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Violin

Haldan Martinson

Principal Second Violin, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Carl Schoenhof Family chair, endowed in perpetuity

Haldan Martinson headshot with violin

About

Haldan Martinson made his solo debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1990; he previouslymade his national television debut in 1988 performing on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Martinson has soloed with many other orchestras, including the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra and Yale Symphony Orchestra. He has received numerous prizes, scholarships, and awards including the Spotlight Award of the Los Angeles Music Center. Martinson has participated in the chamber music festivals of Ravinia, Taos, Santa Fe, and La Jolla. From 1996 to 1998 he was a member of the Metamorphosen Chamber Ensemble.

Martinson graduated with a B.A. in Music from Yale College in 1994, where he was concertmaster of the Yale Symphony Orchestra from 1991-94, and where he was awarded the Louis Sudler Prize, one of the most prestigious awards granted by the university. He received a Master of Music from New England Conservatory in 1997. His former teachers have included Robert Lipsett, Endré Granat, David Nadien, Aaron Rosand, and James Buswell.

Martinson is also a prize-winning composer whose works for string ensemble have been featured frequently in-concert. One of Martinson's works, Dance of the Trolls for string orchestra, was commissioned by the Crossroads Chamber Orchestra in 1988 and has been performed throughout Southern California.

As principal second violin of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Martinson is also a member of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players. He joined the orchestra as a section violinist in November 1998 and was appointed to his current position in the summer of 2000. From 1998-2002 he was a member of the critically acclaimed Hawthorne String Quartet.


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