He is a violinist and conductor born in Christchurch, New Zealand who started studying the violin when he was six years old and gave his first solo performance when he was ten. He went on to earn his Bacheloe of Music degree at the Canterbury School of Music with the violinist Jan Tawroscewicz in 1986 and they performed together in the Vivo String Quartet from 1987 to 1988. The quartet took part in the Portsmouth String Quartet Competition and were presented with a special award by Lord Yehudi Menuhin. He went to the Juilliard School in 1989 and earned his Master of Music degree in 1991 and Doctorate of Musical Arts in 1996.
While a student he was a teaching fellow in the Pre-College Division of Juilliard and was soloist and concertmaster of the School’s Chamber Players.
In 1993 he was a performer at the Young Artists Concert of the Chamber Society of the Lincoln Center and that same year was a guest concertmaster with the New York Chamber Ensemble while they were resident at the Cape May Music Festival and also the Greenwich Symphony.
In 1994 he became a member of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra where he was appointed the position of Concertmaster. With the orchestra he was often a soloist in various concerti and performed the North American premiere of Allan Gilliland’s Violin Concerto, which was written for him, as well as Gavin Bryar’s The Bulls of Bashan.
He held the position of Artist-in-Residence at the University of Alberta, Interim Associate Concertmaster of the National Arts Centre Orchestra from 2002 to 2003 and also in 2003 was the guest musician of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has also been guestmusician with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and the McGill Chamber Orchestra.
He left the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 2010 and took on a teaching position back in New Zealand at the New Zealand School of Music where he is Head of Strings. Also in 2010 he became Concertmaster of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
He has given performances with most of the leading orchestras in New Zealand along with many others internationally. He has also been heard on several CBC radio broadcasts.
Recordings he has performed on as a feature artist include Stradivariations and Douglas Lilburn: Master Works for Strings along with Ring Around the Moon by David Farquhar.
Sources:
- https://web.archive.org/web/20101016231804/http://www.nzsm.ac.nz/people/staff/Martin%20Riseley.aspx
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Riseley
- https://people.wgtn.ac.nz/martin.riseley
- https://www.nziyaf.com/copy-of-artistic-team-and-adjudicat
- https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/art-and-stage/christchurch-music/105937187/concert-review-martin-riseley-with-the-christchurch-symphony-orchestra
- https://www.allmusic.com/artist/martin-riseley-mn0002947839/discography
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/6554486-Martin-Riseley?type=Credits&filter_anv=0