Here’s what we learned about opera during her vocal training:

• The amount of breath needed to sing an opera aria is ricockulous because of how long the notes are.  Basically you need to be able to take in air throughout your entire upper cavity.

• You may have natural singing talent, but that don’t mean shit.  It takes years, YEARS, of studying and discipline to learn how to properly sang out Louise.

• Most people are not multi-lingual and don’t understand a word an opera singer is saying, so it’s the job of the singer to convey the emotion behind the words so it transcends the language barrier.

• Until the early 1970’s black singers were not really seen in the opera genre until David DiChiera of the Michigan Opera Theatre pioneered efforts to bust those doors down.

After seeing her in her classical environment we took her to the most level playing field we could think of, a karaoke bar.

marie-claire was born in Dominica West Indies and moved to the Bronx, New York as a child. With a recent emergence of African-American performers reinventing classical art forms such as Brown Girls Do Ballet, mc is for sure a great role model for young ethnic females everywhere. mc’s encourages young ethnic women to embrace their difference because it’s what makes them stand out and bring unique innate talent to the table.  This classic bad ass puts her money where her mouth is with her philanthropic efforts which include raising funds for disadvantaged Dominican youth through the Year of the Child concert.  She has also shared words of encouragement with female victims of sexual abuse in Dominica, Jamaica and St. Vincent. In March 2014 mc was honoured by the Williamsburg bridge chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for her service to her community as part of Women’s History Month celebrations.