The daughter of a mother from French Quebec and a father from Trinidad, Marcia Seebaran inherited all the warmth and colour of the Caribbean as well as the generosity and authenticity of her Quebec roots. Her musical journey began almost in spite of herself. During her high school years, her mother enrolled her in the renowned music program at Pierre Laporte School. After several auditions, she finally opted for the lone instrument that had been forgotten on the table: the oboe. She was attracted by the lyric qualities of this instrument. As part of her first musical efforts, she joined the school orchestra and the choral ensemble. At the end of her high school music program, she formed a trio and made her vocal debut as a singer. Her vocal talents began at this time to attract the attention of her peers.
In 1995, she registered in the music program at the Vincent d’Indy School of Music to study oboe. After her first semester, she opted to go into the vocal jazz stream. It was there that she met Michel Donato who introduced her to the faculty jazz combo. She also met at this time Eloi Amesse who would later become one of her close collaborators.
After spending a year interpreting jazz standards in Montreal hotels and at private functions, she changed schools and registered in the Vanier College vocal jazz program. There she made numerous acquaintances and had the opportunity to take part in the Montreal International Jazz festival as part of the Vanier Stage Band. Not satisfied with her formal academic studies, she enrolled in private courses. This was a crucial turning point for her. Her professor helped her find her own voice. In 1996, she composed her first song "Today". She then acquired a guitar, which provided her with the musical support she needed for her work as a composer. She continued to play oboe, which helped her with the arrangements of her work.
Then began a period of exploration, as she delved into the universe of electronic, urban and contemporary music. Marcia met Art Roberts who encouraged her to enrol in the competition Expression musicale de Trois-Rivieres and in the Festival de Jazz des jeunes du Quebec. She struck gold! From that point, the pace grew faster. She went on tour in the Montreal region with the Marcia Seebaran Trio. Her shows caught the attention of the media and of an agent who opened to her the doors of the Orient. In 2000, she had a six month engagement at the Grand Hotel in Hong Kong, as part of a jazz trio, followed by a five month engagement in Singapore, where she was invited to perform the opening act preceding the show Alegria by the Cirque du Soleil.
After returning to Montreal in 2001, she resumed her work with her friend Eloi Amesse. He invited her to join his electronic music project entitled Messaik. She worked on the composition of several cuts from the album "97 Clones". In 2002, her voice graced the sound track of a short feature film by director Jean-Sebastien Baillat. She then produced her first demo, consisting of six of her own songs. This demo helped her find a producer and a manager, as she continued to perform on stage. Marcia also sang two songs by Ramasutra on the EP "El pipo del taxi"; she performed in the opening act for Michel Buble, during the Year Long Montreal Jazz Festival. Her voice has been heard on television shows, in media ads and as part of the sound track to the feature film Nez rouge.
Following her first CD release, "Thankful For You", in July 2004, Marcia performed at the 25th anniversary edition of the Montreal Jazz Festival. In the up coming years, she plans on persuing her many collaborations and of course, producing her 2nd album!
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