(1959– )
Joseph Martin, a native of North Carolina, earned his bachelor of music
degree in piano performance at Furman University in Greenville, South
Carolina. Subsequently he earned a master of music degree in piano performance
at the University of Texas, Austin. Joe taught for five years in the Piano
Pedagogy Department of the University of Texas.
He is a member of the staff of Shawnee Press, Inc. as Director of Sacred
Publications, with responsibilities for overseeing the editorial and creative
direction of the company and also coordinating the recording and production
aspects of future sacred publishing efforts.
Joe has performed solo piano recitals and has been the featured artist
with symphony orchestras in the United States and Mexico. As winner of
the Nina Plant Wideman Competition, he performed with the Guadalajara
Symphony Orchestra. His solo recital in Ex-convento del Carman was broadcast
nationally throughout the country. He continues to perform in concert,
although now he is devoting his efforts to playing in churches and for
conferences of church musicians.
His first solo piano recording, American Tapestry, released by GlorySound,
a division of Shawnee Press, Inc., was nominated for a Dove Award. His
other albums Songs of the Journey, Celtic Tapestry and A Christmas Tapestry
have been enormously popular in the sacred and secular markets.
Recognized throughout the United States for his many choral compositions,
both sacred and secular, Joe's music is published by Shawnee Press; GlorySound
and Harold Flammer Music, sacred divisions of Shawnee Press, Inc.; and
Mark Foster Music as well as by other publishers. Over 750 compositions
are currently in print and the list continues to grow.
Along with Mark Hayes and David Angerman, Joe has co-authored a fully
graded, progressive piano method for the Christian student called Keys
for the Kingdom. His major works include 12 choral cantatas and Song of
Wisdom, a choral tone poem based on the best-selling children's book,
"Old Turtle." His music can be heard in such diverse locations as Carnegie
Hall in New York City; the Mel Tillis Theatre in Branson, Missouri; and
in hundreds of worship services in churches across the United States and
Canada. He continues to surprise audiences with the variety and scope
of his compositions and arrangements.
Joseph lives in Austin, Texas with his children Jonathan and Aubrey and
his wife, Sue.