Laurent Martin

American Spieltenor Laurent Martin has distinguished himself as an expressive singer and compelling actor in dozens of productions of opera, operetta, and musical theater and his lively performances have been recognized by audiences and critics alike.

Born in California to a German father and French mother, Laurent began his stage career at age 12 in Los Angeles as a young prince in “The King and I.” He has performed in dozens of fully-staged productions of opera and musical theatre where his considerable experience on the stage, dance training, and mastery of languages is apparent in his convincing and impactful characterizations of both leading and character roles.

Laurent’s character roles include Pedrillo in Abduction from the Seraglio, El Remendado in Carmen, Frantz in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Gastone in La Traviata, Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus, Monostatos in The Magic Flute, Borsa in Rigoletto, and Lippo in Street Scene. Laurent has also performed the lyric roles of Nero in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Bill in Kiss Me Kate, Mr. Angel in The Impresario, and Rinnucio in Gianni Schicchi.

German audiences in Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg have enjoyed performances of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, La Traviata, and Prinzessin Turandot. Both a reworking of Offenbach’s La vie parisienne (Berliner Leben) at the Neukoelner Oper and La Traviata in Munich were so successful, they were called back for second runs. Recordings of his performances have also been broadcast by Westdeutschen Rundfunk (WDR) and Deutschlandradio Kultur.

“Laurent Martin sang Bastien with a pretty-timbred, overtone-rich tenor that was pleasing in all ranges, with many colors and much flexibility at his disposal.”  Ingrid Wanja, “OpernFreund” December 2013

Laurent is a student of former Bayreuther Festspiele Studienleiter Prof. Helmut Weese in Berlin. He has also studied voice privately with Prof. Frieder Lang of the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, Carole Haber at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC), and Patrice Maginnis at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). He received a bachelors degree at UCSC and a masters degree at NEC.

A proponent of new and avant garde music, Laurent is a frequent collaborator with Ecuadorian surrealist poet and performance artist Elsye Suquilanda performing at galleries and festivals in Berlin and Hamburg. In 2007, Laurent premiered the roles of Roberto and Pico for Opera Providence’s Michelangelo and the principal role of Marcel in the musical Mr. Lee’s Fabulous Circus at Riverside Theatre Works in Boston. In 2008, Innova records featured Laurent as the tenor soloist on a recording of avant garde composer Henry Brant’s ‘Ceremony.’

Laurent has appeared as a concert soloist with the Harvard University Bernstein Symposia Ensemble with conductor Judith Clurman, Brevard Music Center Festival Orchestra, and the UCSC Orchestra under Nicole Paiement. In Spring of 2011, he gave a concert for over 4,000 people in Bremerhaven, Germany. Laurent has also sung in the opera choruses of the Deutsche Oper, Chemnitz Oper, and Theater Hof.