Martin Bussey

Martin Bussey combines the roles of composer and conductor. He currently directs the Chester Bach Singers, Cantiones Choir of Oswestry, and is a vocal tutor at Manchester University. He is Chairman of the Finzi Friends, a director of Ludlow English Song and Trustee of Kantos Choir. Martin’s Mary’s Hand, a one-woman show created with Di Sherlock and mezzo-soprano Clare McCaldin was premiered in the summer of 2018 at Tete-a-tete Opera Festival to great critical acclaim, described by The Independent as ‘outstanding’, followed in the 2020 festival by audio-visual piece, Timeless Figure for rising baritone Peter Edge at Cockpit Theatre. 2021 has seen premieres of commissions from Pinner Music Festival, A Brother Abroad, about the 14th century Bishop Peter of Bologna, in June, and two piano pieces commissioned by Matthew Schellhorn for performance at Three Choirs Festival in July. His songs and choral music have been broadcast on many occasions on BBC Radio 3 and performed at venues such as Ludlow English Song Weekend and Wigmore Hall. Recordings include Through a glass, Martin’s songs performed by Marcus Farnsworth and James Baillieu and In no strange land, his choral music sung by Sonoro, directed by Neil Ferris, both on Resonus Classics, the latter described as ‘glorious’ in BBC Music Magazine. Martin was a Choral Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge after which he studied singing at the Royal Northern College of Music. He ran the aural, academic music and choral programmes at Chetham’s School of Music, where he taught from 1988 to 2013.