Malcolm Martineau

Malcolm Martineau is a Scottish pianist. He read Music at St Catharine's College, Cambridge before studying with Geoffrey Parsons at the Royal College of Music.

Recognised at the highest international level as one of the UK’s leading accompanists, he has performed worldwide alongside the world’s greatest singers including John Mark Ainsley, Sir Thomas Allen, Lorna Anderson, Dame Janet Baker, Florian Boesch, Barbara Bonney, Dame Sarah Connolly, Sasha Cooke, Lucy Crowe, Mojca Erdmann, Christina Gansch, Elīna Garanča, Angela Gheorghiu, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Samuel Hasselhorn, Christiane Karg, Sir Simon Keenlyside, Angelika Kirchschlager, Magdalena Kožená, Dame Felicity Lott, Christopher Maltman, Karita Mattila, Catriona Morison, Dame Ann Murray, Paula Murrihy, Ema Nikolovska, Thomas Oliemans, Anne Sofie von Otter, Miah Persson, Christoph Prégardien, Theodore Platt, Thomas Quasthoff, Joan Rodgers, Dorothea Röschmann, Fatma Said, Michael Schade, Nicky Spence, Anne Schwanewilms, Frederica von Stade, Sir Bryn Terfel, William Thomas, Sarah Walker and Sonya Yoncheva.

He has appeared at the world’s principal venues including Alice Tully Hall, Barbican Centre, Berlin State Opera, Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw, Gran Theatre del Liceu, Mariinsky Theatre, Metropolitan Opera, Munich Opera, Paris Opera and Salle Gaveau, Royal Opera House, La Scala, Sydney Opera House, Teatro Real, Salzburg Mozarteum, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Musikverein and State Opera, Walt Disney Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Zurich Opera amongst others.

He has also performed at the world’s most important festivals including Aix-en-Provence, Aldeburgh, Baden Baden, Buxton, Edinburgh, Enescu, Leeds, Munich, Oxford, Ravinia, Salzburg, Schubertiade, Tanglewood and Verbier. He has presented his own series at the Wigmore Hall and at the Edinburgh Festival.

As a prolific recording artist, Martineau’s discography of over 100 CDs includes the following Award-winning recordings: ‘The Vagabond’ with Sir Bryn Terfel (Gramophone Award), ‘Songs of War’ with Sir Simon Keenlyside (Grammy and Gramophone Awards), Schumann and Mahler Lieder with Florian Boesch (BBC Music Magazine Award), Mahler Lieder with Christiane Karg (Diapason d’or), and ‘El Nour’ with Fatma Said (Gramophone Award).

Other notable recordings include Schubert, Schumann and English songs with Sir Bryn Terfel, Schubert and Strauss with Sir Simon Keenlyside, Schumann and Brahms Lieder with Elīna Garanča, Schubert cycles with Florian Boesch and recital recordings with Barbara Bonney, Dame Sarah Connolly, Angela Gheorghiu, Susan Graham, Christiane Karg, Magdalena Kožena, Angelika Kirchschlager, Dame Ann Murray, Thomas Oliemans, Dorothea Röschmann and Anne Schwanewilms. He has recorded the complete Beethoven and Britten Folk Songs, the complete songs of Duparc, and the complete vocal works of Debussy, Fauré, Mendelssohn and Poulenc.

Recording labels include Berlin Classics, Champs Hill, Chandos, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Erato, Harmonia Mundi, Hyperion, Linn, Onyx, Signum, Sony Classics, Warner Classics and Wigmore Hall Live amongst others.

He frequently gives masterclasses at the Guildhall, Juilliard, Marlboro, Ravinia and the Reina Sofia School of Music. He is also a regular collaborator in Young Artist programmes such as Britten-Pears, Internationale Meistersinger Akadamie, Merola Opera, Samling and Salzburg.

He has been a jury member for the Kathleen Ferrier Award, the Cardiff Singer of the World, the Wigmore Hall Song Competition and Das Lied.

Malcolm is a Professor of piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music and an Honorary Doctor and International Fellow of Accompaniment at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He was Artistic Director of the 2011 Leeds Lieder Festival and he is the Artist Director of Oxenfoord International. His awards include the Walther Grüner International Lieder competition. He was made an OBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours for his services to music and young singers.

Updated: 01/09/2023