Martin
David Jones
Pianist/Conductor
Associate Professor of Music
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Martin David Jones
Pianist/Conductor
Associate Professor of Music
Martin David Jones is currently Associate Professor of Music. He teaches piano,
theory, conducting, humanities, and he is music director and conductor of the
Augusta State University Orchestra.
Martin David Jones, pianist, has been a featured performer in recital and with
orchestra throughout the United States. His appearances at major musical centers
include Lincoln Center in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the
Dame Myra Hess Recital Series in Chicago, Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, South
Carolina, and Gindi Auditorium in Los Angeles. Dr. Jones has performed extensively
in Washington, D.C. including solo recitals at the National Gallery of Art and
the Phillips Collection. Dr. Jones has been soloist with the Augusta State University
Orchestra, the ASU Wind Ensemble, the Augusta Symphony, the Central Wisconsin
Symphony Orchestra, the La Crosse Symphony, the Columbia Orchestra of Maryland,
the Gwinnett Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Frederick Symphony Orchestra. Other
performances and engagements include the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, the
Schubert Club in Minneapolis, and the Elvehjem Museum in Madison. His compact
disc, the Piano Music of André Previn, was recently released on the Centaur
Records label. It was described as a disc that "fans of Previn the composer
won't want to miss" by ClassicsToday.com, and "pianistically flawless"
by Fono Forum.
Dr. Jones has received critical acclaim for his concerts. The Indianapolis News
described him as having "absolutely knocked the socks off Balakirev's `Islamey'
widely considered one of the most difficult works ever written for the piano."
And the Washington Post called his "technique meticulous, his musicianship
powerful and his inclinations poetic." Competitive recognition has been
equally enthusiastic. Dr. Jones has been the recipient of the Yamaha prize at
the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition, and Finalist at the American
Pianists Association Beethoven Fellowship Competition. Dr. Jones' concerts have
shown a commitment to music of our time. Included among his contemporary music
performances are the world premieres of The Prayer of St. Francis by Libby Larsen,
Largo for Solo Piano by Michael Nathaniel Hersch, and the Washington premiere
of China Gates by John Adams. In addition to leading the ASU Orchestra, Dr.
Jones has directed performances of the Magic Flute, Amahl and the Night Visitors,
Orpheus in the Underworld, and Messiah. He was the conductor of the Greater
Augusta Youth Orchestra from 1999-2005 before assuming the post as Music Director
of the ASU Orchestra in Fall 2005.
Dr. Jones is a member of Trio Augusta (with faculty members Dr. Angela Morgan
and Dr. Christine Crookall). In past seasons they have performed at ASU as well
as concerts at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta and the Georgia Music Educators
Association Conference in Savannah, where they presented the world premiere
of Jones' Suspended Journey for Piano Trio.
This past season Dr. Jones was the commissioned composer for the 2005 Georgia
Music Teachers Association Conference at West Georgia College in Carrolton.
At the conference his "Jazz Sonatina - New Orleans Reborn" received
its world premiere.
Dr. Jones graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree from California
State University, Northridge. He also has Master and Doctoral degrees in piano
performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he held assistantships
in theory and accompanying. His teachers include Julian Martin, Charles Fierro,
Paul Schenly, and Earle Voorhies.
Highlights from this seasons performance calendar:
University of South Carolina, Aiken. Cleon Mauldin Series. Lecture performance
featuring Four-Hand Piano Music with Dr. Martin David Jones and Dr. Clara Park.
September 7, 2006. 7:30 P.M. Etherredge Center, USC, Aiken.
Augusta State University "Gala". Performance of ASU ensembles including the ASU Orchestra and Choir in featuring works by Mozart and Fauré. October 5, 2006. 8:00 P.M. ASU Maxwell Performing Arts Theater.
Columbia Museum of Art. Baker and Baker Concert Series. Concert featuring Four-Hand Piano Music with Dr. Martin David Jones and Dr. Clara Park. November 12, 2006. 3:00 P.M. Columbia, South Carolina.
Concerts with a Cause. Concert featuring The Saint John Choir, Davidson Fine Arts School, Keith Shafer, organist, Dr. Clara Park and Dr. Martin David Jones, pianists. Sunday November 19, 2006. 3:00 P.M. St. John United Methodist Church, Augusta.
Augusta State University Orchestra and Choir. Concert featuring Weber's "Der Freischutz Overture", Borodin's "Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor", and Mozart's "Missa Brevis, K.192". Orchestra performances conducted by Dr. Martin David Jones and Dr. William Hobbins. November 21, 2006 ASU Maxwell Performing Arts Theater. 8:00 P.M.
Encore Chamber Music. Concert featuring members of the Augusta Symphony Orchestra with Dr. Martin David Jones. Works by Schumann and Poulenc will be featured. January 25, 2007. County Library in Evans, 7:30 P.M.
Augusta State University Orchestra. Works by Beethoven and Gershwin will be featured. Performance conducted by Dr. Martin David Jones. February 22, 2007, ASU Maxwell Performing Arts Theater. 8:00 P.M.
Music at St. Paul's. Concert featuring Four-Hand Piano Music with Dr. Martin David Jones and Dr. Clara Park. March 6, 2007. St. Paul's Church of Augusta, 12:00 P.M.
Augusta State University Wind Ensemble. Concert featuring Gershwin's "Second Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra" with Dr. Martin David Jones, piano soloist. April 24, 2007, ASU Maxwell Performing Arts Theater. 8:00 P.M.
Augusta State University Orchestra. "Concerto Night" featuring winners of the ASU music department concerto competition. Works by Joplin and Shostakovich will also be performed. April 26, 2007, ASU Maxwell Performing Arts Theater. 8:00 P.M.
Music Teachers Association of California. Annual Convention. Dr. Martin David Jones will be the convention artist in solo and duo performances. Santa Clara Hyatt. June 29-July 3, 2006. Santa Clara, California.