Arts & Entertainment
Not Yet Sixteen, and Singing in Symphony Hall
Bobby Martin was one of 200 Massachusetts singers skilled enough to perform in the All State Choir at Symphony Hall.
When Bobby Martin joined the St. Mary’s church choir in the second grade, he was not expecting to make it to Symphony Hall before he turned 16. Yet, that is exactly what he did.
Martin, a sophomore at , performed in Symphony Hall on March 3 as part of the All-State Choir.
“The way it works is you have to first try out for the Central District choir,” Martin said. “And if your audition goes really well you get a recommendation to try out for the All State Choir. Not everyone that gets recommended for an audition actually makes the choir.”
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Martin was one of approximately 200 students from Massachusetts skilled enough to be chosen.
“My mom and dad are both musicians,” Martin said. “My mom teaches music at Berkley and my dad is a cantor at St. Mary’s. My mom has really been a teaching figure to me, and my music teacher taught me also.”
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Martin has been involved with music since his early days in the church choir.
“I was in the junior Central District choir in the seventh grade, and was recommended and chosen for the All State choir that year also,” Martin said. “I also joined the band in the fourth grade and I still play today.”
Martin first performed in the 2012 Central District Choir at Mechanics Hall. From there, he moved on to the All State concert which took place in Symphony Hall at the end of a three-day long rehearsal.
“The way it works is you go for three days of rehearsals and perform the concert on Saturday,” Martin said. “They reserve half of a giant hotel - the Seaport Hotel this year - and we practice nine hours on Thursday and nine on Friday and then the concert is Saturday. It was lots of fun.”
Bobby’s music career is a huge part of his life, but he acknowledges that he does not plan to pursue a degree in music upon graduation from high school.
Martin plans to continue to use his voice to entertain, but doesn’t expect his voice will ever be his sole means of making a living; therefore, the majority of his time is spent with the robotics team. He is also a member of the jazz band and a small, elite school choir.
“I hope to attend WPI after high school and major in computer science,” Martin said.