Research

As part of her Master’s in Music Performance dissertation, completed in 2024 with First Class Honours and graduating top of her class, Martina focused on Mel Bonis’s Violin Sonata in F-sharp Minor, Op. 112, widely regarded as the composer’s most advanced contribution to the sonata repertoire. Composed in 1923, the work demonstrates Bonis’s mastery of large-scale chamber writing, cyclic thematic development, and expressive harmonic language.

Martina produced a transcription of the sonata for flute and piano, informed by extensive research, performance practice, and collaborative workshops. The transcription was premiered in Paris (April 2024) and in Ireland (June 2024), with further refinements developed through masterclasses at the Saline Royale Academy under Philippe Bernold and Fuminori Tanada. Editorial adjustments ensured playability and stylistic fidelity, including adaptations for the flute, clarifications of phrasing and articulation, and practical rehearsal guidance.

She has presented this research at the Expanding Canvas Conference at Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Irish Academy of Music (August 2025), as well as at the 2024 SMI/ICTMD Postgraduate Conference at Maynooth University. This project highlights Bonis’s innovative chamber music voice and contributes to the ongoing revival of her neglected but significant repertoire. Exciting news to come.