Ruth Lee Martin is Head of Musicology at the Australian National University's School of Music, and is active as a composer, performer and researcher in various combinations.
Ruth has been awarded many grants over the years and in 2009 she was awarded a Creative Arts Fellowship to undertake a series of compositions with a focus on the voice, and also Australian poetry. Being a folk singer Ruth has had long had an interest in writing for voice and recently has been composing sacred works for SATB choir including Then the Prophet Miriam … commissioned by Phillip Nicholls for the Trinity College Choir in Melbourne, where she was also composer-in-residence (2008), and Then I Heard a Great Voice from Heaven … to be premiered in Newcastle in September, 2009.
Ruth's compositional output is diverse, consisting of works for piano, small and large ensembles, and orchestra. Being a Scottish migrant, she is strongly influenced by Scottish folk music and this is something that lies at the heart of all of her music. She has been commissioned to write works for some of contemporary music's foremost performers and her works have been performed and broadcast both in Australia and overseas.
She has composed music for documentaries including A House for a Nation, a four-part series on the Australian House of Representatives (2004). She was also commissioned to write an piece for the Elektra String Quartet and two Australian songs in collaboration with her sister theologian and poet Dorothy Lee for the House of Parliament's 20th birthday celebrations (2008). This music is now a feature of the documentary Pride of Place and has been aired on the Skynews channel.
Ruth has undertaken numerous radio interviews, and written many published articles in journals and books on aspects of Australian contemporary music and traditional Gaelic music.
Ruth is also a performer of traditional Scots Gaelic song and a member of touring world-fusion band Eilean Mòr (Big Island) and is currently undertaking studies in the Scots-Gaelic language.
Ruth also composes in the folk tradition and her original songs form part of the repertoire of Eilean Mòr. Her songs include Edinburgh Hogmanay, Clearance of the Hill, Red Air, The Inbetween and Lullaby for Baby George.
Eilean Mòr consists of Ruth (vocals and percussion), Catherine Fraser (fiddle), Bill Grose (guitar), Bill Williams (double-bass), Ed Rodrigues (drums). Eilean Mòr have undertaken numerous performances nationally and internationally to critical acclaim. In 2007 they toured Tasmania, New Zealand, Hong Kong and the UK. Ruth also gave a lecture-recital at the National Library of Scotland in July 2007 on Australian Gaelic songs from the mid 1800s.
Eilean Mòr released their first CD in 2006 35 Degrees South produced with the assistance of the Australia Council. It has been very well received. A new folk CD Left of the Sun has recently been released (2009).
