About

Concerts, lectures and other events.

After tuneful beginnings as a brass-bander in rural Norfolk, Martin Perkins started his formal music studies at Birmingham Conservatoire initially as a composer and French horn player. However, his interest in Early Music soon led him to the harpsichord and he graduated with an MA degree in 1998 after studying with Lucy Carolan. He subsequently completed an MPhil at the University of Birmingham studying late 17th-century Italian chamber music and recently completed a PhD in music-making in 18th century Britain.

As a harpsichordist, Martin is active in the Midlands and London performing with many different groups, including locally the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and English Symphony Orchestra and is often called upon for his skills as a continuo player. As a director, he has performed music from Gabrieli to Poulenc, including staged operas by Handel, Mozart and Purcell. He has often appeared as a concerto soloist, performing works by Handel, Bach Mozart, and Graun. For a brief spell until 2007 he was Director of Music at the University of Leicester where he directed the University’s orchestras and choirs. Martin is co-founder and co-director of the Musical & Amicable Society, with whom he has directed and performed in hundreds of concerts since its inception in 2004.

Martin is a researcher with specialisms in performance practice, 18th-century British music and organology. He has written many papers and is a contributor to Oxford Music Online. As an editor of 17th and 18th-century music, Martin has published first editions of music by Vitali and Gunn for Edition HH and Septenary Editions, as well as pedagogical materials. His own publishing company, Cat on the Keys Music, produces critical performing editions of music by Graun, Vitali, Pixell, Janicchi, Schelle, Cazzati, Matteis and Telemann.

Martin is Head of the Historical Performance Department and the Instrument Curator at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.