Staff Sergeant Abigail Martin is a member of the USAF Band of Mid-America at Scott Air Force Base, IL. SSgt Martin joined the United States Air Force Academy Band in October of 2017. She currently performs as a horn player in the Concert Band, Marching Band, and Airlifter Brass.
SSgt Martin is a native of Johnsburg, Illinois. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (Summa Cum Laude), a Master of Music degree in Horn Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Her primary teachers include Randy Gardner, Elizabeth Freimuth, Tom Sherwood, and Linda Kimball, with additional instruction from Myron Bloom, Jesse McCormick, Kendall Betts, Lowell Greer, Michael Hatfield, and Ted Thayer. During her studies at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Sergeant Martin was awarded the M. Josephine O'Neill Arts Award by the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Iliinois, the Outstanding Junior Award for the College of Arts and Communications, and the Richard G. Gaarder Award by the Wisconsin State Music Educators Association. She was also the Symphonic Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition winner her senior year. During her studies at CCM, Sergeant Martin served as the Performance Management Graduate Assistant, and the horn studio Graduate Teaching Assistant. She was also a National Finalist in the Music Teacher's National Association (MTNA) Chamber Music Competition, and the 2017 CCM Horn Studio Concerto Competition Winner.
Prior to winning her position in the Academy Band, Sergeant Martin served as Assistant Principal Horn in the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in Richmond, Indiana, and Principal Horn in the Cincinnati Chamber Opera. She has also performed with the National Music Festival, the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, and the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra. She currently performs as a substitute horn in the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and the Pueblo Symphony. In addition to her performance experience, Sergeant Martin served on the staff of the prestigious Kendall Betts Horn Camp from 2014-2016.
A former NCAA tennis player, Sergeant Martin still competes in USTA team tennis in Colorado, and is highly active as a coach and Unified Partner with Special Olympics Colorado.
EDUCATION:
2012-Bachelor of Music Education, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI
2014-Master of Music, Horn Performance, University of Cininnati College-Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati, OH
2017-Doctor of Musical Arts, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati, OH