On today’s episode, we are lucky to have the incredible LaMarcus Miller PhD, a veritable renaissance man and role model of successful career shifting. LaMarcus has vast music industry experience spanning performance, business strategy, and marketing, plus stints in strategic internal corporate communications, sports, social justice, and academia. As an accomplished bass-baritone, he has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center (alongside Wynton Marsalis!), L.A.’s Dolby Theatre, and TEDMED in Washington D.C. His operatic credits include Lance Corporal Philip Houston in Fallujah, a role about which Mark Swed of the LA Times wrote, “His exacting portrayal, of a veteran battling inner demons as alarming as his Iraqi ones, does a brilliant job demonstrating how to make opera matter.” LaMarcus acquired his Masters from Manhattan School of Music and PhD from USC., during which time he directed research on the state of the commercial music industry and the role of streaming. In this episode, he takes us through his unusual shift from ROTC to classical opera singer and the “thread of continuity” that led him to blend his strong business and musical backgrounds to serve the evolving needs of artists today. LaMarcus also shares a vulnerable story about an egregious case of racism and mistaken identity he faced over a 7-year period, from which all allies can learn. And, stay tuned until the very end to hear LaMarcus belt out some opera on the spot!
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