Martin Beaver

About Martin

Canadian violinist Martin Beaver was First Violin of the world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet from June 2002 until its final concert in July 2013. He appeared to critical and public acclaim on the major stages of the world including New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and the Sydney Opera House.

Mr. Beaver’s concerto and recital appearances span four continents with orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, and the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra; he has performed under the batons of Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Raymond Leppard, Gilbert Varga, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, among others. Chamber music performances include collaborations with such eminent artists as Leon Fleisher, Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Sabine Meyer, and Yefim Bronfman.

Mr. Beaver is a regular guest at prominent festivals in North America and abroad. Among these are: the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, La Jolla SummerFest, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Edinburgh Festival (U.K.), and the Pacific Music Festival (Japan).

Mr. Beaver has served on the juries of major international competitions including the 2009 Queen Elisabeth and 2010 Montreal violin competitions, the 2014 and 2017 Osaka International Chamber Music Competitions, and the 2015 Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition.

A devoted educator, Mr. Beaver has conducted masterclasses throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has held teaching positions at the Royal Conservatory of Music, the University of British Columbia, and the Peabody Conservatory.  More recently, he served on the faculty of New York University and as Artist in Residence at the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded its highest honor—the Sanford Medal.  He joined the faculty of the Colburn School in Los Angeles in August 2013 where he is currently Professor of Violin and Chamber Music.