Peter Martens Is currently principal cellist with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and Director of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival.
Of his recently released CD of concertos by Saint-Saëns and Vieuxtemps with Bernhard Gueller and the CPO, Any Wilding writes, “Martens’ cello is one of the most beautiful sounds – a deep rich harmonic wooden stringed singing being. His playing is superb, compassionate elegant phrasing, and flawless technique. His bow knows the exact line between the tender softness and the hard edge, and this extra dimension is masterfully applied to his dynamics. He expresses a full range of emotion, from angst and agitation to acceptance and wisdom”.
Peter holds a PhD from Stellenbosch University where he studied in his formative years with Dalena Roux before studying with Heidi Litschauer at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. After his return to South Africa, he also obtained a Master’s Degree from UCT.
He is a member of the Amici String Quartet, has enjoyed chamber music partnerships with amongst others, Leon Bosch (double bass), David Juritz , Benjamin Schmid, Sergei Malov and Suzanne Martens (violin) and Leslie Howard (piano), as well as having performed with the Brodsky String Quartet in London. With the Stellenbosch University Camerata in which he served as Artistic Director and principal cellist, Peter has also performed with Joshua Bell and Pinchas Zukerman. Concerto engagements have resulted in collaborations with a number of fine conductors including Victor Yampolsky, Bernard Gueller, Douglas Boyd, Wolfram Christ, Nicholas Cleobury and Jonas Alber. He has participated in festivals in Russia, Holland, Salzburg, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Portugal as well has having performed in France, the U.K. and U.S.A. Many South African composers have written for him, the most notable composition being the Cello Concerto by Allan Stephenson, which he recorded for Meridian Records with the Cape Town Philharmonic. He has recorded the Beethoven Cello Sonatas with Luis Magalhäes and the Bach Cello Suites for TwoPianists Records.
He is married with two children to violinist, Suzanne Martens.