Martha Conwell Long is the principal flute of the Baltimore Symphony and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music She joined the BSO in September 2024 after eight seasons with the Oregon Symphony, four seasons with the San Antonio Symphony, and two seasons with the Fort Collins Symphony in Colorado. Martha has appeared as guest principal flute with the Chicago Symphony, Pacific Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, and the São Paulo State Symphony in Brazil.
Martha grew up in Chapel Hill, NC, taking lessons from Brooks de Wetter-Smith and Helen Spielman. She studied with Jim Walker at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, where she was the first wind player to receive the Bachelor of Music degree. Martha completed a Graduate Diploma at the New England Conservatory as a student of Elizabeth Rowe. While in school, she received fellowships to the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, and Tanglewood Music Center. After two summers at Tanglewood, Martha was invited back as a New Fromm Player, focusing on performing contemporary music and collaborating with the composition fellows. In addition to her principal teachers, she is thankful to Elizabeth Buck, Tim Day, John Heiss, Göran Marcusson, and Cindy Meyers for their instruction and mentorship.
As a soloist, Martha was a prize winner at the Mid-South Flute Society Young Artist Competition; the Pittsburgh Flute Club Young Artist Concerto Competition; and the National Flute Association’s Masterclass, Baroque Flute Masterclass, Orchestral Audition, and Young Artist Competitions. Martha has performed concerti by J.S. Bach, Frank Martin, W.A. Mozart, and G.F. Telemann in Baltimore, San Antonio, and Oregon. She has appeared as a guest artist for the Montana Flute Association and the Greater Portland Flute Society and has guest taught at the Colburn School, the Peabody Institute, University of Maryland, UNC-Greensboro, UNC School of the Arts, University of Oregon, UVA, and the National Orchestral Institute + Festival. Martha has performed at several National Flute Association conventions and given recitals throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Outside of the orchestra, Martha was a member of the Olmos Ensemble in San Antonio and performed with Chatter PDX, 45th Parallel Universe, and Arcturus Winds in Portland. Many of her performances with 45th Parallel Universe are available on the group's YouTube page. She recorded Yuko Uebayashi’s Sonata with pianist Maria Garcia for All Classical Portland’s album ELEVATE and collaborated with Portland composer Deena Grossman on several recordings of her works.
Martha plays on handmade Powell flutes and is a Powell Artist. In her spare time, she enjoys reading with her cats Harold and Coconut, and spending time with her family and friends.For more information, please visit www.marthaclong.com.