Jesus J. Martinez is a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Arlington as a Music Education Major specializing in percussion. As a student at UTA, Jesus has had the great opportunity to study among some of the best percussion instructors in the nation including Dr. Michael Varner, James Yakas, Dr. David Wolf, and Grammy-winning drumset artist, Adonis Rose. Jesus also took private composition lessons from UTA Associate Professor Dr. George Chave, and TCU Associate Professor Dr. Martin Blessinger. During his time at UTA, Jesus was commissioned by many high schools in Texas to compose and arrange indoor percussion shows and field percussion shows for contest, including Mathis High School, Robstown High School, H. M. King High School, De Soto High School, and South Grand Prairie High School. Jesus has also been sought out as a percussion judge for the 23rd De Soto Grand Champion Marching Contest held every fall. In 2009, Jesus was chosen to present at the Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES) at UTA for his work titled Temperance (for marimba quartet), with which he won honorable mention and was also the first student in UTA history to present under the category of music. Also in 2009, he was commissioned to score a film titled “The Okra Principle,” which premiered at the Studio Movie Grill in Dallas, TX and was chosen for the Los Angeles Film Festival and later the San Francisco Film Festival hosted by Danny Glover. Jesus was chosen again at ACES in 2010 to present an abstract based on Jack the Ripper titled, “The Ripper: From Hell.” In fall 2010, Jesus was commissioned by Dr. Michael Varner from UTA to premiere a new piece titled "Memories for percussion ensemble." In October, Jesus held a composition recital at UTA premiering his Temperance String Quartet, a Trombone Quartet, and his 35-minute The Ripper: From Hell, a 32 member production, which included chamber orchestra, percussion, 2 soloists, and SATB choir. In March 2011, Jesus won the ACES President’s Award for his original composition, Threnody for 9/11, making him the first music major at UTA to have won the highest undergraduate award at the symposium.

Jesus was recently commissioned to score a new film titled “Mystery of Birds” which premiered May 2011 in Houston, TX. The film was selected to screen in late October 2011 at the Los Angeles Black Film Festival hosted in California. Jesus was also selected as a semi-finalist for the 2011 McNair Scholarship. In April, Jesus was also awarded “Student of the year” in the winds and percussion area, and the “Undergraduate student of the year” at the UTA Music Awards Ceremony. In the fall of 2011, Jesus completed and presented his 34 minute world premiere of Threnody for 9/11 for Mixed Chamber Ensemble, featuring members of the UTA Symphony Orchestra, the Arlington Boys and Girls Choir, Anne Marie Boeding, Soprano, and Dr. Allan Saxe, Narrator. The premiere was a huge success that landed him publicity all across Texas including the South Texas paper: The Monitor, UTA: The Shorthorn, the Fort Worth Star Telegram, and WFAA Channel 8 Dallas - Fort Worth News. Jesus is a member of TMEA, PAS, and ASCAP. Jesus is attending graduate school for his MM in Composition at the Southern Methodist University in the fall of 2012 and is a recipient of the School of Meadows Artist Scholarship. He is currently the percussion assistant, private lesson teacher, and percussion arranger for Creekview High School in Carrollton, TX.