By Dale McGarrigle
Special to The Weekly
Roosevelt Andre Credit has one of those voices that lodge in the memories of concertgoers.
Need proof? Here’s what critic Michael Dale of Broadway.com said about Credit’s 2006 rendition of “Ol’ Man River” at A Tribute to Jerome Kern: “It was a performance with both great power and great subtlety, tremendously nuanced and indelibly memorable. Credit was thanked with the most spontaneous standing and cheering ovation I’ve ever seen.”
The Oakland native will bring his versatile bass-baritone voice to Bangor, for a return visit to the First Methodist Church, on Essex Street in Bangor, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27.
There is no admission charge for the concert but there will be a freewill offering collected at the end of the concert. Before the concert, there will be a Healthy Heart baked bean supper at 5-6 p.m. at the church, with proceeds going to church missions. The cost is $7, $3 children.
Credit most recently made his mark playing a “Fisherman” in the 2012 Tony-winning revival of the George Gershwin musical “Porgy and Bess.” But he’s enjoyed a lengthy, varied career prior to that.
Credit, an Eagle Scout, got trained right for a career in music. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Oregon State University, and a master’s degree in music in voice and opera performance and in conducting from Northwestern University.
While his Bangor appearance will feature mostly praise music, Credit’s repertoire includes opera, oratorio, jazz, spirituals, pop and musicals. He has performed on and off Broadway, playing several roles in the Tony Award winning and national touring companies of Harold Prince’s “Show Boat.” He has performed with the Chicago Opera Theatre, Birmingham Opera, New York Contemporary Opera, Chautauqua Opera and was a featured soloist with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Duke Ellington Orchestra during the Centennial Celebration.
But Credit is much more than a performer. He’s also a conductor and teacher, who loves working with youth. In addition, through his Yaweno Publishing, he has composed both sacred and secular solo, choral and orchestral works.
In short, music is the language Credit speaks best. As he explained in a 2000 interview with the Bangor Daily News, “It’s the most universal language. I can go to Japan or anywhere without speaking a word of the language. And when I sing, it still touches people’s hearts.”