Photo: Yvonne Gunner

Martin Hennessy is becoming increasingly known as a composer for the voice with a growing catalogue of art song, chamber music, opera and musical theater. New York City Opera’s Vox Series presented his opera, A Letter to East 11th Street (libretto: Mark Campbell) with conductor, George Manahan, and his Four Ben Jonson Songs won grand prize at the San Francisco Song Festival. In addition he has been honored with awards from ASCAP, Meet the Composer, two grants from the American Music Center, two commissions from The Estate Project for Artists with AIDS, as well as, a Millay Colony residency. His music has also been presented by the New York Festival of Song, American Opera Projects, the Guggenheim Works and Process Series, the Harvard Ballet Company, Positive Music and Dancers Responding to AIDS. Recent premieres include Suite for Suzanne at Strathmore Hall with cellist, Raman Ramakrishnan and The Good Friar (libretto: Mark Campbell), a short comic opera for mezzo-soprano and two baritones presented by the Center for Contemporary Opera at Weill Recital Hall. A compact disc featuring seven of his songs, paired with Ned Rorem's cycle Women’s Voices can be found on Newport Classic with soprano, Heidi Skok and his William Bronk settings are included on Albany’s Drifts and Shadows: American Song for the New Millenium with baritone, Elem Eley.

A keen interest in language and poetry together with his exemplary accompaniments, continue to make him a highly prized recital partner and vocal coach. He has toured throughout the world with the Bel Canto Trio and the Ambassadors of Opera. He also held a two year conducting/coaching fellowship at Juilliard’s American Opera Center and he has served on the faculties of Carlo Bergonzi’s Bel Canto Seminar in Busseto, Italy, Joan Dornemann’s Opera Training Institute in North Carolina and the Resonanz Festival in Albany, NY, as well as, teaching at Bennington College in Vermont. He attended the Foreign Service School at Georgetown University and later earned a degree in English magna cum laude at Columbia University. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.

He also tours as music director with actor/singer, Kathleen Shimeta’s one woman show Life! Love! Song! A Visit with Gena Branscombe!, which has been presented by the National Gallery of Art, the Library of Congress, and many colleges and universities across the country.