Award-winning, New York-based vocal virtuoso Gino Sitson is a French-American artist originally from the Bamileke region of Cameroon, Central Africa. His heritage is steeped in music; his family descends from a long line of musicians known as Ntontas (“players of horns”), and his mother was a vocalist and choir director. Alongside his siblings, Sitson was introduced to blues, jazz, and African traditional music from an early age.
Dr. Sitson holds a PhD in Musicology from Paris-Sorbonne University, supervised by Professor Jean-Marc Chouvel, and an MS degree in Education Sciences. He is the director of the Polyvocal Research Laboratory, a facility dedicated to the voice. His scholarly work centers on music cognition, the expressive qualities of the voice, and the transmission processes of music from the African diaspora, with a particular interest in Gwoka music from Guadeloupe. Demonstrating a profound understanding of African, Caribbean, and American jazz music—both empirically and theoretically—Dr. Sitson has authored two books, including the first annotated bibliography on the music of Guadeloupe spanning 1635-1848, and released eight albums of his original music. His 9th CD, recorded in La Habana, Cuba, in a duo with master cellist Alejandro Rodriguez and featuring the legendary Afro-Cuban poet Nancy Morejón on one track, will be released soon.
A pioneer among multiculturally influenced African musicians, Dr. Sitson masterfully integrates his diverse “in-between” living experiences (north/south, tradition/modernity, 20th/21st century) into his unique musical style. His daring projects innovatively fuse jazz, gospel, blues with traditional African polyphonies, polyrhythms, and melodies. Sitson’s distinctive vocal technique, characterized by a seamless four-octave range—from a soulful, resonant tenor with woodwind-like overtones to a high-soaring, spiritual wail reminiscent of Brazil’s Milton Nascimento—is further enhanced by creative vocal acrobatics, oral and body percussion, and miscellaneous effects. This forges an eloquent vocabulary that transcends linguistic and cultural barriers, creating a stunning range of sounds and atmospheres and delivering an exciting, energetic combination of new sounds rooted in African tradition with hints of classical European and American jazz.
His artistry has garnered widespread critical acclaim. The New York Times hailed him as “A master of vocal manipulation“, while the Los Angeles Times described him as having “An extraordinarily pliable voice in settings rich with melody, emotion and rhythm… his gift for melody and his persuasive powers for interpretation establish an instant connection for listeners… always fascinating.” Echoing this sentiment, Francisco Cruz of Jazzman (France) proclaimed, “Gino Sitson has established himself as the most talented African singer in the context of jazz. A virtuoso in the art of combining pygmy polyphonies, polyrhythms and diverse polytonalities with jazz improvisation, he has succeeded in defining a decidedly original project.“
This versatile four-octave range, coupled with his skills as a composer and arranger, has made Dr. Sitson highly sought after for recording sessions, commercials (Danone, Dim, Peugeot, Vahine, etc.), and radio/television jingles. He performed in and co-composed part of the music for the musical Jeanne et le Garçon Formidable. His extensive list of collaborators includes luminaries such as Manu Dibango, Ron Carter, Papa Wemba, Wally Badarou, John Scofield, Geri Allen, David Gilmore, Haruko Nara, Bobby McFerrin, Frank Wess, Résidente, Ray Lema, Craig Harris, James Hurt, Antoine Roney, John William, Mario Canonge, Wallace Roney, Brice Wassy, Oliver NGoma, Exile One, Steve Potts, So Why? (featuring Youssou N’Dour, Papa Wemba, et al.), and La Compagnie Creole. Notably, in 2008, Bobby McFerrin invited him to participate in the PBS documentary “The Music Instinct: Science & Song”—a project that also featured Daniel Levitin, Oliver Sacks, Daniel Barenboim, and Yo-Yo Ma—and a special presentation at Carnegie Hall (“Instant Opera”). Dr. Sitson also performed at Carnegie Hall with his own group that same year.
A member of Chamber Music America, his compositional work extends to movie scores like Betrayal (Kevin Ngooh), Blue Lotus (Dayo Ayodele), Walaande (Thierry Ntamack), and Le Goût du vin de palme (Jean-Pierre Bekolo), jingles for France Television and France 3, and music for the children’s TV show Dora the Explorer (Nickelodeon). His contributions have been recognized with the “Parents Choice Silver Medal Honor Award” in 2004 and a nomination as a finalist for the RFI Awards in 2000 (“Découvertes RFI” 2000).
Beyond his performance and research career, Dr. Sitson actively leads vocal workshops for professional and non-professional singers, as well as children, sharing his specialized vocal technique, musical knowledge, and passion for vocal exploration. He has served as a Cultural Arts ambassador for the city of Miami, Florida, since 2006 and is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to Cameroon, continuing to perform internationally while based in his adopted home of New York City.
Professional affiliations
American Society for Ethnomusicology, American Musicological Society, ASCAP, Caribbean Studies Association, Chamber Music America, EthnomusiKa, IReMus / CNRS, SACEM, Society for Music Perception and Cognition, Société française d’analyse musicale, Société française d’ethnomusicologie.