Martin James Bartlett

Martin James Bartlett possesses a fearless technique and plays with a maturity and elegance far beyond his years. Bartlett is an exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics and his first disc was released in May 2019 and explores the theme of love and death. His next album titled ‘Rhapsody’ received 5* star reviews and was Gramophones Editors choice. His most recent La Danse album was released in January 2024.

In July 2022, Bartlett was announced as the recipient of the inaugural Prix Serdang, a prize awarded to him by Rudolf Buchbinder that included a recital in the Villa Serdang, Switzerland. The new prize recognises the achievements and career of a young pianist and was chosen by Buchbinder and Thomas Pfiffner in collaboration with promoters and artists worldwide.

Forthcoming highlights of Bartlett’s 2022/23 season include appearances at major festivals such as Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron, Rheingau Musik and Turku Music festivals, as well as performances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a UK tour with the Sinfonia of London under the baton of John Wilson. Bartlett will also give recitals in major venues including the Wiener Konzerthaus and The Concertgebouw.

In the 2021/22 season, Bartlett gave a European tour with the LGT Young Soloists, performing Philip Glass’s ‘Tirol’ piano concerto at the Berlin Konzerthaus, Vienna Musikverein and Hamburg Elbphilharmonie culminating in a gala performance for the Prince and Princess of Liechtenstein in London. Bartlett also debuted with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in March 2022 and The Times wrote: “the performance that matters is Bartlett’s splendidly dashing and tender account of Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini”.

Recital highlights of the past seasons involve concerts at the International Chopin Piano Festival at Duszniki Zdrój, Wigmore Hall, The Concertgebouw, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Salle Cortot Paris, Dresden Music Festival, Stadtcasino Basel and at the Ludwig Van Beethoven Easter Festival. Furthermore, Bartlett embarked upon his debut US tour in the Young Concert Artists Series in February 2022, which included debut performances in New York and The Kennedy Centre, Washington DC.

In 2019, his debut recital album ‘Love and Death’, exploring these elemental themes, ranging from Bach to Prokofiev, received outstanding reviews in The Times, The Guardian and The Sunday Times His five-star review in The Times wrote: “Bartlett's ability to think long-term, rather than give in to immediate excitement, is probably his most impressive trait. No.2 on his score card may be his unaffected delicacy of touch, colour and tone, brilliantly shown in the three Petrarch sonnet settings from Liszt's Années de pèlerinage... Everything works to illuminate the music."

Martin James Bartlett’s early public success was as the winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2014. This led to engagements with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra and in 2015 Bartlett made his BBC Proms debut performing Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In the following year, he performed at Her Majesty The Queen's 90th Birthday thanksgiving service, which was broadcast live on BBC One from St. Paul's Cathedral.

In August 2020, Bartlett was announced as the winner of the Virtu(al)oso Global Piano Competition by Piano Cleveland. In 2018 he was awarded 2nd prize and the Audience Award at the Kissingen Piano Olympiad. In 2021 he was awarded the Queen Mother Rosebowl by HRH Prince Charles and graduated with a first class Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree and an Artist’s Diploma from the Royal College of Music, having studied under Professor Vanessa Latarche. Bartlett is the RCM Benjamin Britten Piano Fellow from 2020 until 2022. As part of this fellowship, Bartlett made his play-direct and conducting debut with the London Mozart Players at the Cheltenham and Ryedale festivals in 2022 leading the orchestra in music by Pärt, Mozart and Britten.