Marvis Martin

Last updated

Marvis Lynn Martin [1] is an American operatic soprano best known for her concert performances and recitals, including her renditions of Joseph Canteloube's Songs from the Auvergne and of Bess in Bobby McFerrin's touring concert version of Porgy and Bess . [2]

Contents

Hailed as "a lyric soprano of unusual brightness, evenness and quality" by The New York Times and winner of several competition prizes, [3] Martin is acclaimed for her "beauty of voice and sensitive communication, receiving awards, medals and glowing reviews as a song recitalist, concert singer, and opera performer." [4]

Early life and education

Martin was born in Tallahassee, Florida, but grew up in Miami, where she sang professionally by age five. [5] She trained at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, earning a Bachelor of Music degree in 1977. [4] She subsequently obtained a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music. [2] She then studied under Elisabeth Schwarzkopf [2] and was also a protégée of Alice Tully. [6]

Career

Martin made her professional debut in 1981 as part of the Young Concert Artists Series; the New York Times review called her "promising" and said that "at her best, she displayed a talent and a temperament that could make her an important singer." [7] She debuted with the Metropolitan Opera in 1982, singing the role of "Pamina" in a touring production of The Magic Flute . [8] Over the next few years, she received "awards, medals and glowing reviews as a song recitalist, concert singer and opera performer." [9] At the Met, she performed in operas like Boris Godunov , Don Carlo , Ariadne auf Naxos , Porgy and Bess , and Idomeneo . [8]

As her career matured, she focused more on recitals and concert performances than opera, claiming, "I love opera, but don't necessarily love all the hubbub." [5] She has also slowed her touring pace, saying, "I don't think that's a healthy way of life [...] I love going to the next city, but my jobs are spread out nicely." [5] She has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra [10] and the New York Philharmonic, where music director and principal conductor Zubin Mehta programmed a piece for her. [11]

Martin has said she especially enjoys returning to Florida for performances. [5] In 1987, she was named the "Distinguished Alumni" honoree by the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. [12] In 1988, she was awarded the "Florida Prize," a $10,000 award by The New York Times Company "to a Florida native or resident for outstanding work in the visual and performing arts." [13]

Honors and awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leontyne Price</span> American soprano (born 1927)

Mary Violet Leontyne Price is an American spinto soprano who was the first African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where she was the first African American to be a leading performer. She regularly appeared at the world's major opera houses, including the Royal Opera House, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and La Scala; at La Scala, she was also the first African American to sing a leading role. She was particularly renowned for her performances of the title role in Verdi's Aida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Battle</span> American operatic soprano (born 1948)

Kathleen Deanna Battle is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances with major orchestras during the early and mid-1970s. She made her opera debut in 1975. Battle expanded her repertoire into lyric soprano and coloratura soprano roles during the 1980s and early 1990s, until her eventual dismissal from the Metropolitan Opera in 1994. She later has focused on recording and the concert stage. After a 22-year absence from the Met, Battle performed a concert of spirituals at the Metropolitan Opera House in November 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessye Norman</span> American opera singer (1945–2019)

Jessye Mae Norman was an American opera singer and recitalist. She was able to perform dramatic soprano roles, but did not limit herself to that voice type. A commanding presence on operatic, concert and recital stages, Norman was associated with roles including Beethoven's Leonore, Wagner's Sieglinde and Kundry, Berlioz's Cassandre and Didon, and Bartók's Judith. The New York Times music critic Edward Rothstein described her voice as a "grand mansion of sound", and wrote that "it has enormous dimensions, reaching backward and upward. It opens onto unexpected vistas. It contains sunlit rooms, narrow passageways, cavernous halls."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adele Addison</span> American lyric soprano (born 1925)

Adele Addison is an American lyric soprano who was a figure in the classical music world during the 1950s and 1960s. Although she did appear in several operas, Addison spent most of her career performing in recital and concert. Her performances spanned a wide array of literature from the Baroque period to contemporary compositions. She is best remembered today as the singing voice for Bess in the 1959 movie, Porgy and Bess. Known for her polished and fluent tone, Addison made a desirable Baroque vocal artist. She can be heard on numerous recordings, of which her Baroque performances are perhaps her best work. Many of her recordings were made with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Brown</span> American opera singer

Angela M. Brown is an American dramatic soprano particularly admired for her portrayal of Verdi heroines.

Florence Quivar is an American operatic mezzo-soprano who is considered to be "one of the most prominent singers of her generation." She has variously been described as having a "rich, earthy sound and communicative presence" as "always reliable" and as "a distinguished singer, with a warm, rich voice and a dignified performing presence." From 1977 to 1997 she was a regular performer at the Metropolitan Opera where she gave more than 100 performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harolyn Blackwell</span> American opera singer and actress

Harolyn Blackwell is an American lyric coloratura soprano who has performed in many of the world's finest opera houses, concert halls, and theaters in operas, oratorios, recitals, and Broadway musicals. Initially known for her work within musical theater during the early 1980s, Blackwell moved into the field of opera and by 1987 had established herself as an artist within the soubrette repertoire in many major opera houses both in the United States and in Europe. Feeling that she was being "type cast" into one particular kind of role, Blackwell strove to establish herself within the lyric coloratura repertoire beginning in the mid-1990s. With the aid of such companies as Seattle Opera, Blackwell successfully made this move and is now an interpreter of such roles as Lucia in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Olympia in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffman. She has also periodically returned to musical theater performances throughout her career in staged productions, concert work, and recitals. Blackwell is known for her interpretations and recordings of the works of Leonard Bernstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Jepson</span> American opera singer

Helen Jepson was an American lyric soprano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Wolff</span> American mezzo-soprano

Beverly Wolff was an American mezzo-soprano who had an active career in concerts and operas from the early 1950s to the early 1980s. She performed a broad repertoire which encompassed operatic and concert works in many languages and from a variety of musical periods. She was a champion of new works, notably premiering compositions by Leonard Bernstein, Gian Carlo Menotti, Douglas Moore, and Ned Rorem among other American composers. She also performed in a number of rarely heard baroque operas by George Frideric Handel with the New York City Opera (NYCO), the Handel Society of New York, and at the Kennedy Center Handel Festivals.

Clamma Churita Dale is an American operatic soprano. She portrayed "Bess" in the highly successful 1976 Houston Grand Opera production of Porgy and Bess. The show was transferred from Houston to Broadway and Dale was awarded a 1977 Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a musical and received a Tony Award nomination. She won a Grammy award in 1978 for Best Opera Recording of the Porgy & Bess soundtrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Blue</span> American singer (born 1984)

Angel Joy Blue is an American soprano. She won the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for the Metropolitan Opera production of Porgy and Bess in the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Her voice has been recognized for its shining and agile upper register, "smoky" middle register, beautiful timbre, and ability to switch from a classical to a contemporary sound. She has performed internationally and won numerous awards including a Grammy Award, Operalia and Miss Hollywood. According to family lore, her father Sylvester predicted her to be "the next Leontyne Price" when she was born.

Elizabeth Caballero is a Cuban-American lyric soprano.

Marquita Lister is an American operatic soprano. She has sung with major companies in the U.S. and abroad, specializing in the lirico-spinto repertoire. Lister is considered one of the leading interpreters of Bess in Porgy and Bess, having performed the role hundreds of times in companies across the globe, and she is also renowned for her portrayals of Aida and Salome, two signature roles.

Alyson Cambridge is an American operatic soprano. In addition to opera, she sings classical song, jazz, and American songbook and popular song. She is also known for her work as a model, actress, and host.

Barbara Smith Conrad was an American opera singer. A mezzo-soprano, she performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Nacional in Venezuela, and many others. She was also an educator, co-directing the Wagner Theater Program, which she co-founded, and maintaining a private studio as well as taking up multiple artist residencies.

Billie Lynn Daniel (1932–2002) was an American operatic soprano and composer. A winner of several notable vocal competitions, she was best known for her portrayal of Clara in Porgy and Bess and for her work as an exponent of American art song. She performed the world premieres of works by composers Richard Hundley, William Flanagan, and Claude Debussy among other composers.

Beverly Hoch is an American coloratura soprano and music educator who has had an active performance career in operas, concerts, and on recordings since the late 1970s. She has been teaching at Texas Woman's University since 2007.

Camellia Johnson was an American concert and opera singer. She began her career performing works from the mezzo-soprano repertoire, but after encouragement from the staff at the Metropolitan Opera retrained her voice as a soprano. She successfully made that transition after winning the Young Concert Artists competition in 1993. She went on to perform as a leading soprano with orchestras and opera companies internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yvonne Ciannella</span> American opera singer (1926–2022)

Yvonne Regina Ciannella was an American coloratura soprano in opera and concert. She began her career performing and recording with the Robert Shaw Chorale in the early 1950s. After graduate voice studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, she embarked on a career as an opera singer; working mainly in Germany at the Staatstheater Braunschweig, Theater Bonn, and Theater Dortmund during the 1960s. She also appeared as a guest artist with opera companies in Berlin, Cologne, Florida, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Vienna. For many years she was a member of the voice faculty of the College of Music at Florida State University.

References

  1. ↑ Combined Talents Produce Sparkling 'Porgy & Bess' Stewart Woolley. Sarasota Journal. Google News. November 4, 1974. Retrieved March 3, 2016
  2. 1 2 3 W.J. Fenza, "Mais Oui, ASO Soloist Can Sing More Than Bess", 01 November 1997, The Morning Call , Allentown, PA; available online here, accessed 15 July 2010.
  3. ↑ Music: Debuts in Review; Marvis Martin Offers American Songs John Rockwell. The New York Times . December 13, 1981. Retrieved March 3, 2016
  4. 1 2 Frost Alumni Achievements. Marvis Martin, B.M. '77 Frost School of Music. University of Miami. 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 David Nicholson, "Soprano Chooses A More Relaxed Schedule: Talented Classical Singer Will Perform At CNU", 14 October 1993, Daily Press (Virginia) ; available online here, accessed 15 July 2010.
  6. ↑ Donal Henahan, "Menotti Salute to Alice Tully", 25 October 1982, The New York Times ; available online here, accessed 15 July 2010.
  7. ↑ John Rockwell, "Debuts in Review; Marvis Martin Offers American Songs", 13 December 1981, The New York Times; available online here, accessed 15 July 2010.
  8. 1 2 Metropolitan Opera Archives Online, accessed 15 July 2010.
  9. ↑ Donal Henahan, "Review/Recital; A Soprano Who Reveals Herself", 07 April 1988, The New York Times; available online here, accessed 15 July 2010.
  10. ↑ Boston Symphony Orchestra concert programs Worldcat.org. Digital Archive Retrieved March 3, 2016
  11. ↑ SOPRANO MARVIS MARTIN IS AT EASE WITH SONGS OF THE SOUTH Greensboro News & Record. BH Media Group, Inc. February 20, 1992. Retrieved March 3, 2016
  12. ↑ Distinguished Alumni Awards Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine , accessed 15 July 2010.
  13. ↑ "Soprano Wins $10,000", 2 February 1988, The New York Times; available online here, accessed 15 July 2010.
  14. ↑ Soprano Wins $10,000. NYT. February 2, 1988. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  15. ↑ Marvin Martin. University of Miami. Frost School of Music. 1987 Distinguished Alumna Frost School of Music. University of Miami. 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  16. ↑ Review/Recital; A Soprano Who Reveals Herself Donal Henahan. The New York Times . April 7, 1988. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.