Martin Boykan is a distinguished composer and pianist who studied composition with notable figures such as Walter Piston, Aaron Copland, and Paul Hindemith, while honing his piano skills under Eduard Steuermann. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1951 and a Master of Music from Yale University in 1953. From 1953 to 1955, Boykan resided in Vienna as a Fulbright Fellow. Upon his return, he established the Brandeis Chamber Ensemble, which included prominent members such as Robert Koff of the Juilliard Quartet, Nancy Cirillo from Wellesley, Eugene Lehner of the Kolisch Quartet, and Madeline Foley from the Marlborough Festival. The ensemble gained recognition for its extensive performances, showcasing a repertoire that balanced contemporary works with classical traditions. Concurrently, Boykan frequently performed as a pianist alongside renowned soloists, including Joseph Silverstein and Jan de Gaetani. In the 1964–65 season, he served as the pianist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Boykan's compositional output spans a diverse range of instrumental configurations, including four string quartets, a concerto for large ensemble, numerous trios, duos, and solo pieces, as well as song cycles for voice and piano, instrumental ensembles, and choral works. His symphony for orchestra and baritone solo premiered with the Utah Symphony in 1993, while his concerto for violin and orchestra was first performed by Curt Macomber in 2008, with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project under the direction of Gil Rose. His music is widely performed and has been featured by many contemporary music ensembles, including the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, The New York New Music Ensemble, Speculum Musicae, the League ISCM, Earplay, Musica Viva, and Collage New Music.
Throughout his career, Boykan has received numerous accolades, including the Jeunesse Musicales award for his String Quartet No. 1 in 1967 and the League ISCM award for Elegy in 1982. His other honors include a Rockefeller grant, a National Endowment for the Arts award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright award, a recording award, and the Walter Hinrichsen Publication Award from the American Academy and National Institute of Arts and Letters. In 1994, he was honored with a Senior Fulbright to Israel. He has also received various commissions from chamber ensembles and has worked with the Koussevitzky Foundation at the Library of Congress and the Fromm Foundation. In 2011, Boykan was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York.
Currently, Boykan holds the title of Emeritus Professor of Music at Brandeis University. He has served as Composer in Residence at the Composer's Conference in Wellesley and the University of Utah, and has been a Visiting Professor at Columbia University, New York University, and Bar Ilan University in Israel. He has lectured at numerous prestigious institutions, including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, as well as the American Academy in Berlin. Boykan has participated on various panels, including the Rome Prize, the Fromm Commission, the New York Council for the Arts (CAPS), and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Over the years, he has mentored many students, among them well-known composers such as Steve Mackey, Peter Lieberson, Marjorie Merryman, and Ross Bauer.
Boykan's works are recorded by CRI, Albany Records, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP). His scores are published by Mobart Music Press and C.F. Peters in New York City. In 2004, he published a volume of essays titled "Silence and Slow Time: Studies in Musical Narrative" through Scarecrow Press (Rowman and Littlefield). A second collection of essays, "The Power of the Moment," was released by Pendragon Press in 2011.
