Giving Voice to Underrepresented Composers With James Martin
Expert Show Host Craig Layne, left, speaks with Associate Professor of Music James Martin.
Video by Joe O'Neill and Craig Layne; summary by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
Vocalist-educator discusses celebrated album, career
In this episode of The Dickinson College Expert Show, our host chats with Associate Professor of Music James Martin about his career, his influences and his commitment to uplifting underrepresented voices through song.
Martin is a critically acclaimed and award-winning baritone, actor and entertainer whose vocal repertoire spans from classical to musical theatre and beyond. The New York Times described his newest album, Wide as Heaven: A Century of Song by Black American Composers (New World Records), as “varied, moving, and entertaining,” with “powerful performances.”
This highly personal project arises from Martin's longtime quest to bring the work of often-overlooked composers into the spotlight. As he explains, Martin began to “collect” music reflecting his African American culture and heritage during his first year of college. While some teachers and mentors advised him against performing nonclassical music, Martin continued to pursue a much more varied and personally meaningful path.
“I've been a bit of a rebel that way,” Martin says, “and it's gotten me the chance to do Ain't Misbehavin' and Figaro and Don Giovanni—and to sing in front of the Crown Princes of Europe as well as the people in the cabarets in New York and in New Orleans.”
"[Music] charts our history. It takes the temperature of the times." —James Martin
In that vein, Martin’s newest album includes a traditional spiritual—a genre that ignited his passion for music as a child—and the work "Elysium," which asserts that there’s enough room at the table for us all. The album was recently highlighted in the Times article “5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now.”
Martin is grateful to balance teaching at Dickinson with his work as a professional vocalist. He encourages his students to explore their own passions and embrace music as a lifelong pursuit, whether as a vocation or avocation. “Music is not just something that tugs at our heartstrings or catches our mind. It's the moment we're living in. It has a specific time and a place and a point of view,” Martin says. “It charts our history. It takes the temperature of the times we’re in. That’s why I do it.”
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Published August 5, 2024