Martín Loyato
is an Argentinean-American composer, multi-instrumentalist, improviser, poet, conductor, educator, and visual artist. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His diverse artistic and educational background includes early studies at the Conservatory Superior of Music in Buenos Aires, a B.F.A. in Composition and Trumpet Performance at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and a Masters and Ph.D. in Composition at The State University of New York, Stony Brook.
He studied trumpet with Arturo Sandoval, Edward Carroll, Eric Aubier, Howie Shear, Bill Bing, Gabriel Archilla, and Osvaldo Lacunza and has studied with composers such as Evi Giangrante, Stephen Lucky Mosko, Anne Lebaron, Wadada Leo Smith, Ivo Medek, Bunita Marcus, Peter Winkler, Daria Semegen, and Sheila Silver.
As a trumpet player, Dr. Loyato has collaborated with notable artists, including Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Yusef Lateef, Ray Anderson, and Bright Dog Red among others. His diverse collaborations also extend to international artists such as Ziyad Sahhab, Hisham Hallak, Mike Massy, Arnabeat and the iconic Lebanese composer and writer Ziad Rahbani; notably, Martín was invited to perform at the First Latin Grammys in 2000.
In 2003, Dr. Loyato rehearsed and conducted Pierre Boulez's piece "Sur Incises" six months before Boulez's arrival to perform the work for the Ojai Music Festival in California. He has performed with and composed numerous orchestras worldwide, including concert works for electro-acoustic, dance, theater, choral, musicals, orchestra, chamber ensembles, and music for television features and advertisements.
In addition to receiving several awards for his compositions, Martín has had the opportunity to work on private commissions from Europe, Oceania, Asia, and both North and South America. One of his notable projects includes writing a children's musical called En el Fondo de Mar, which aimed to benefit underprivileged children in Buenos Aires. He has also participated in various prestigious events, such as an international performance and composition workshop for percussion at the Janacek Academy in the Czech Republic and a performance workshop that included his string quartet Allí Buenos Aires, conducted by the renowned Penderecki Quartet. Another notable achievement was the premiere of his multi-media piece, Celestial Spheres, at CalArts in 2005, later published in Notations 21, an anthology of innovative musical notation by Theresa Sauer. Recently, his work has been featured in a book published in Spain titled Partituras graficas y graficos musicales circulares en el Arte Contemporaneo (1950-2010) (Circular Graphic Scores: Between Time and Space) by Spanish musician and visual artist Marina Buj. Additionally, he has been cited as a composer in the book Play for Health Across the Lifespan by Alison Tonkin and Julia Whitaker, published by Routledge Publishers, Taylor & Francis, UK. His poetry books, Helechos del Alma by Editorial Biebel and K-ro - Poetic Suite of Six Petals - Limited Edition - by Editorial Sinestesia, were also published in Argentina.
In 2010, he released his first solo album, Syncretism, which explores the colors of the Indonesian Gamelan orchestra, Middle Eastern and Latin rhythms, big band, electronics, jazz, and poetry.
In 2017, he released his second solo album, Involution. This electro-acoustic experimental ambient album features an international group of 30 brilliant musicians from Argentina, Australia, Germany, Greece, Korea, Lebanon, Spain, and the U.S.A. The orchestration combines Eastern and Western instruments, electronics, vocals, and a children's choir.
In 2019, Martín released his third solo album, Cinematic Tales. The album includes the award-winning string quartet composition "Allí Buenos Aires," as well as orchestra, chamber, piano, and electronic music pieces. It features world-class musicians from Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Mexico, Lebanon, Korea, and the United States.
His performances covered Argentina, Uruguay, the U.S.A., Spain, Italy, Portugal, Singapore, China, Lebanon, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Turkey.
Martin was awarded the artist in residence at Seaside Institute in Florida in 2010 for the program Escape to Create "A Celebration of Art, Life, and Community." He was also awarded the artist in residence at Pedra Sina Residence in Madeira Island, Portugal in 2012.
He embarked on his journey as a music educator and director of children's choirs in Argentina. Later, he contributed to pioneering music and technology programs for children of all ages, working with Morton Subotnick and his research team in Los Angeles. He then moved to New York to pursue a Ph.D. in Composition at Stony Brook University, where he also taught under the supervision of the renowned jazz trombonist Ray Anderson. From 2013 to 2021, he was an Assistant Professor of Music at the Department of Communication Arts at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, where he taught various music courses and directed musical ensembles. He played a pivotal role in developing the curriculum for the first Bachelor of Performing Arts in Lebanon and the Middle East, demonstrating his dedication to educational progress and his substantial influence on the academic community. Martín Loyato has been living in Barcelona, Spain, since 2021. Now, he has joined the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) in Kuwait as an Associate Professor of music. He is enthusiastic about contributing to the university's academic mission and nurturing a culture of learning, passion, and innovation.
