Martin Johnson

Martin Johnson is a cello faculty member at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), teaching both junior and degree-level students since 2020. He specializes in cello performance, orchestral leadership, and mentorship, focusing on the RIAM Professional Mentorship programme for postgraduate cellists. His career includes over two decades as Section Leader of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and Guest Principal roles with major UK and Irish orchestras.

Education: Studied Cello at the Royal College of Music, London, under Anna Shuttleworth, Andrew Shulman, and Alexander Baillie. Notable performances include soloist appearances with the RTÉ NSO, including Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 1 (2008) and Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote under Maestro Pascal Rophé. His research includes a thesis on Strauss’s Don Quixote, awarded the IT President’s Prize.

Research interests span cello performance techniques, orchestral repertoire interpretation, and pedagogy. Awards include the Countess of Munster Scholarship and support from Ireland’s Musical Instruments Loan Fund and Music Capital Scheme. He plays a Thomas Kennedy cello (1810) and an Eugene Sartory bow (1908).

Students have achieved prominence in orchestras like NYOI, international competitions (e.g., Royal Overseas League Chamber Music Prize 2022), and scholarships to European conservatoires. His mentorship emphasizes technical mastery, artistic expression, and career preparation for professional cellists.