Spring 2026

60 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 6 S ince 2005, nearly 100,000 Big Sur Marathon runners have been motivated by the inspirational original music of Michael Martinez’ grand piano at Bixby Creek Bridge. The Pacific Grove native took over the gig from his mentor, the late pianist Jonathan Lee, who preceded him for 19 years. But the annual race is far from all this thoughtful and respected musician does. He dabbled with a small keyboard his parents had here and there as a lad.“At 11, it was suggested that I take piano lessons as a means of pos- sibly improving my math scores,” he says.” He studied with teachers but has been mainly self-taught.That is, until he met Jonathan Lee, with whom he formed a bond. “I picked up his left-hand patterns and his whole feel.” He has played with several local bands, but today, Martinez doesn’t per- form live as much as he did in the past.“But I did quite a few holiday shows with [multi-instrumentalist] David Holodiloff and extraordinary singer Arthur Wu.” He also produces a weekly YouTube program, “Piano Revolution,” showcasing his unique style. Did the piano lessons improve his math scores? “No,” he says with a laugh. But they did spur him to become a full-time musician. For more information, visit www.michaelmartinezmusic.com. — Michael Chatfield MUS I C I AN PROF I L E Michael Mar tinez Photo: Kelli Uldall