5th Annual Chicago Paris Cabaret Connexion Conference And Festival

Take part in the FIRST CABARET FESTIVAL IN PARIS!

For its fifth exchange, to be held in Paris from August 28 to September 4, 2023, the "Chicago Paris Cabaret Connexion" is delighted to invite you to the first "Festival du Cabaret."

On the program:

From 08/28 to 09/01: 5 days of Masterclasses and workshops to strengthen performance skills, led by international coaches, as well as pre-festival events.

From 08/31 to 09/04: Cabaret Connexion Festival - 5 exceptional concerts, showcasing the creativity and diversity of the Art of Cabaret, as well as round-table discussions on the history and future of artistic cabaret.

The Chicago Paris Cabaret Connexion was created in 2017 on the initiative of Claudia Hommel, a Paris-born American singer from Chicago. The Connexion aims to encourage exchanges between cabaret artists around the world, to energize, enrich and encourage artistic cabaret. The CPCx is open to all cabaret professionals, as well as advanced amateurs.

Since its creation, 4 exchanges have taken place, including 2 in Chicago and 2 in France, which have been very enriching for all the artists who took part. In 2022, the "Cabaret Connexion" association was created in Paris to organize further events in France.

August 26: Following in the footsteps of Josephine Baker -- A concert in the Dordogne

After a visit to Château des Milandes with Josephine Baker's son, Akiko Bouillon, we offer a tribute to her songs and spirit. For those who can join us in Dordogne, we celebrate with singer-songwriter Michele Barbier, once Baker's private secretary. Limited seating: reservations at cabaretconnexion.org/rsvp.

Prior to the festival, each day of the exchange will be followed in the evening by open mics and round tables:

Monday, August 28th: "What is artistic cabaret?" with Frantz Wouilloz, director of the EDITRAUM Foundation.

Tuesday, August 29th: Round-table discussion on "Paris Noir, one hundred years of African-American artists in Paris". Followed by a show at the Lapin Agile cabaret.

Wednesday, August 30th: Round table, "Can we talk politics in cabaret?

Followed by an International Jam Session at the Péniche Marcounet -- countries represented include the Philippines, Romania, Japan, both coasts of the US, and Chicago, among others.

Friday, September 1st: Round table, "The business and promotion of cabaret".

The Festival kicks off on August 31 with a Cabaret Fantaisie du Cirque (Circus Fantasy Cabaret) at Les Deux pianos in the 15th arrondissement.

The clowns arrive: Clovis the musicopath and his partner Patrick Pernet, Anne Fromm and her Weill Circus (the Brechtian music of Kurt Weill), and Paulus the Cabaret Geek, direct from London. Emceed by Claudia Hommel.

The theme of the Friday, September 1 concert is heritage, Mon histoire en chanson (My History In Song), at the Studio Hébertot in the 17th arrondissement.

The show features brilliant American and French artists: Benjamin Legrand's story of travels with his father Michel, destined for Hollywood; Isabelle Georges and her melting pot, from Judy Garland to Jacques Brel, via Nino Rota and Yiddish music; the raising of Lynne Jordan, one of Chicago's greatest blues singers; and the itinerant life of Michèle Barbier, from Algeria to the circus, via Joséphine Baker's château... Stories that resonate and touch each and every one of us. Hosted and interviewed by France Culture journalist Martin Pénet

The festival continues in Montmartre, where Chez ma cousine provides the stage and menu on Saturday, September 2, as we pay tribute to audacious women performers.

The repertoire of Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, Joséphine Baker, Eartha Kitt and Juliette Gréco, among others, is sung by a new generation of female singers: Mylène Launay and Guénaëlle, Maryline Rollet, Ava Logan, Lynne Jordan, Anne Burnell, and Jeanie Carroll.

On Sunday, September 3rd, La Crémaillière hosts "Chicago Sounds" - blues, jazz, American Songbook, folk and pop, and the twinning of two historic neighborhoods Montmartre and Old Town Chicago.

Hosted by Anne and Mark Burnell with Lynne Jordan, Ava Logan, Barbara Smith and the Swingin' Sisters, Lou Ella Rose, Elisabeth Howard.

The festival closes on Monday, September 4 at the Péniche Balle au bond to present the participants of the Chicago Paris Cabaret Connexion conference. The singers come from the Philippines, Romania, Italy, Spain, both coasts of the USA, Chicago, and Paris.

Working in Concert is a not-for-profit performing arts collaborative for cabaret, opera and classical vocal arts. Working In Concert educates, advocates for, and mobilizes a global community of singers who use the art of song to empower lives and build community.