He sold
out his first show, had his debut CD nominated for an industry award,
and toured one of the largest countries in the world....that and he's
only twenty-two. Such is the career thus far for Canadian pianist &
composer Martin Mayer. This ambitious young artist has spent the past
five years taking the industry by storm, and moving up on the
international stage. But make no mistake about it, Mayer is no stranger
to the business.
In 1995
at age fifteen, his first writing effort was picked up by the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation for a soundtrack bed. For Mayer, it was his
first taste of success, and he longed for more.
"When
you write your first song, you really don't know what to expect, and
when someone picks it up, it gives you that push to write further,"
the young pianist says, recalling how he discovered his passion, and how
it would be the start of greater things to come.
Fueled
with the drive to keep writing, arranging, and orchestrating his
original blend of instrumental fusion, Mayer decided it was time to step
up and announce his presence on the music scene. That he did with a show
that turned heads. With a night of his own music, backed by the power of
a 20-piece orchestra, Mayer's self-produced concert was recorded live in
front a standing-room-only audience. Soon after, he released that
night's music as "Martin Mayer: live in concert", immediately
capturing the attention of talent buyers in Europe and Asia.
In
2001, Mayer and his band exploded onto the Chinese market, with a
15-city national concert tour and two national television appearances.
With sold-out shows everywhere, high ratings on the television programs,
and soaring CD sales, the young artist recalls how his music captured a
nation.
"I
remember arriving in Beijing not knowing what to expect. At the end of
the tour, I found out that I had played to over 2.5 billion people in
four weeks...I couldn't believe it!" But the Asian press believed
it, and deemed him the "Canadian Prince of Piano".
Back in
Canada, Mayer's peers took note of his efforts and nominated his
Canadian and Asian-released disc in the "Outstanding Instrumental
Category" of the Western Canadian Music Alliance Awards.
Now
releasing his second CD, aptly titled "Martin Mayer: this is who i
am", the young pianist and composer continues to write and perform
with a polish one expects from someone twice his age. While people in
their early-twenties are searching for their calling, Mayer is
propelling himself down the road of life with an eerie determination
unheard of in a man so young.
Through
it all, the pianist and composer has always credited his hard work and
his education through the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Grant
MacEwan Centre for the Arts, as being the foundations for his successes.
But almost in contradiction, the young artist prefers to leave his
future up to the fates. Perhaps his new CD should have been titled 'On
the Verge' because if anything, Mayer is poised for international
success, which may well be in the stars.