©Photo: Simon Pauly

Martin Grubinger

Percussion

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“Mr. Grubinger…is a master of the high-speed chase. He can also go from barely audible triplepianos to earsplitting ultrafortissimos.”
(The New York Times)

Possibly the best multi-percussionist in the world, Martin Grubinger possesses an unusually broad repertoire ranging from solo works and chamber music with partners, including his own Percussive Planet Ensemble, to percussion concertos. His technical perfection, enthusiasm and musical versatility make his performances real ‘must-see’ events and brought the percussion from the back of the orchestra to the middle of the stage.

2022/23 will mark Martin Grubinger’s final season as an internationally renowned performing artist – after almost two decades on stage. He will return to the Gewandhaus Orchestra for their summer open air, the orchestra where his incredible career began as artist in residence. Grubinger also returns to long-standing partner orchestras such as Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg at home as well as on a tour taking in Budapest, Vienna and Geneva. A new percussion concerto dedicated to Martin Grubinger by Daníel Bjarnason will be performed with Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Martin Grubinger will be artist in residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, SWR Symphony Orchestra and at the Rheingau Musik Festival. Recitals presenting a ‘percussion only’ programme take him to Alte Oper Frankfurt, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Musikverein Graz and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

Amongst the growing number of works written for Grubinger are Avner Dorman’s Frozen in Time (2007) and Friedrich Cerha’s Concerto (2008), performed and recorded with Wiener Philharmoniker and conducted by Peter Eötvös on Kairos, as well as Tan Dun’s concerto, Tears of Nature (2012). In 2014 Eötvös’ Speaking Drums received its world premiere with Mahler Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer. Grubinger’s renowned percussion projects such as ‘The Percussive Planet’, ‘Century of Percussion’ and ‘Caribbean Showdown’ are further examples of his versatility.

Artist in residence with Wiener Symphoniker last season, previous residencies led him to Camerata Salzburg, Kölner Philharmonie, Münchner Philharmoniker, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Elphilharmonie Hamburg. He curates his own series at Wiener Konzerthaus entitled “The Percussive Planet” and has appeared with orchestras worldwide including NHK Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Berliner and Wiener Philharmoniker, Bamberger Symphoniker and BBC Philharmonic. Grubinger guests regularly with leading orchestras in the United States, amongst them Los Angeles Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic.

Regular festival appearances include Heidelberg Spring Festival, Bregenzer Festspiele, Beethovenfest Bonn, Salzburg Festival, at Baden-Baden Festspielhaus, the Brass and Percussion Festival in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, and the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago. In 2013 he was Artiste Étoile at Lucerne Festival.

Winner of multiple prizes, Martin Grubinger is recipient of the Bernstein Award by the Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival and the prestigious Jeunesses Musicales’ Würth Prize. Grubinger’s first CD, Drums ‘n’ Chant, was followed by a live DVD recording of ‘The Percussive Planet’ — both for Deutsche Grammophon. He has since recorded a number of projects for various labels.

Born in Salzburg, Martin Grubinger studied at the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz and at the Salzburg Mozarteum. He quickly garnered attention through appearances at several international competitions, including the second World Marimbaphone Competition in Okaya, Japan, and at the EBU Competition in Norway. Martin Grubinger is Professor for Multipercussion at Mozarteum University Salzburg.

HarrisonParrott represents Martin Grubinger for worldwide general management.

Martin Grubinger in Salzburger Festspielmagazin “Jedermann/Jederfrau“ © ORF2

“None before had ever attainted such a high level of the percussive art, or enthused such a large audience. On Saturday, [at the Eurovision Song Contest] another few million could well become new followers.”

(Süddeutsche Zeitung, May 2015)

“The audience loved it — and their enthusiasm was rewarded by Grubinger carrying a high-tension snare drum forward to the footlights for his own three-minute Planet Rudiment: ear-splitting circus acts with at least six hard sticks drumming so fast that they flew, and then juggled from hand to hand to shoulder.”

(The Times, November 2012)

“Martin Grubinger is a once-in-a-hundred-years musician. When vital elemental force and artistic finishing touch, when nature and spirit come together so closely, the consciousness inevitably experiences a spontaneous expansion.”

(Die Welt, July 2008)

“Mr. Grubinger… is a master of the high-speed chase. He can go from barely audible triple-pianos to earsplitting ultrafortissimos.”

(New York Times, March 2008)