Marvis Martin

Who is Marvis Martin?

Marvis Martin is an African-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.

Martin was born in Tallahassee, Florida but grew up in Miami, and was singing professionally by the age of five. She trained at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music and received a master's degree from Manhattan School of Music. She then studied under Elisabeth Schwartzkopf and was also a protegée of Alice Tully.

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 into an important singer." She had her premiere with the Metropolitan Opera in 1982, singing the role of "Pamina" in a touring production of The Magic Flute. Over the next few years, she received "awards, medals and glowing reviews as a song recitalist, concert singer and opera performer."