Martin Setchell
Position
- Associate Professor
- Programme Director (Academic)
- University Organist and keyboard musicianship specialist
Qualifications
M.A Hons (Music), Dip.Ed (Music), B.A Hons (French), F.R.CO., A.I.R.M.T
Room
107, Music building
Contact Details
Phone: +64 3 364-2286 or +64 3 366-7001
Internal Phone: 6286
martin.setchell@canterbury.ac.nz
Postal address:
School of Music
University of Canterbury,
Private Bag 4800,
Christchurch 8140,
New Zealand
Background
Born and educated in the north of England, Martin holds Honours degrees in both French and Music from the University of Exeter, and he was awarded both the Limpus and Shinn prizes when he received his Fellowship of the Royal College of Organists in London. Subsequently he undertook advanced studies in Classical organ technique with Pierre Cochereau (then titular organist of Notre Dame in Paris), Marie-Claire Alain, Piet Kee, and Peter Hurford.
Martin emigrated to New Zealand in 1974 on his appointment to the University of Canterbury School of Music where he is Associate Professor of Music and tutor in organ. He combines his university teaching and research career with a busy schedule of recitals and concerts as soloist, accompanist and continuo player on organ and harpsichord. Ten years ago he was appointed curator of the newly installed Rieger pipe organ in the Christchurch Town Hall. Since then, he has devoted himself entirely to promoting the organ as a concert instrument in its own right.
His solo concert tours outside New Zealand have taken him to Australia, America, Europe and the Far East. Some concert highlights include the Spreckels organ in Balboa Park, San Diego, the famous Hill organ in Sydney Town Hall, Australia, Oliwa Cathedral in Poland as part of the Gdansk International Organ Festival, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Guangdong Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, China, the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, Musashino Civic Cultural Hall, Tokyo, Japan, St Paul's Cathedral, London, and St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh. Martin's CDs are
often heard on the BBC's The Organist Entertains, Minnesota's Pipe Dreams, and Radio New Zealand. He is also in demand as an accompanist and continuo player on both harpsichord and organ. An experienced choral conductor, he founded the Jubilate Singers, has been a regional adjudicator for the Schools Choral Competition, and has directed the University Chamber Choir.
As a composer, Martin Setchell concentrates on writing tuneful and accessible organ and choral music, which is published by Kevin Mayhew Music, and Fagus Music in the UK, and is heard internationally. He is best known through his recent volumes of transcriptions of music by Fauré, Bizet and the Sousa marches. Oxford University Press has published a volume of his organ arrangements of works by Saint-Saëns and Purcell.
Martin's other activities include conducting (especially choral works and chamber operas), examining for Trinity Guildhall, London, and after-dinner speaking.
He was recently honoured by the City of Christchurch, receiving a Civic Award for services to music in the community and the Town Hall organ in particular..
Teaching
At the School of Music teaches keyboard performance, music history, theory, French and German for musicians, musicianship and conducting.
Recent Publications
His many compositions and arrangements for organ and voices are published by Kevin Mayhew Music in England and Oxford University Press. Other major publications include Aural Perception & Analysis (Price Milburn 1980), Post-war choral developments in The History of Music in New in Zealand (Oxford University Press 1991) and Paradisus Musicus by Melchior Franck (1579-1639) in Recent Researches in the Music of the Baroque (2000). An active musician in the wider community he is also known as a speaker and writer, and has been a music critic for the Christchurch Press. For a full list of publications please see Martin's UC Research Profile
Video on YouTube
Martin Setchell (composer and performer; Christchurch Town Hall
Rieger organ) : Joy to the World Toccata
Link to personal website www.organist.co.nz