Manu Martin

Manu Martin is an acclaimed French composer and musician. He graduated at the age of 16 from the Conservatory of Bordeaux with a jury ‘Special Mention’. He joined the Faculty of Musicology of Toulouse and Bordeaux, where he completed a Masters in Musicology. He moved to Paris to pursue a career as a pianist and composer, composing music for television and radio. He has worked alongside acclaimed French artists and more recently composed six of the tracks from Florent Pagny’s chart-topping, platinum album ‘Aime La Vie’ in 2019, and double-platinum album ‘2 bis’ in 2023.

In 2017, Manu joined Quantum Classics’  ALAN project as composers, musician and arranger. In November 2018, he was commissioned by Susan Lim to compose the Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra (Lim Fantasy) , drawing inspiration from the original songs composed for the pop album ALAN’s Fantasy (Signum Records April 2022). Says Manu, “Alan was from the start, a cinematic adventure, a cross between the classical world, through my writing, but also film music, to illustrate the story of Alan. The opportunity to work alongside and to share Susan’s vision of companionship for the future and to compose the Fantasy of Companionship for Piano and Orchestra has been the most extraordinary and uplifting experience of a lifetime for me”.

Following on the hugely successful World Premiere of the Lim Fantasy at the Esplanade Concert Hall Singapore in 2022, and the UK Premiere at Cadogan Hall London in 2023, Manu was commissioned to compose a chamber suite version of the Lim Fantasy.  The intention was to create a work to be performed in smaller venues, reaching out to new audiences, to continue the conversation, through music, of a future of companionship in an increasingly lonely world.  Manu crafted a 13-minute companion piece centred on the romantic and emotional Act 3 of the Lim Fantasy. Incorporating the delicate and graceful sounds of piano, flute, and an octet of strings, this suite is an elegant fusion of classical and contemporary elements. It was recorded by pianist Mark Bebbington and musicians of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, at the St John’s Smith Square in September 2023, and was released on Signum Classics in April 2024.  Manu’s collaboration with Quantum Classics and Susan Lim continues with the commission of the Lim Cosmic Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra for the internationally acclaimed soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca Classics May 2025) which will receive its world premiere at the Barbican in London on 5^th May 2025.