A Celebration of Black History through Music: Lecture and Recital

Join Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin, visiting Guest Scholar, Clinician, and Performer, for an immersive evening exploring the heritage, techniques, and styles of Black American music.

Dr. Robinson-Martin will be presenting two sessions:

1. “The Legacy of African American Music”—6:30pm to 7:30pm
   Black American folk-based music is the foundation of much of today's modern American music. However, the cultural context and traditional roots from which modern riffs, complex rhythmic and melodic lines, and expressive, soulful sounds originated, are not overtly articulated in music education training. Through an exploration of vocal legacies and influences from music of the enslaved to present day, this lecture will guide participants to recognize, understand, and apply the conceptual approach to song and music as practiced in Black American Music traditions.
2. “Soul Implied: Lecture-Recital"—8:00pm to 9:30pm
   Learn about the vocal stylistic characteristics and nuances of performing Black American Music genres such as jazz, blues, gospel, soul and R&B, while experiencing live performance demonstrations of each musical style discussed in this soulful lecture-recital.

There will be an intermission/reception with light refreshments from 7:30pm to 8:00pm.

Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin is a vocalist, composer, scholar, and educator with over 20 years of experience in performance, pedagogy, and cultural advocacy. She is Chair of the Ensemble Department at Berklee College of Music, creator of the Soul Ingredients® Methodology, and founder of the Soul Ingredients® Voice Studio.

Her work centers on preserving and promoting African American music traditions through performance, scholarship, and culturally responsive pedagogy. She is the Executive Director of the African American Jazz Caucus Inc., serves on the Board of Directors for the Jazz Education Network, and is a member of the American Academy of Teachers of Singing.

Dr. Robinson-Martin developed Soul Ingredients®, a voice methodology that teaches singers to develop authentic musical expression in genres such as jazz, gospel, R&B, and blues. Her scholarship and writings appear in DownBeat Magazine, The New York Times, Journal of Singing, and more. She is the author of So You Want to Sing Gospel and a contributor to several academic texts on Black music and voice.

As a performer, she blends soul, jazz, and gospel, earning praise for her emotionally resonant artistry. Her debut album All or Nothing, featuring Cyrus Chestnut and Don Braden, reflects her deep musical roots and interpretive range. In 2023, she launched the Soul Ingredients® Music Teacher Training Academy Online, a global platform offering live and pre-recorded courses for voice educators.

Registration required for this event.

Register

Space is limited. In-person registration will close once we have reached the maximum capacity for the event venue. Register early if you plan to attend in-person. 

This will be a hybrid event.

All Events

Lecture/Recital—February 5, 2026 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm
Vocal Masterclass—February 6, 2026 from 3:15pm to 4:30pm
Finale Concert—February 7, 2026 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Notice of photography and videography: Photography, audio and video recording may occur throughout this event. Therefore, by attending, you hereby authorize the University of Toronto to take your photograph, video and/or record your voice and grant the university all rights to these sounds, still or moving images in any medium for educational, promotional, marketing, advertising or other such purposes that support the mission of the university. If you do not consent to this, please speak with a university representative upon your arrival.