David Martin, Principal Trombone Turned Conductor, Dies Suddenly

David Martin, former principal trombone of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and Orchestra London Canada, has died suddenly of a rapid cancer. He is survived by his wife, OSM trombonist Vivien Lee, and their two children.

The Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec (GMMQ), the province's musicians' union, announced his death. "It is with sadness that the Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec has learned of the passing of its member, David Martin—a trombonist, conductor, and arranger," the organization said in a statement, adding that it "extends its deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and colleagues, as well as to everyone who had the privilege of working alongside him."

Who was David Martin?

Martin built his career on range rather than a single chair. After studies at Northwestern University, he held principal trombone posts with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) and Orchestra London Canada—the orchestra of London, Ontario—where he also served as conductor-in-residence (a post that pairs directing duties with artistic planning).

He didn't stop at orchestral work. As a conductor and arranger he collaborated with an unusually broad roster of Quebec and francophone artists: Robert Charlebois, Isabelle Boulay, Corneille, Sylvain Cossette and Lara Fabian. He played on several recordings by the Canadian Brass, sat in the Montreal Brass Quintet, and worked as a trombonist with the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal.

What does his teaching legacy change?

The other half of Martin's career sat in the classroom. He taught trombone and euphonium (the trombone's smaller, higher-voiced brass cousin) at the Université de Montréal, where he was appointed associate professor and head of the brass department in 2012. That role put him in charge of shaping a generation of Quebec brass players.

From 2015 to 2022 he also conducted numerous concerts with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. The GMMQ credited that work with "helping to introduce symphonic music to new audiences"—a line that captures how he used the podium as an outreach tool, not just a career station.

Why the mourning crosses Quebec's whole music scene

Martin's death reaches beyond one orchestra because he worked across nearly all of them—as player, conductor, arranger and teacher. His widow, Vivien Lee, remains a trombonist in the OSM, which means the loss lands inside the orchestra's own ranks.

What follows, in practical terms, is a season of memorial tributes from the institutions he served—the OSM, the OSQ, the Université de Montréal and the GMMQ—none of which had announced details at the time of the announcement. His students and his brass department successors inherit the framework he built from 2012 onward.