Born in Winnipeg and raised in Hamilton, Martin Beaver has never forgotten his Steel City roots. Martin attended Hillfield Strathallan College where he began to master his true gift: the violin. Martin later joined the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra under the guidance of Glenn Mallory, the founding director of the HPYO.
Glenn remembers that Martin displayed signs of being a very gifted person at the age of 12. “I always joked that he should be called Martin ‘Amadeus’ Beaver,” remarks Glenn.
It won’t be the first time that Martin plans to visit his former high school, Hillfield Strathallan College, to speak with members of the HPYO while staying in Hamilton. “Several years ago, I was rehearsing one Saturday morning with the HPYO and Martin just appeared at the rehearsal. He thought he would drop in and see how the kids were doing and wanted to encourage them. He has not forgotten his youth, what it was like to be a young boy loving music and wanting to learn,” says Glenn. “It’s an unusual combination for someone to be at the very top and be very, very humble and warm, as well.”
Martin went on to study at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music before going to Indiana University. The Tokyo String Quarter accepted 34 year old Martin as their first violinist for 10 years until the group dispersed last spring. Martin has taught violin at New York University and was the artist in resident at Yale Graduate School of Music. In the fall of 2013, Martin joined the faculty of the Colburn School in Los Angeles as co-director of the chamber music program.
Martin Beaver will be performing Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 at the HPO’s Pastorale this Saturday, April 26.
First Violinist Martin Beaver and the Tokyo String Quartet:
Music Lives Here 