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.

Highlights of Bartlett’s 2024/25 season include debuts at the Lucerne and Moritzburg summer festivals, a return to the Concertgebouw, and two chamber music recitals at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. He returns to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Nordwestdeutsche Philhamonie, and, in April 2025, embarks on a 2-week tour of the US, which features solo appearances in Cincinnati and San Francisco.

In the 2022/23 season Bartlett made 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 also gave recitals in major venues including the Wiener Konzerthaus and The Concertgebouw.

An exclusive recording artist with Warner Classics, Bartlett has released three widely acclaimed albums on the label. La Danse (2024) focuses on solo works by Couperin, Debussy, Hahn, Rameau and Ravel, and received 5-star reviews in The Times, as well as Editor’s Choice on Gramophone. Rhapsody (2022), recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Joshua Weilerstein and featuring concerti by Rachmaninoff and Gershwin, was released to critical acclaim, also receiving Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice accolade and a 5-star review in BBC Music Magazine. His debut recital album Love and Death (2019) also received outstanding reviews in The Times, The Guardian and The Sunday Times.

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, his BBC Proms debut performing Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. For Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 90th Birthday, he performed at the National Service of Thanksgiving, 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. From 2020 to 2022, Bartlett was the RCM Benjamin Britten Piano Fellow, and made his play-direct and conducting debut with the London Mozart Players at the Cheltenham and Ryedale festivals in 2022 leading works by Pärt, Mozart and Britten. In 2019, Bartlett was awarded first place at the 2019 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York.