VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 3

OPHELIA
MARIE


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NAME

Ophelia Marie
Also known as Ophelia Olivaccé Marie, "Dominica's Lady of Song", "the First Lady of Creole Music", and "la grande dame de la musique Antillaise"

BORN:
Ophelia Olivaccé
28th March, 1951
Willemsted, Curaçao

PROFESSION

Singer

FAMILY

PARENTS:
Revannie Olivaccé and Josephine Olivaccé née McCoy

SIBLINGS:
Rita, Carol (Bruney), Bobby, and Claudette (Karam)

SPOUSE:
McCarthy Marie

CHILDREN:
Terri-Anne and Miguel

EDUCATION

1957–64 St. Luke’s Primary School, Pointe Michel, Dominica
1964–69 Convent High School, Roseau, Dominica
1972–75 University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados

DEGREES:
1975 BA (General), University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados
1977 Commonwealth Youth Programme Diploma in Advanced Youth Work, University of Guyana
1984 Certificate in Theory of Music, Grade IV, Kairi School of Music, Roseau, Dominica

CAREER

1975 French Teacher, Dominica Grammar School, Roseau, Dominica (1975–76)
1988 Chief Cultural Officer, Cultural Division, Old Mill Cultural Centre, Canefield (1988–89)
1993 Coordinator ENCORE Project (1993–95)
2001 Deputy Director of Tourism, National Development Corporation, Roseau, Dominica (2001–06)

WORKS

ALBUMS
1979 Ophelia
1981 Chanson d'Amour
1982 Live in Paris
1983 Emigration
1986 Trahison
1990 Love Vibrations
1991 Special
1992 Vengeance
1994 L'anmou, L'anmou
1996 Dominica Ahead
1997 Best of Ophelia
2001 Noel Oh
2005 Hypnotique

SINGLE
1980 Gloria and Magnifcat

VIDEO ALBUM
1992 Dominica Sweet

AWARDS

1981 Maracas d'Or award, Société Pernod, France
1984 Golden Drum award, Dominica
1985 Prominent Women's award, Dominica
1986 Award for Musical Fortitude, Sint Maarten
1996 FAME Lifetime Award, Dominica
1998 Most Outstanding Female Vocalist, FAME Awards, Dominica
1999 Sisserou Award of Honour, Dominica
2003 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Creole Music, Dominica Festival Committee, Dominica
2005 Lifetime Award, Cable and Wireless, Dominica
2006 Caribbean Cultural Icon award, CARIFESTA IX, Port of Spain, Trinidad

NOTABLE

As a child, sang with her siblings in a group called the Five O's
Won the Dominica Patois Song Contest in 1970, 1971 and 1975
At a 1980 record signing in Fort-de-France, Martinique, a riot was caused by too large a crowd anxious to buy Ophelia's record and have it signed
The first artist from a non-French country to receive the Maracas d'Or Award in France, 1981
First black artist to perform at the Théàtre de la Renaissance, Cirque d'Hiver and Théàtre Noir in Paris, France, 1981
Participated in the 1st, 3rd and 6th World Creole Music Festival in Dominica, 1997, 1999 and 2002