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Jane Graves was strolling on the Shaw Quadrangle Sunday afternoon when she was drawn into Hendricks Chapel by the voice of Tamar Greene. The sounds of Broadway, percussion and concert piano Graves heard outside came alive behind the Chapel’s enormous white doors.

The show was the first of this year’s Malmgren concert series, which Syracuse University alumna Ester Malmgren created in 1991. Greene, a SUNY Oswego alumni and Broadway star, sang and narrated the two-hour concert along with piano accompaniment by his former professor, Robert Auler.

“(Malmgren) was an organist herself, she loved music, and this was one of her legacies to be able to ensure that the campus community and wider community got a chance to hear great music at no cost,” said Anne Laver, artistic director of the Malmgren Concert Series.

Hendricks Chapel is a unique, more intimate stage than what Greene is used to. Currently, he plays George Washington in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” on Broadway. Before he played the character in New York City, he played the same character in the Chicago version of the musical.

Greene believes that his unwillingness to conform to one type of music stems from his heritage, especially his father, a DJ whose giant record collection exposed him to everything from jazz to reggae to classical at a young age.

“I truly am my culture. Everything that I do I am happily and enthusiastically a Jamaican, a Black man, a multi-faceted artist and human.” Greene said. “It’s okay to be all these complex parts of yourself. None of us are a monolith.”

His deep ties to his family were evident in his carefully arranged setlist including musical theater favorites, an opera aria he has auditioned with and an original song.

Greene grew up as one of ten children in a Jamaican immigrant household in Rochester. Everyone in the house placed great value on music, he said. When he was younger, he and his siblings each had to choose an instrument to learn. As his first foray into music, he chose the piano.

Joe Zhao | Assistant Photo Editor

The Malmgren concert series has been providing diverse performances for SU students since 1991. The series also emphasizes the Hendricks Chapel Choir, including them in every performance. Joe Zhao | Assistant Photo Editor

Greene performed a song from “Ragtime” as well as a “Hamilton” medley, two shows that both focus on the immigrant experience. Greene said he connected deeply with the premise of Alexander Hamilton’s immigrant journey.

Sunday night’s show was all about family and connection. Greene’s wife, fellow Broadway performer Lindsay Roberts Greene, sang a few duets with her husband, notably Ragtime’s “Wheels of a Dream,” which they dedicated to their 3-month-old son who joined them on stage.

His brother, Manny Greene, also could be seen on stage adding percussion throughout the performance. Greene said he’s always been fulfilled by playing with his brother on stage.

“It’s extremely special for me to bring my family on stage and be able to share a bit of our lives with the world,” Greene said.

Greene ended the show by performing two songs with the Hendricks Chapel Choir.

“It’s an honor to get to be in the choir that gets chosen to represent the school. Just hearing his incredible voice was very moving,” said Caiyan Bass, a sophomore member of the Hendricks Chapel Choir.

The next installment of the Malmgren Concert Series will take place on Sept. 24th as percussionist Carolyn Koebel and organist Rhonda Sider Edgington perform music from China, Japan, Taiwan and the Navajo Nation. Laver hopes more students will attend these free shows as the semester progresses.

“If you give yourself that time, take an hour out of your day to be inspired and to experience something live, that’s really what we offer,” Laver said.

Greene noted that connecting with the audience is his favorite part of his job, but when he performs eight times a week at Richard Rodgers Theater, his only chance to do so is at the stage door after the show.

“Broadway is its own thing. It’s not my story. With an event like (the Malmgren Concert Series), in a space like this, it’s more intimate,” Greene said. “I love communicating with people and I love connecting with people, and spaces like this allow me to do that and bond with folks and let people get to know me more than my role.”

Published on September 17, 2023 at 10:20 pm