Martin Oei (1996)
is a young piano pianist who plays both on modern piano and historical instruments. He is fascinated by fortepianos and French Erard pianos.

At the age of nine he started playing the piano, one year later the Young Musicians Academy of the Fontys Conservatory accepted him. Since then Oei has had lessons from his coach Jelena Bazova and still studies under her guidance at Fontys Conservatory. In 2012, was awarded by Classic Young Master, which supported him with musical programs for the Hermitage and the Dordrecht Museum. Pieter Vis started to coach Oei in 2013. As of 1 September 2015 Oei is a student of Martijn van der Hoek at the Utrecht Conservatory.

He won various prizes from the age of twelve (Prinses Christina Concours, Jong Muziektalent Nederland, Young Pianist Foundation, Steinway & Sons). He gave recitals at the Grachtenfestival, the Zeeuws Festival and at the International chamber music festival of Janine Jansen. He recorded his first CD when he was fourteen and presented it in the Concertgebouw. Oei played Beethovens 5de piano concerto, Schumann piano concerto and Rhapsody in Blue from Gershwin with several orchestras. At the start of 2012 the TV program ‘De Wereld Draait Door’ invited Oei to play for Joop van den Ende.

At the age of 16, Oei performed the world première during a solo recital at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam of Beethoven’s Fantasiasonata which musicologist Cees Nieuwenhuizen had reconstructed. His second CD with this sonata was broadcasted several times on BBC3 and Radio 4. He performed this work during the Beethovenfeste 2013 in Bonn, where the piece was composed by the young Beethoven.

In 2013 the AVRO invited Daniël Wayenberg and Oei at the opening of the Rijksmuseum. Together they had a succesful tour with a “quatre mains” program. In the summer of 2013 Oei released his third CD with works from Mozart and Beethoven on an original fortepiano: a Rosenberger from 1800. The authorities of Culemborg handed over the youth distinction “because of his musical achievements and the positive effects on the city of Culemborg.” He regularly assists on Groene Noten, a relevant program about sustainability, architecture and urbanism with Music in the ecological district of EVA Lanxmeer and was recently at Vara’s Early Birds in Groeneveld castle.

In 2014 Daniel Wayenberg and Oei gave seven jubilee concerts for The Foundation Muziek in Huis, Queen Maxima was present at the final concert.