In 1998 Marc Secara founded the Berlin Voices, a four-part vocal group much like
Manhattan Transfer with two female and two male voices. The group released two critically acclaimed CDs:
The Music of Billy Joel, and
About Christmas. The group has also toured and recorded with the
HR Big Band (
Frankfurt) and the
Berlin Jazz Orchestra. In 2001 his "Marc Secara Group" was the first Western Jazz band which had a tour in the Islamic
Republic of Iran. After another Iranian tour in 2002, he won with his Marc Secara Group 1st prize as "Best Artist" of the nationwide music festival "Fader". In 2004 Secara toured Europe as a "cultural ambassador" of the
Federal Republic of Germany and performed four concerts for the former Federal President
Johannes Rau and
Horst Köhler. In 2006 he sang in duet with baritone
Thomas Quasthoff at the Federal President's Summer Party. In 2006 he was also a solo artist on tour in Germany with the HR Big Band, strings and a choir; Secara was one of the youngest guest soloists to appear with the Hessian Radio Jazz Orchestra. This was part of the
Bert Kaempfert (Germany) tour nationwide, the first major one in 20 years. In 2008 Secara recorded and toured with actor and singer
Manfred Krug. In 2009 he composed
Killing Is My Business, Honey with
Hoku Ho and
Rick Kavanian for the movie
Mord ist mein Geschäft, Liebling. With
Berlin Jazz Orchestra he sang the theme song for the movie. In 2009 Marc Secara entered a production contract with Bert Kaempfert Music Publishing. Together with a German all star jazz orchestra, he recorded a CD with Bert Kaempfert's music. In 2010 was the presentation of the new stage show
Now and Forever, featuring the music from the CD. Secara is featured on the 2018 release
Origin Suite as a collaboration with composer
Jack Cooper; he supplies prominent
vocalese parts on four of the twelve tracks for the album.
Berlin Jazz Orchestra Since 2000 Secara has been working with his own big band, the
Berlin Jazz Orchestra. The ensemble is under the direction of former
RIAS Big Band conductor
Jiggs Whigham. In collaboration with the music agent Jacky Wagner and
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) their first CDs were released in 2004 and 2008; the albums
Update and ''
You're Everything'' with scores commissioned from the
British arranger
Steve Gray. 2005 celebrated the Berlin Jazz Orchestra's 5th Anniversary as part of a broadcasting Germany, moderated by
Alfred Biolek. In 2009 Secara and the Berlin Jazz Orchestra toured Estonia, Azerbaijan and performed in numerous concert halls in Germany. In 2012 the concert video
Strangers In Night - The Music Of Bert Kaempfert was produced with the Berlin Jazz Orchestra with Secara's repertoire completed for the earlier recording from 2010. In November 2014 the group toured Germany with the
New York Voices. In 2014 Secara hired arranger and conductor
Jack Cooper to collaborate on the new
Songs of Berlin BJO project and CD recording. Secara's
Songs of Berlin project includes noted hit tunes of German artists such as
Marlene Dietrich,
Hildegard Knef, and
Peter Fox. ==Education and teaching==