Martyn Brabbins is one of Britain's leading and most versatile conducting talents, widely respected for his flawless musicianship, artistic integrity and programming skills. 2005 was his first year as Artistic Director of the prestigious Cheltenham International Festival of Music.  He was Associate Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (1994-2005) and has been Principal Conductor of the Huddersfield Choral Society since 1996.
 
After studying composition in London and then conducting with Ilya Musin in Leningrad, he won first prize at the 1988 Leeds Conductors' Competition. Since then he has conducted most of the major symphony orchestras and ensembles in Britain.  UK engagements this season include the Philharmonia (South Bank Centre), BBC Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra.  He is also increasingly busy in Europe, where guest engagements in 05/6 include: Radio Sinfonieorchester Wien, DSO Berlin, Berlin Symphony, Royal Flanders Philharmonic, Flemish Radio Symphony, Netherlands Philharmonic, Lahti Symphony Orchestra, St Petersburg Philharmonic. 
 
Brabbins also has substantial operatic experience.  Since his early days at the Kirov he has conducted a wide range of repertoire, such as L'enfant et les Sortilèges and Les Mamelles de Tiresias at Montpellier Opera, La Voix Humaine in Athens, Der Prinz von Homburg at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bartered Bride and Schreker’s Der Ferne Klang for Opera North; Gavin Bryars’ Medea and Act I of The Valkyries in concert with the BBC Scottish Symphony.  As well as guesting with Glyndebourne Touring Opera he has conducted two productions at English National Opera: David Sawer’s From Morning to Midnight and a staged version of Tippett’s oratorio A Child of Our Time to open the Tippett centenary year.  His Dallapiccola Volo di Notte and Il Prigioniero at the Frankfurt Oper in 2004 prompted reinvitations for Tosca and Bloch’s Macbeth; and following the world premiere of Alexander Knaifel’s Alice in Wonderland with the Netherlands Opera, he returns there in 2007 for Jonathan Harvey’s new opera The Death of Wagner.  In March 2006 he conducts at the Hamburg Staatsoper for the first time – Eotvos’ I Tri Sestri.  In June 2006 he conducts two Shostakovich operas in concert with the Residentie Orkest in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, as part of the Holland Festival.
 
Known for his Elgar, Britten, and Walton, Brabbins also has a strong affinity for the great 19^th century Romantics, and for the Russian and French repertoire.  Brabbins is also one of Europe’s leading interpreters of contemporary music. Conductor of choice for the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, from 1999-2004 he was the Philharmonia Orchestra's Music of Today Series Conductor.  He has appeared in the Bavarian Radio Symphony’s Musica Viva series 5 times and returns in 2007.   
 

Brabbins is much in demand as a recording artist. His discography for the Hyperion label with the BBC Scottish Symphony is extensive; they have almost thirty discs issued to date.  He has also recorded works by Birtwistle, David Bedford and Finnissy for NMC; Rachmaninov and Scriabin for Collins Classics and a notable live recording of Britten's War Requiem for Naxos.  His recording of Korngold's Die Kathrin with the BBC Concert Orchestra for CPO won the Opera Award at the Cannes International Music Festival.  Future recording plans include projects with Chandos and Hyperion.