Ingrid Martin puts people at the heart of every musical experience. Her work as a conductor and teacher is shaped by a career spanning music, medicine, and education.

In 2025, Martin joins the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Conductor and Phillip and Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador. She also debuts with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria and leads the Louise Crossley Conductor Training Program for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. She returns to conduct the Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, following her 2024 tenure as New Zealand Assistant Conductor in Residence.

Martin loves championing new repertoire and bringing audiences closer to music through thoughtfully curated experiences. She has commissioned 15 works for youth orchestras, conducted 20 world premieres, and recorded over 50 student compositions. Through her original orchestral shows, Martin invites audiences of all ages to explore unexpected connections between music and other disciplines, from physics to painting.

Martin was the first Australian admitted to the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Mentoring Program (2024–2025). She was also a fellow of the Australian Conducting Academy (2023–2024) and the Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellowship with the Orchestra of the Americas (2022).

Before pursuing conducting professionally, Martin worked for a decade in emergency medicine then retrained as a teacher. Her approach to music and leadership is deeply informed by the skills she developed in these careers: listening closely, thinking clearly under pressure, and communicating complex ideas.

Martin has built a global following for Conducting Artistry, her platform for practical resources, podcasts, books, and online tools that empower teachers and students to deepen their artistry. She is a sought-after speaker and clinician at international music education conferences including the Midwest Clinic and Texas Music Educators’ Association, and her book Planning Effective Rehearsals is required reading for university music education programs worldwide.

At home, she’s rarely far from a craft project and a strong black coffee.

With a voice that stirs the soul and hands that glide effortlessly over the keys, Sheléa represents a return to true artistry that has garnered attention and adoration from legends throughout the music industry: Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, David Foster, Narada Michael Walden, and Rickey Minor.

Before all of the acclaim, Sheléa’s journey began in a small town, Bakersfield, CA. Having been discovered to have an aptitude for vocal harmony at age 2, Sheléa was already writing songs on her first miniature piano for her sisters by age 4. She began piano lessons at age 7 and began serving as the church musician at the Bakersfield Southside SDA Church by age 12. However, it wasn’t until Sheléa arrived at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama when she thought about making music for a living. Though her majors frequently changed, music steadfastly remained her minor, and she ultimately graduated cum laude with a B.A. in music, emphasis in piano.

Now with years of making a name for herself as a vocal powerhouse, Sheléa has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, and the White House, where she received a standing ovation from the Obamas. In the summer of 2022, Sheléa made her debut at the Royal Albert Hall, performing a tribute to Aretha Franklin with maestro Jules Buckley to a sold-out audience. She has begun touring this beautifully curated show throughout Europe. She was invited to pay tribute to the legend, Quincy Jones, for his 90th birthday at the Hollywood Bowl.

Merging her musical talent with her new love for acting, Sheléa landed her first major role as Dorinda Clark in the critically acclaimed biopic, The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel. The Lifetime film drew nearly three million viewers and “was the strongest original movie for all television for 2020 across key demos including both broadcast and cable.

The depth of emotion through her vocal interpretations and her touch on the piano has made her an artist of choice for various events, entertainment venues, award shows, and philanthropic enterprises around the world. She has enjoyed gracing the stage for PBS specials, including her very own Quincy Jones Presents: Sheléa and, most recently, Aretha! With Sheléa and Pacific Symphony. She was honored to showcase the music of Alan and Marilyn Bergman in a tribute album entitled Pretty World: A Tribute to Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Currently, Sheléa is putting the final touches on a brand-new retro soul album of all original music.