Martijn van Galen

Working as a jazz artist, composer, arranger and educator, trumpeter/flugelhornist Martijn van Galen made Calgary, Canada his permanent home from 1995 - 2002 before making Saitama, Japan his home until the summer of 2004.

Highlights of his career to date include performances at the Montreux and Brienz Jazz Festival in Switzerland with Saxoffonee, the Calgary Jazz Festival with his own group The Jazz Infidels trio and the Primetime Big Band (with Hugh Frasier), studying (with Yosvany Terry) and recording in Cuba, and studying at the Banff Centre of the Arts (Jazz Workshop 1999) with among others Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano, Dave Holland and Dave Douglas. In the summer of 2002 he performed and toured with the Canadian dance company Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in their show Perched on the Edge of a Quarter Note. He has very actively performed for four year (1998 - 2002) with the Canadian Afro-Cuban Jazz group Masacote and is featured on their first album Nada Mas (2002).While living in Japan, Martijn had the opportunity to regularly perform in Tokyo with the funky and imaginative group The Conductors, among others.

In 1997 Martijn started collaborating with Brian Christensen on various creative projects culminating in their form of the group Colors of Mime. He is excited with the release of the group's first album, entitled Always the Sun this August of 2004. This fall, Martijn will continue to compose and perform in Alberta while at the Banff Centre as an artist-in-residence working on creating music for large jazz ensemble. Martijn has a bachelor of music degree from McGill University (1995) and a bachelor of education degree from the University of Calgary (2002).

Contact Martijn.