Pianist Julian Martin first came to international attention as winner of the Montevideo International Competition. He also received major prizes in the Casadeus/Ravel (now Cleveland International), Kapell and Bachauer competitions. In 1982 he was awarded the Jury’s Collaborative Prize at The Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow. Subsequent tours of South America, Europe and Asia brought tremendous critical success in the international press.

Other prizes from Casadesus/Ravel (Cleveland), Kapell, Bachauer, as well as the Collaborative prize in Moscow, fueled an already burgeoning career. But his performing career was interrupted in the early 1980s by an aggressive form of arthritis. For nearly a decade he confined himself exclusively to teaching. Resuming occasional invitations to perform in the 90s, he confined his public appearances almost entirely to chamber music. After 2000 he began to perform again as soloist, but most during the summer months due to a demanding teaching schedule.

He has served as juror for many major competitions including the Montreal, Iowa International (Sioux City), American Pianists’ Foundation (Indianapolis), AMSA (Cincinnati), Virtuosi of The Year 2000 in St. Petersburg, Virginia Waring (Palm Springs), Valladolid and Jaén (Spain) as well as national competitions in Argentina, Colombia, Canada and Korea. He was a member of the original selection committee for the Gilmore Foundation in Kalamazoo.

A native of Alabama, Martin’s first teachers were Beverly Bourne Gibbons and Vernon Raines. His professional studies continued at Peabody Conservatory under the guidance of Leon Fleisher, with additional studies in Italy and France with Guido Agosti and Nadia Boulanger, respectively. He also considers his early work with mezzo-soprano Flore Wend a crucial part of his musical formation. His recordings with violinist Berl Senofsky can be heard on the Cembal d’Amour label, and with flutist Robert Willoughby on the Gaspar and Historic Recordings series of the National Flute Society.

In 1999 Martin founded the Gijón International Piano Festival in Spain, for which he served as Artistic Director for twelve years. In July, 2011 he established a summer academy (VIPA) at the Valencia Conservatory, also in Spain. Since 1999 he has been faculty member of the Bowdoin International Music Festival, He has served as Visiting Professor at the Glenn Gould Professional School (Toronto), the Conservatoire Tibor Varga and the Conservatoire H.E.M in Geneva (Switzerland), and the Banff Centre (Canada). He has presented master classes in Great Britain, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Korea, Lithuania, Switzerland, Taiwan, Venezuela and Israel. He is a regular faculty member at the Bowdoin International Summer Music Festival and the Aspen Festival and School.

Martin has taught at Oberlin Conservatory (1982-87), Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University (1987-2003), and at The Juilliard School since 1999.