Prelude Wind Ensemble Bassoon Instructor Vincent TyRaudel Martinez (they/them), a Dayton, Ohio native, is a bassoonist, educator and thoughtful spirit towards the promotion of diversity in the arts. Having held positions teaching privately, as assistant band director at Berry Intermediate in Lebanon, Ohio, and three summers on music staff at Interlochen Fine Arts Camp, Vincent strives to foster engaging and brave spaces for expression. An avid performer and promoter of diversity through new music, Vincent has commissioned and been a consortium member of numerous works, including those from composers Amanda Harberg, Gilbert Galindo, Thomas Johnston, Noah Green, and as a member of the Double Reed Dish consortium. Currently a Teaching Artist Fellow with the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, they aim to continue to engage in new music, both from their peers and composers abroad. Through this they strive to impact their communities in a way that makes the world brighter, one note at a time.

Other awards and engagements have included: 2022 Randy and Nora Paul Young Artist Competition Finalist, 2019 Wright State University Music Education Student of the Year, and 2018 Most Improved Member of Wright State University Chamber Players. Vincent has held seats as contrabassoonist with Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra, second bassoonist of Mason Symphony Orchestra, principal bassoonist of Springboro Wind Symphony, as principal bassoonist of Wright State University’s Chamber Orchestra and Wind Symphony, as well as Bowling Green State University’s Wind Symphony. They earned their Bachelor of Music Education from Wright State University in 2020 and was the first student to complete Wright States’ Performance Specialist Certificate program in 2022. In 2024 they completed their master’s degree in bassoon performance from Bowling Green State University. Vincents’ primary teachers are Mr. James Edwards-Kenion, Mr. Bill Jobert, and Dr. Susan Nelson.

On a more personal note Vincent feels it important to acknowledge and bring attention to their journey and struggle of mental health. They say directly, “I feel that by being myself in all spaces, especially that of an educator, that I as a non-binary individual, a first generation Hispanic American, a first generation college graduate, an individual affected by anxiety and depression, and simply as someone who wants to be a bright light in the world; that by being myself I can show others that it truly is worth being themselves too.” This drives as many musical, artistic and educational opportunities that they can find, and is the root of their personal philosophy as an educator.