Mair & Martel ~ a composers’ duo

Musicians
Marilynn Mair ~ mandolin & bandolim
Robert N. Martel ~ guitar

Formed in 2004
Currently available for concerts and workshops. 
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Bob Martel & Marilynn Mair write and perform music for mandolin & guitar. Their repertoire of classical and Brazilian music includes music from the Baroque to 21st century, and often features their own compositions. Bob Martel’s compositions are impressionistic, evoking nature and landscape. His work has been performed and recorded in the USA, Europe and Australia. Marilynn’s music includes lively pieces in the Brazilian Choro tradition and poignant waltzes. Her music has been performed in the USA, Europe, Japan, and Brazil.

Mair & Martel have performed throughout New England, and were the featured guest artists at the Classical Mandolin Society of American convention in Dayton, Ohio in October, 2009. In addition to concerts, they present workshops on composing and arranging, technique classes on mandolin and guitar, lecture-demos on the history of Brazilian choro, and coaching sessions on the art of ensemble playing.

Mair & Martel have created original arrangements of music by Corelli, Bach, and other Baroque composers, and their repertoire includes Brazilian choro by composers such as Pixinguinha and Jacob do Bandolim; contemporary works for guitar and mandolin by Hermann Ambrosius, Will Ayton, Fritz Pilsl; and treasures from the 19th-century “Golden Age” of guitar and mandolin.

    • “Smudging the lines between folk and classical is an intrepid endeavor… Mair’s a superb mandolin player who has brought the instrument to unexpected places…” – Jim Macnie, The Providence Phoenix (USA)

    • “Marilynn Mair has always had the keen ability to balance classical mandolin traditions and repertoire, while constantly breaking new musical ground…a superb and versatile mandolinist and composer.” – – Butch Baldassari, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    • “Mair travels by mandolin to Brazil and brilliance… her commitment to the music shines through.” – Rick Massimo, The Providence Journal

    • “Stepping back to the 18th-century masterworks gave her the opportunity to highlight her technique with a fresh light… her playing is thoughtful, vibrant and a delight to listen to.” — Terence Pender, Mandolin Quarterly (USA)

    • “She’s a fabulous player with a wonderfully clear and lyrical sound.” – The Ottawa Citizen (Canada)

    • “Mair displays an exceptionally gifted approach to this music, using her formidable mandolin technique with grace and sensitivity…It’s the next best thing to a trip to Rio.” – David McCarty, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    • “Marilynn Mair performs Brazilian mandolin music… she plays the mandolin as an instrument for all occasions.” – Vaughn Watson, The Providence Journal (USA)

    • Bring a talented ensemble of gifted musicians together playing some of the great concertos and chamber music pieces of the 1700s, present the extraordinary classical mandolinist Marilynn Mair front and center, and you have a rare combination of the right musicians performing the right music at the right time. – David McCarty, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    • “Marilynn Mair é uma bandolinista americana de formação erudita” — Paulo Eduardo Neves, Agenda do Samba Choro (Brasil)

    • “Mair is unstoppable…capable of evoking any landscape, past or present, you’d care to conjure.” – Mike Caito, Providence Phoenix (USA)