Nicole Martin
A native of Maine, clarinetist Nicole Martin has enjoyed a diverse career as a soloist, orchestral player, and chamber musician. She pursued her undergraduate degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the instruction of Franklin Cohen and went on to graduate from the Yale School of Music with her master’s degree under the instruction of David Shifrin.
Nicole’s solo career has consistently reflected her passion for contemporary music. In 2024, she was named winner of Yale’s Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition, resulting in a performance of Magnus Lindberg’s Clarinet Concerto conducted by Rune Bergmann. She was also named a Rising Star at ChamberFest Cleveland, where she performed Jörg Widmann’s Fantasie for solo clarinet.
As part of her orchestral career, Nicole has performed as a substitute clarinetist with The Cleveland Orchestra, appeared as principal clarinet of the Firelands Symphony Orchestra, and was accepted as a fellow in the New World Symphony. Her chamber career has been equally fruitful. During her time at Yale, her trio with viola and piano performed at Carnegie Hall as winners of the Yale Chamber Music Competition. She also premiered chamber works by Vijay Iyer and others, and managed a chamber music collective focused on programming music by underrepresented composers.
This past summer, Nicole performed with Maestro Bergmann once again as principal clarinet at the Peninsula Music Festival in Wisconsin. In addition to music, she studied Cognitive Neuroscience during her undergraduate years and has a passion for studying the impact of music on the brain.
As part of her fellowship with Ensemble Connect, Nicole teaches at Lower Manhattan Arts Academy.
