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 |