Eph Ely, Dr. Craig Jessop, Dr. Ann Howard Jones, Dr. Donald Neuen and composer/conductor Eric Whitacre.
Dr. Martin’s career has spanned many facets, both in and out of the classroom. As a graduate teaching assistant and adjunct professor at The Ohio State University, Dr. Martin served as conductor of University Chorus, Symphonic Choir, Chorale and Men’s Glee Club, as well as instructor for undergraduate vocal pedagogy courses and conducting classes. His civic responsibility has involved his creativity in arranging and conducting choirs and orchestras for national, televised broadcasts and weekly worship services with the community.
He currently serves as Director of Music for New Albany Methodist Church and is called upon as clinician and commissioned composer for various honor choirs and festivals throughout the Great Lakes region. Dr. Martin resides in Dublin, Ohio with his wife and son.
