Native American mezzo-soprano Claire MacKenzie enjoys a diverse career spanning opera, chamber music, and sacred works in performances throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
Notable engagements include collaborations with Grammy Award winner Al Jarreau—praised as "exquisite, exceptional and innovative" by the Los Angeles Examiner—and appearances with Livermore Valley Opera, West Bay Opera, and the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra. Following her critically acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut performing the Rahbani Brothers' Andalousiyyāt Suite, Ms. MacKenzie has established herself as an innovative artist bridging classical and Middle Eastern musical traditions. Ms. MacKenzie holds degrees from California Polytechnic State University (B.A. in Music, concentrations in Opera and Middle Eastern Art Song) and Boston University (M.M. in Music & Music Education). As founder of the international performance ensemble, 7 Degrees Ensemble, she has contributed to the world chamber music repertoire through composition, arrangement, and transcription. Ms. MacKenzie serves as Music Director and cantor at San Francisco's Our Lady of Fatima Russian Byzantine Catholic Church, where she draws upon her expertise in both Western and Eastern sacred traditions. Her commitment to musical outreach includes co-founding Opera SLO to Go and directing benefit concerts that unite communities through music.
Ms. MacKenzie's dedication to vocal artistry is enhanced by her expertise in voice science. As a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (M.S., Chapman University and SLPD candidate at Moravian University) and Neurologic Music Therapy Allied Professional, she integrates evidence-based practices to her pedagogy. Her innovative approach to vocal instruction synthesizes classical training with contemporary understanding of vocal mechanisms, health, and wellness. For the past several years, Ms. MacKenzie has had the privilege of directing a Therapy Choir at a local non-profit organization that serves survivors of stroke and brain injury. Ms. MacKenzie is dedicated to fostering growth and community through music and song.
Photographer: Devon Cass
Musician: Claire MacKenzie, Mezzo-Soprano
Festival: Zêzere Arts Festival, Portugal 2014