Phillip Martin, Composer

Biography

Phillip Martin studied composition at the University of Michigan with Leslie Bassett and William Albright and at the University of Denver with Normand Lockwood. His career as a composer suffered a 35-year hiatus, however, as he was distracted by such things as trading stock options at the American Stock Exchange, writing and selling options-trading software, and playing and writing about tournament bridge. When, in 2008, he heard of a quest for an opera based on Tom Sawyer, he managed to set aside these distractions and return to the business of composing. Tom Sawyer – A Chamber Opera premiered in April 2010 at the Mark Twain House. (The DVD is available on Amazon.). Since then, he has written two short operas: Fall Back and The Family Plan.