Michel_Aubertin....Bio_Page

BIOGRAPHY – MICHEL AUBERTIN DATE OF BIRTH: September 12, 1971

INTERESTS: SINGING, WRITING, CHOREOGRAPHY, CREATIVE PRODUCTION, SCUBA DIVING, MARINE ECOLOGY, PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING AND ADVERTISING, ACTING, SNOW BOARDING, VOLLEYBALL, BASKETBALL, CLIFF DIVING …
A relatively unknown entity in the mainstream entertainment industry, Michel has gone from obscurity on his small island home of St. Lucia, to making waves on the high seas. The son of a retired Health Ministry Administrator, and a former Director of the Peace Corps turned Public Relations executive, Michel has had an ardent interest in the performing arts from a very tender age of 7, when he caught the theatrical bug after acting in his first play, “The Nativity”. Directed by one of the local theaters on the island, his flair for the stage was realized and he was enrolled in the local Theatrical production house- Lighthouse Theater. Here, under the watchful eye of poet and writer Kendall Hippolyte, he would go on to fine tune his skills on stage and be involved in a number of local productions.
This exposure to an audience at an early age gave him the confidence to take on all sorts of challenges, including joining the National Theatrical Production House and their rendition of “Ti-Jean and His Brothers”, a play written by local poet, playwright, author, artist and holder of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Derek Walcott. Surrounded by artistic expression, Michel was encouraged to explore his gifts, and it was soon recognized that he had a flair for vocals, and a passion for singing. By the age of 12 he was performing at many venues around the island to rave reviews, including appearances at hotel chains and national events.
By 16 Michel had taken part in numerous variety shows, Broadway musical productions including Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Godspell to name a few. He became the youngest lead singer for the hottest nationally recognized bands, and through this collaboration with many of the local musicians, such as Jazz aficionados, Ronald Boo Hinkson, Barbara Cadet, and Luther Francois, just to name a few, he was incorporated in many musical productions, and represented his country in a regional Caribbean Cultural Festival (CARIFESTA), in 1991. Michel went on to become President of the Literary and Debating Society of his Alma Mater, the St. Mary’s College, an institution which has produced no less than two Nobel Laureates, one in Economics (Sir Arthur Lewis) and the other in Literature( Sir Derek Walcott).
He got a small part in a BBC production filmed on the island in 1996, called the Final Passage, directed by Sir Richard Attenborough of Britain. Later on he auditioned for another part in a movie, this one an ABC production of the Peter Benchley novel “ White Shark” adapted for television called “ The Creature”. He was awarded the part of Kimo, the highlight of his seemingly obscure career up to that point. Despite a near fatal accident during his professional undertaking as a SCUBA DIVING INSTRUCTOR, Michel went on to become one of the leading media personalities on the island, involved in everything from television production, anchoring, advertising production, and front and back of house production management for the St. Lucia Jazz Festival, one of the top 5 Jazz festivals in the Western Hemisphere.
He was involved in a number of local CD productions including a national tribute to the local Laureates, and an introductory production of local band Wezon, where he played a major role in the production, having written, produced and performed on several tracks on the album. Performing at local hotels where he had cabarets, variety shows, national pageants and international acts, as well as performing with a number of the local bands, Michel decided that the time was right to expand his horizons. He was part of the entourage who performed at the Hoogstraaten International Music Festival held in Belgium and Holland in 1992. He did a number of appearances in London, including a musical expose at the Royal Festival Hall on the Thames, and Cultural festivals in Leeds and Notting Hill, to name a few. He also performed in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Martinique regionally, over the next few years, involved in several projects covering a number of musical genres.
This versatility did not go unnoticed, as he was introduced to Clairmonte Charles, the manager of an entertainment agency who worked on cruise liners, and seized the opportunity to become lead singer for a lounge band ONYX on the Royal Caribbean Cruise line in 1994. This interaction has spawned many contracts over a ten year period, having worked for a number of cruise lines including Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and most recently, Cunard’s flagship liner the Queen Mary 2. This exposure to the Cruise ship industry has served to be a perfect proving ground for the abilities of this young man, having to satisfy audiences of all walks of life and demographics. Undoubtedly, he has faced this challenge and overcome it, if the satisfaction of the audiences he has performed to is any indication.
Despite all of this exposure, Michel has yet to effect any major influence on the world stage, but he has not let this damper his love for what he does best, performance. The world is gaining a true gem in this young gentleman; and coining a phrase from this multifaceted young artiste.
“… THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LUCK, SIMPLY PREPARATION MEETING OPPORTUNITY! I AM TRUE TO WHAT I DO AND BELIEVE ME, I AM READY!”