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.”

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