New Zealand native Marya Martin sprang onto the international concert stage with a deep well of talent as a flutist. She had studied with two superstars of the flute world, Jean-Pierre Rampal in France and Sir James Galway in Switzerland, earned a master’s degree in music from Yale University, and then — unprecedented for a flute soloist — quickly won top prizes from the Naumburg Competition, Young Concert Artists International and Concert Artists Guild, among a batch of others. Her career seemed to tap into a full array of musical abilities — recitalist, concerto artist with major orchestras and chamber-music collaborator.
But music festival producer? Martin, 68 and a longtime East End resident, said as a young performer she hadn’t considered taking leadership herself. “I loved playing all those festivals,” said Martin, recalling the musical comradeship and audience intimacy she said she experienced, particularly at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and the La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest. “But I didn’t know anything about running a festival.
” A lot has changed in four decades. The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, of which Martin is founder and artistic director, opened its 41st season this month. It has grown from one weekend of two concerts to 12 concerts in July and August, plus recently added fall and spring concert series.
And while other organizations and festivals have come and gone, Bridgehampton has established itself as arguably Lon.