Byron E. Martin is a junior Music Composition Major at Oklahoma City University. He currently studies composition with Dr. Edward Knight and viola with Prof. Donna Cain.

Born in Dallas, Texas, Byron became interested in music at a fairly young age. He began playing percussion in primary school, and later began playing the viola beginning with middle school. Accepted into the Young Strings program of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, he began to receive private lessons on the viola, and had the opportunity for a large number of performance opportunities. He continued to play these instruments throughout the rest of his precollegiate education. He completed his high school education at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

He has recently completed a piece for brass quintet entitled "Schizmo-Gadget #4 or; How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Write for Brass." Earlier pieces include "Rhapsody for Clarinet and Piano Whilst Riding Upon the Back of a Tortoise Painted the Color of the Sun in the Middle of July on a Rainy Afternoon, or What you Will" for clarinet and piano, and "David's Monologue," a piece fo voice and piano that originally was to be part of a larger piece of musical theater. He also wrote incidental music for Oklahoma City University's Spring 2006 production of The Children's Hour in collaboration with Jamie Whitmarsh, and incidental music for the Tabitha Baptist Church's 2007 production of a gospel play entitled Rennis in collaboration with Jamie Whitmarsh and Dan McPherson.

He is currently writing a song cycle for baritone voice and mixed ensemble that uses the poetry of Emily Dickinson, Carl Sandburg, and William Shakespeare. He is also writing a collection of songs that use a selection of children's poetry written by Laura E. Richards.

Major Completed Works
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David's Monologue (2007)
for voice and piano (4')

Rhapsody for Clarinet and Piano Whilst Riding Upon the Back of a Tortoise Painted the Color of the Sun in the Middle of July on a Rainy Afternoon, or What you Will (2007)
for clarinet and piano (4')

Schizmo Gadget #4 or; How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Write for Brass (2008)
for brass quintet (7')

The Penultimate Action; Tales of Death and those who Gather 'Round (2009)
song cycle for voice and piano (11')

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