Martin Bussey, based in the borderlands of England and Wales, combines the roles of composer and conductor.
He currently directs the Chester Bach Singers, Cantiones Choir in Oswestry, and is a vocal tutor at Manchester University. He is Chairman of the Finzi Friends, a director of Ludlow English Song and a trustee of Kantos Choir.
Martin’s commission for the 2021 Pinner Festival A Brother Abroad, composed to a libretto by Anthony Pinching, received a warm reception at its first performance by Marcus Farnsworth and subsequent performance at the 2022 Ludlow English Song Weekend. This followed the recent successes of Mary’s Hand (2018) and Timeless Figure (2020), each premiered at the Tête-à-Tête Opera Festival.
His two piano works, Floreat Coll. Reg. were premiered at the 2021 Three Choirs Festival by Matthew Schellhorn who commissioned them, and these are scheduled for recording in 2022. Other recordings include Through a glass, a recording of songs, by Marcus Farnsworth on ResonusClassics. The 2019 CD of Martin’s choral music In no strange land, sung by the London-based professional choir, Sonoro, directed by Neil Ferris on Resonus Classics, received four-star reviews in BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone magazine and Choir and Organ. Martin recently completed a new, staged cycle for Soprano and Guitar, Shropshire Lass, based on the poetry of Mary Webb.
Martin was a Choral Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, and then studied singing at the RNCM. He ran the aural, academic music and choral programmes at Chetham’s School of Music, where he taught from 1988 to 2013. Scores of his music are available from www.composersedition.com.
Martin has a website of his own. Click here to visit it.
