Jazz Vocal Collective Concert: Spring in Song

JAZZ AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY serves to promote this uniquely American music as a contemporary and relevant art form. Its goals are to convey the vast musical and social history of jazz, establish a strong theoretical and stylistic foundation with regard to improvisation and composition, and emphasize the development of individual expression and creativity. Offerings of this program include academic course work, performing ensembles, master classes, private study, and independent projects. Jazz at Princeton
University thanks you for joining them on this evening’s journey of beauty, exploration, discovery, and hope.

JAZZ VOCAL COLLECTIVE is a small jazz ensemble that features solo voice and a rhythm section (i.e. piano, guitar, bass, and drums) to create a collaborative musical experience. In JVC, vocalists are responsible for selecting repertoire, creating, and notating their own musical arrangements of jazz standards and popular songs, and developing and performing those arrangements in class throughout the semester. JVC meets on Thursday nights from 7-9PM in the Jazz Studio of the Effron Music Building, and holds auditions during the first week of the fall semester. If you are interested in auditioning for next year for JVC or any other of the ensembles offered in the jazz program, please contact the Jazz program director, Rudresh Mahanthappa at

Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin serves as the private voice instructor in jazz and the JazzVocal Collective  ensemble director. In addition to working at Princeton University, Dr. Robinson-Martin holds Artist-in-residencies at Yale and Berklee School of Music, the founder of Soul Ingredients® Voice Studio, Soul Ingredients® Voice Teacher Training Academy, and performs regularly in the tri-state area.

As an internationally recognized voice pedagogue in contemporary music, Dr. Robinson- Martin has dedicated her career to performing and developing resources for teaching jazz, gospel, and R&B singing styles. She completed her doctoral work at Teachers College Columbia University. Her research focused on vocal pedagogy for Contemporary Commercial Music (e.g., R&B, jazz, rock, music theater, etc.), applied pedagogy, and gospel music performance practices. Dr. Robinson-Martin holds master’s degrees in music education and jazz studies from Teachers College and Indiana University-Bloomington. Dr. Robinson-Martin is also a certified instructor in Somatic Voicework™ The Lovetri Method, a national faculty member of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc., the executive director of the African American Jazz Caucus, Inc., a founding and executive board member of the Donald Meade Legacy Jazz Griot Award, and board of director of the Jazz Education Network, on the editorial board of the Journal of Singing, and is a member of the distinguished American Academy of Teachers of Singing. Based on her graduate research, Dr. Robinson-Martin designed Soul Ingredients® , a teaching methodology for developing a singer’s musical style/interpretation in African American folk-based music styles (i.e., jazz, gospel, R&B, blues, etc.). This methodology shows students how to take their personal experiences, musical influences, and models, and execute the various components in a personal manner to the singer/performer’s unique expression. In addition to her book “So You Want to Singing Gospel, ” she has contributed chapters to several textbooks and scholarly writings on the tops of voice and Black music history. In addition to books, Robinson-Martin’s published work can also be found in Downbeat Magazine, New York Times, Journal of Singing, Journal of Voice, and Voice and Speech.

As a performer, Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin maintains a diverse performance schedule. New York Music Daily praised Robinson as “an individualist who defies categorization: there’s the immediacy of classic soul music here, coupled to jazz sophistication, gospel rapture and fervor. ” Whether touring with Peabo Bryson and Leela James in the Standing in Shadows of Motown Live, being a featured soloist with Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, creating vocal tracks for Nnenna Freelon’s Grammy Nominated Album “Time Traveler, ” or performing with her jazz quartet, Dr. Trineice loves to perform good music. As evident in her 2021 debut album, which features Cyrus Chestnut and Don Braden, “All Or Nothing” reflects the whole-hearted spirit with which she’s approached every facet of her wide- ranging career. It captures the passion, confidence and dazzling scope of her rich, expressive voice, which DownBeat Magazine hails as “redolent with power… stunning.” But it also represents the dedication and commitment that she’s brought to an impressive career as a renowned educator, researcher, scholar, and clinician.

Sirfraz Shah ’24, voice Yashree Himatsingka ’24 voice

Laura Robertson ’24, voice Claire Dignazio ’25, voice Vincent Gerardi ’25, voice Laura Kahu ’27, voice

Alessandro Troncoso ’25 voice, saxes and flute Marcello Troncoso ’27 alto sax

Samuel Gerhard ’25 piano Alexander Theodore ’27, piano

Ian Kenselaar, bass (Special Guest) Dominic Palombi, drums (Special Guest)

Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin, voice, percussions, director

Yaashree Himatsingka is a senior in the History Department from Mumbai, India. She is also pursuing Certificates in Environmental Studies and South Asian Studies, and her independent research has led her from the tiger-prowled jungles of central India to the mountainous sublimes of Tierra del Fuego. She joined JVC in her senior year and has treasured every second of it! Previously, she was an alto in the a cappella group Shere Khan, a leader with Princeton Outdoor Action, a member of Two-Dickinson co-op, and a gallery attendant at Art@Bainbridge. Currently, she works as a dormitory assistant in Cuyler Hall and is exploring her newfound interest in documentary photography.

Laura Robertson is a senior who will graduate with a degree in history and certificates in Journalism, Persian Language and Culture, and Latin American Studies. She sang classically for eight years before beginning to branch out and explore jazz music. She also sings with the Glee Club. Outside of music, Laura co-founded Princeton’s Campus Food Ethics and Justice Think Tank. She facilitated the Religious Life Council, an interfaith group; costume coordinated for Raqs, a dance group; and was the Explainers editor for the Daily Princetonian. She is the Student Dining Coordinator in RoMa Dining Hall, and (newly!) a contributing reporter at New York Focus. After graduation, Laura will work on two projects funded by the Overseas Press Club and the Fund for Investigative Journalism. She plans to return to Tajikistan for the summer to report on Afghan refugees and competing neo-colonial influences in the region. She hopes to spend the fall working for a farmworkers coalition in lmmokalee, Florida, before returning to New York City to pursue a career in investigative journalism. She hopes to continue to sing different genres after college.

Sirfraz Shah is a senior in the Economics department and is from Phoenix, Arizona. Sirfraz was introduced to music by his grandfather and father who both sang traditional Pakistani music throughout his childhood. His love for jazz began when he was twelve years old and eventually led him to join the Jazz Vocal Collective as a college freshman. In JVC, Sirfraz has sung alongside special guest artists such as Cyrus Chestnut, Camille Thurman, and Tammy McCann. In addition to JVC, Sirfraz also sings as a tenor 2 for the Princeton Nassoons, Princeton’s oldest a cappella group. He’s not sure how he will pursue jazz after graduation, but he knows that singing will always be an important part of his life!