The Interchurch Council of Downtown Wadesboro is sponsoring a free jazz concert at First Baptist Church in Wadesboro at 4 p.m. on Nov. 12.

The concert will feature Joseph Martin, a native of North Carolina, who resides in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Sue, who as a principal soloist, has sung at The White House, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and numerous churches.

Martin has served as director of Sacred Publications at Shawnee Press, Inc. since 1993 and Austin’s Artist in Residence at Concordia University. His many compositions, 50 choral cantatas, and choral arrangements (both sacred and secular) are known throughout the world. This gifted musician has performed solo piano recitals in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, Constitution Hall in Washington D.C., The Lawrence Welk Theatre in Branson, Missouri, and St. Peter’s Bailica in Vatican City. He also has performed solo piano recitals and in concert with numerous symphony orchestras.

Martin has received many awards for excellence in musical composition, which include:

• Winning the Nina Plant Wideman Competition in 2008 for his performance with the Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra; his solo recital Ex-convento del Carmen was broadcast nationally

• Being nominated for a Dove Award for his first solo piano recording, American Tapestry. Songs of the Journey, Celtic Tapestry, and A Christmas Tapestry have also received considerable recognition;

• Receiving an award from the John Ness Beck Foundation for his composition, Pieta; and

• Coauthoring a fully graded, progressive piano method for the Christian student, entitled “Keys for the Kingdom.”

For the Record