Martin Agee, Phil violinist and recently published poet, explores love, fear, and the sometimes hilarious inner thoughts of a violinist in readings from his new book of poems, Not A Violin. Accompanied by music of Bartok, Telemann, Handel, and more, with the Phil's principal second violinist, Michael Roth, collaborating.
Program to be announced.
This concert is made possible, in part, with the generous support of the Brian Wallach Agency, White Plains, New York. Personal and Commercial Insurance since 1949.
Over the span of three decades, Martin Agee’s career as an artist and teacher has made him one of the most recognizable violinists in the major concert venues, recording studios, and theatres of New York City. Highly sought after across a wide range of genres and musical styles, he is equally at home as a chamber music collaborator, interpreter of new music, and as a concertmaster for traditional orchestras, opera, ballet, and theatre.
The son of a well known music educator in his native Colorado, Martin Agee began his musical studies at the age of four, and was soon recognized for his penchant as a performer and for his score reading abilities at a young age. His studies culminated under the guidance of the late master Raphael Bronstein in New York, where his professional career made its beginnings as a teaching assistant at the Manhattan School of Music. Not long after, his role as an active violinist began with some of the most highly visible of New York’s musical organizations. The orchestras with which he has performed comprise a long list of many of New York’s most notable ensembles, including the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra at Lincoln Center, American Composers Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New York Chamber Symphony, American Symphony Orchestra, New York City Ballet Orchestra, American Ballet Theatre, and the American Theatre Orchestra, among many others. A highly respected collaborator in the field of new music, in addition to his long tenure with American Composers Orchestra he premiered some thirty-five works with the Music Today Ensemble, and toured four continents with Steve Reich and Musicians, performing worldwide in the latter’s most influential works including Different Trains, Triple Quartet, and Three Tales.
Mr. Agee can be heard in chamber music and solo settings on the RCA, Sony, Opus One, Musical Heritage, CRI, Angel, and Mode record labels. In addition, he has amassed a discography of more than a hundred recordings, including over forty original Broadway cast albums, as well as a large catalogue of television and film credits, both on camera and off.
His television, recording and performing credits encompass a wide array of performances with the major artists of our time from Itzhak Perlman to Yannick Nezet-Seguin and from Madonna to Metallica.
In January 2020, Points of Light, the world's largest organization dedicated to the promotion and fostering of volunteerism, awarded Martin the Daily Point of Light Award in recognition of his volunteer work at New York City's ASPCA.
Martin Agee's debut poetry collection, "Not a Violin," was published in 2025 by Kelsay Books. Other poems and short stories have appeared in dozens of journals, including Belle Ombre, Jerry Jazz Musician, and The Daily Drunk.
Violinist Michael Roth is a native of Scarsdale, NY and received his early musical training with Frances Magnes at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. He attended Oberlin College and Conservatory, continuing his studies with Marilyn McDonald. At Oberlin, he won the Kaufman Prize for violin and First Prize in the Ohio String Teacher's Association Competition. He completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Massachusetts where he worked with the distinguished American violinist and pedagogue Charles Treger and was a recipient of the Julian Olevsky Award.
Mr. Roth is currently associate concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and has appeared in chamber music and as a soloist with the company, most recently in the debut of "Slice Too Sharp", a ballet of Biber and Vivaldi violin concerti, and "After the Rain", violin music of Arvo Part. In addition he is a member of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Principal 2nd violin of the Westchester Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra and the New York Pops. He was concertmaster of the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra for many years and often appeared as soloist there, as well as at the Caramoor and Bard Music Festivals. He has played and toured internationally with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the New York Chamber Soloists.
As a chamber musician, Mr. Roth has collaborated on violin and viola with artists such as Eugene Drucker, Menahem Pressler, James Buswell, Steven Doane, Hamao Fujiwara and members of the Brentano, Manhattan and Ying Quartets, and recently presented a recital of contemporary Cuban solo violin and chamber music in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall under the auspices of the American Composers Orchestra. With Orpheus, the Eos Orchestra, Philharmonia Virtuosi, The New York Pops and the American Composers Orchestra and others, Mr. Roth has recorded for the Sony, Angel, Telarc, Decca, BMG, Point Music, ESSA.Y. and Arbors Music labels.
Mr. Roth has recorded for the Sony, Angel, Telarc, Decca, BMG, Point Music, ESSA.Y. and Arbors Music labels.