EMT Spotlight: Marc Secara
This trainer spotlight features Marc Secara, an Estill Master Trainer based in Berlin. Marc is Professor of Voice at the SRH School of Popular Arts in Berlin as well as a jazz & pop singer.
Current home (city, country): Berlin, Germany
Where did you grow up?: I grew up in a tiny village in Bavaria. 3 dogs and some cows. End of the 90’s I moved to Berlin to study singing at the university for music „Hanns Eisler“. The vibrant electricity of this city is still exciting to me.
Why you do you love Estill Voice Training?: Simply because it has changed my life both as a performer and a teacher. I was already a professional artist with a performing and teaching career, when I experienced my first EVT course. I guess it was almost like a awakening experience. Honestly – for the first time in my life, I had the feeling to understand (Jo´s famous quote) „how am I doing this!“. From this moment on I was addicted, under fire and I owe Jo Estill and the EVT family a universe.
Biggest professional challenge: My current job! I´m a professor for voice at the SRH School of Popular Arts in Berlin. We teach all kinds of singers. When they enter the school, some already have 10 years of training, some won big casting shows and have already record deals. On the other hand we have beautiful „natural voices“ that really never had a voice lesson. „Everbody has a beautiful voice“ is the spirit we breathe in our department and EVT is the perfect tool to help all of them to finding their own sound and stay healthy during their career.
Last book read: “Vegan.” After a couple years of being a vegetarian, my kids made me go vegan. Gosh! I miss french cheese, but otherwise it feels fantastic! My 3 kids are my greatest teachers. Their lectures in life, passion, creativity, anger management, climate change, animal rights, music and so much more are sometimes brutal…but I wanna be a good student. 😉
Person you would most like to have dinner with: Will I be able to use a time machine?! Then Johann Sebastian Bach.
Favorite performer: Puuuh! So hard to say. It´s almost like to choose a favorite kid. Tony Bennett, Mark Murphy, Barbra Streisand, Kurt Elling and Frank Sinatra were big influences. But I also like the Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran & Co. Of course Luciano Pavarotti. Hard to say…
What has the COVID-19 pandemic been like for you? I lost very sadly almost all my own concert performances. But I´m so lucky to still have an income as a vocal teacher. I miss touring like crazy and it almost physically hurts not to be able to do what I love. But I also love teaching and working with my students. Like all of us, I had to become an expert in online teaching in very short time, bought HD-Cams and new mics and made peace with it. I am very grateful to have been accepted as a EMCI-C. So I´m using the concert-free time to study and practice on my path to become a EMCI. This is very exciting and fulfilling. And I get so see my family more than ever, which is beautiful. I´m wishing all my dear colleagues lots of health and strength during this difficult time.
Hobby(ies): Scuba diving, painting, cooking and playing poker (Texas Hold´em) with my band.
Favorite quote: “Nothing happens […] without risk, but without risk nothing happens.“ -Walter Scheel (former German President)
People Would be surprised to know…that I´m quite addicted to all kinds of books and movies about mountaineers. Especially the expeditions to the eight-thousanders. I´m fascinated by characters like Reinhold Messner (I even pilgrimaged to lectures) to find out, why those people do these extremely dangerous expeditions. I´m deeply inspired by their passion and will.
