Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin Named Chair of the Ensemble Department

Berklee College of Music has appointed Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin as the new chair of the Ensemble Department, effective August 1, 2024. She will succeed Tyrone Chase, who served as interim chair since spring 2023. 

A multifaceted talent in the world of music, Dr. Robinson-Martin’s career is marked by a commitment to both performing and developing innovative resources for vocal instruction.

The Oakland, California, native comes to Berklee from Princeton University, where she was a faculty member for more than a decade. She taught private voice lessons, directed the Jazz Vocal Collective Ensemble, and lectured on African American music and voice pedagogy. Based on her graduate research, she created Soul Ingredients: Pedagogy of Soul, a teaching methodology designed to help singers develop their voice and musical style in African American folk-based music genres such as jazz, gospel, R&B, and blues. In addition, she founded Soul Ingredients Voice Studios, where she offers global voice instructor training courses both virtually and in-person.

"My gift is in my ability to nourish and amplify the soul expression of others,” said Robinson-Martin. “I look forward to working with faculty and students to find creative, innovative, and meaningful ways to articulate their truth through music performance."

Robinson-Martin’s educational achievements include completing her doctoral work at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she focused on vocal pedagogy for contemporary commercial music, applied pedagogy, Black music studies, and gospel music performance practices. While there, she also earned a Master of Education in music and music education, after having previously obtained a Master of Music in jazz and jazz studies from Indiana University Bloomington and a Bachelor of Arts in improvised music studies from San José State University.  

“Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin is an experienced artist, educator, and leader,” said Sean K. Skeete, dean of the Professional Performance Division at Berklee. “Her prior experience will help us innovate curriculum, create meaningful collaboration throughout the college, and continue to push the department's overall success.”

Robinson-Martin’s leadership roles include serving as the executive director of the African American Jazz Caucus, Inc., and as vice president of the board of directors for the nonprofit organization Jazz Education Network. Notably, she is the first and only member inducted into the American Academy of Teachers of Singing with a specialty in contemporary Black music singing styles. A sought-after keynote speaker and master class instructor, she has shared her knowledge at prestigious institutions worldwide, including Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia; the British and Irish Modern Music (BIMM) Institute; and the University of São Paulo, to name a few.

In 2021, she released her debut album, All or Nothing, which showcased her dedication to Black American music and culture and featured acclaimed artists such as Cyrus Chestnut ’85 and saxophonist Don Braden. In a review of the album, DownBeat wrote, “Trineice Robinson’s voice is redolent with power. . . . Whenever she blends her voice with pianist Cyrus Chestnut’s sure-fingered interpretations, the results are stunning.”