Martin Mailman was born in New York City on June 30, 1932. He served in the United States Navy, and completed bachelor's, master's, and doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees at the Eastman School of Music, studying composition with Louis Mennini, Wayne Barlow, Bernard Rogers, and Howard Hanson. As one of the first contemporary composers in the Young Composers Project sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the National Music Council, he spent two years in Jacksonville, Florida with the Ford Foundation's program to "serve in high-school systems writing music for performance by high-school orchestras, bands, choruses, and other musical groups." Mailman then served as the first Composer in Residence at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.

Mailman joined the music faculty at the University of North Texas, serving from 1966 until 2000, winning numerous awards for his compositions, including two American Bandmasters Association/Ostwald prizes, the National Band Association/Band Mans Company prize, the Edward Benjamin Award, and the 1982 Queen Marie-Jose Prize. Mailman died in Denton, TX on April 18, 2000

• University of North Texas. College of Music