Juan Esteban Martinez

A native of Colombia, Juan Esteban Martinez moved to the Dominican Republic at a young age, where he began to play the clarinet. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Music and the Peabody Conservatory of Music. In 2022, he was the 1st prize winner of Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions (SOPA) Excerpt Competition.

Juan has appeared as a soloist numerous times with the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, making his official debut at the age of 15 performing Rossini’s Introduction, Theme and Variations in a traditional concert that was live-streamed on national television. He has been a featured soloist with the Caldas Symphony Orchestra in Colombia and the Coeur d’ Alene Symphony. In 2019, he was selected by concert pianist Gabriela Montero to form the Gabriela Montero Ensemble, a group that went on to perform a program of Montero’s original compositions at the prestigious Victoria Hall in Geneva, Switzerland.

Prior to joining the New Jersey Symphony, Juan was the acting second clarinetist of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra for the 2022-2023 season, and a member of The Orchestra Now. He participated in the New York String Orchestra Seminar for two years in a row giving sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall. He has also appeared with the Classical Tahoe Orchestra, Symphony in C, Princeton Symphony, the National Repertory Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute + Festival and the Orchestra of the Americas, among others. His professional training includes study with David Shifrin and Anthony McGill.