Stamford Brass Musical Director
 

Martyn Ford (www.martynford.co.uk) is a conductor with an international reputation having conducted major symphony orchestras on 3 continents - Europe, North America and Africa.  They include The London Symphony, The London Philharmonic, The Royal Philharmonic, The Cape Town Symphony and Montreal Symphony.  He is the Principal Conductor of The London TeleFilmonic Orchestra, London's premier commercial session orchestra and market leader in high quality orchestral session music. 

Martyn studied horn at the Royal Academy of Music with Ifor James, gaining the highest grades possible.  Whilst at the Academy, Martyn formed his own orchestra of musicians from the four London colleges. The New Sinfonia gave its first concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1971, to much critical acclaim. The orchestra soon became known as the Martyn Ford or Mountain Fjord Orchestra and went on to monopolise the pop and rock, television, radio and advertising sections of the music industry. 

Martyn has conducted and written arrangements for the World's greatest Rock Icons, including The Rolling Stones, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Bryan Ferry, Sir Cliff Richard, The Who, Lou Reed, Marc Bolan, Bob Marley, Kate Bush, Led Zeppelin, Toto, Johnny Nash, Harry Nilsson, The Grateful Dead and many more, including the "Classic Rock" albums with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Choral Society.  He has also recorded with The London Philharmonic Orchestra and performed in concert with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.  Martyn has been awarded silver, gold and platinum records.

London’s West End credits include “Showboat” with Cleo Laine at The Apollo, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, at The Palace, Ballet Rambert at The Jeanette Cochrane and he has conducted at The London Palladium several times.  Other musical theatre credits include “Fiddler on the Roof”, “42^nd Street”, “Anything Goes”, “Chess”, “Oklahoma”, “The Gypsy Baron”, “South Pacific”, “Carousel”, “Camelot”, and virtually every Gilbert and Sullivan Opera.   

Film credits include "Tommy", (Ken Russell and Pete Townsend;) “Live and Let Die" (Sir George Martin, Sir Paul McCartney and Marvin Hamlisch); and "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band”.  He worked with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice on the original "Jesus Christ Superstar" album.  Television credits include "Rock Follies", Naturewatch, The Terry Wogan Show with Phil Collins, Top of the Pops and The Goodies

Martyn has twice conducted the orchestra for the Eurovision Song Contest, performing live in front of a television audience estimated at six hundred million.

In the Brass Band World, Martyn has recorded two albums with Black Dyke and conducted them in concert.  Martyn was Musical Director of the 1^st Section Shirley Band for over two years, and has recently appeared as guest conductor with several Championship Bands, including Sovereign Brass, Staffordshire Band, and Camborne Town Band.  He has also recorded with The Leicester Foresters and The Leicester Foresters Brass Dectet.

Martyn is Musical Director of The Broughton Open Air Festival, PEEL Cruise Production Company, Rutland Musical Theatre and Stamford Brass.