The Director of Music

MARTIN ENNIS began his higher education as Organ Scholar of Christ's College, Cambridge. After graduating with Double First Class Honours in Music, he went to Cologne on a German Government Scholarship, rounding off his studies there with first-class Performers' Diplomas in organ and harpsichord. Among his teachers were Gillian Weir, Michael Schneider and Gustav Leonhardt. He completed his higher education in Cambridge with a doctorate on the music of Brahms.

Martin Ennis was appointed Director of Music at Girton College in 1990, and became a Lecturer in the Cambridge Faculty of Music in 1994. From 2002 until 2005 he was Faculty Chairman. He combines university life with a busy career as a performer. His work has taken him all over the world, with radio, television and commercial recordings in Britain, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Malaysia and Japan. In addition to his work as principal continuo player of the London Mozart Players, he has performed with a wide variety of groups including the Monteverdi Choir (for its 25th anniversary concert), the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Allegri String Quartet, the Polish Chamber Orchestra, the Bach-Collegium Köln, and the Orchestra of St Luke’s, New York. He has made BBC recordings as solo pianist with several chamber groups, and in 1997 he made his first concerto recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Martin Ennis has worked as conductor in many parts of the globe. In recent years he has appeared in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico and Argentina, as well as in many European countries. He has led the choir of Girton College, Cambridge to competition successes in Japan, and together they have made a number of highly regarded recordings. In recent years he has been increasingly active as a freelance orchestral conductor, appearing with a variety of orchestras including the London Mozart Players and the Mozart Festival Orchestra. Future plans include an invitation to Beijing to direct Messiah next year.