Workshops, master classes, round tables in 8 sessions
Come back mid-March to sign up for specific sessions

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Workshops

• The influence of African-American singers in Paris, Q&A led by Lynne Jordan, Michèle Barbier, Jeanne Franks, and others
• The Business and Promotion of Cabaret: a round table discussion led by Anne Burnell and a France-based performer
• Be Yourself. Everyone else is taken, Isabelle Georges
• Working the Stage: sitting in, microphone and vocal technique, Jeanie Carroll
• Vocal Power, master class with Elisabeth Howard
• Stage movement essentials, Elisabeth Howard
• Making the song your own, Jeff Harnar and Jon Weber
• Patter Matters: communicating with your audience, Paul L Martin
• Talking with your pianist, musicality and communication, Jean-Claude Orfali, Mark Burnell, Jon Weber
• Using Improvisation to improve our performances, Anne Fromm
• How to Express a Song: dynamic flourishes that set you apart, Anne & Mark Burnell

Sessions will be held each morning and afternoon, Monday to Thursday, August 28-31. Morning sessions begin at 10 AM. Doors open on Monday at 9:30 AM to complete registration and payments. Most afternoon sessions begin at 2:30 PM, with a few exceptions to be announced in the printed schedule.

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Some session descriptions

Anne & Mark Burnell: How to Express a Song: dynamic flourishes that set you apart
How to change the repetition of chorus or phrase to your advantage. Find your unique version of the song and make your song a showstopper.

Jeanie Carroll —Vocal technique. And preparing to “sit in” at open mics and jam sessions.

Anne Fromm — Better performance through improvisation
We will play with different group exercises of ‘letting go’ and improvisation. These exercises will allow us to feel freer and enter more easily into different emotional states. We will include vocal and body expression, space management and text interpretation on your songs to better convey emotions and reach your audience.

Isabelle Georges—“Be Yourself. Everyone else is taken” The quote is from Oscar Wilde and serves as Isabelle’s motto for her master classes. There is joy to be shared, and healing that comes from the sharing of song.

Jeff Harnar— Finding and making the song your own.
Join renowned cabaret artist and coach Jeff Harnar for a session focused on how to identify and find the right material and then how to make it  your own.  

Elisabeth Howard — Vocal Technique Essential for Cabaret Singing (10-12 singers). Whether you sing opera, jazz, Broadway or pop, Elisabeth will address vocal techniques to make the healthy and most resonant choices for each. Elisabeth will lay her hands on your voice to find new expression. We will cover breathing and support, vocal colors and resonances, head and chest registers, the mix and eliminating the “break,” expanding the range, vibrato types and personal expression. We will address pronunciation and phrasing.

Elisabeth Howard —Stage Movement Essential for Cabaret Performance. We will cover working with microphone, entering and exiting the stage, what to do with my hands, when and how to stand, walk, sit, turn. We can address working with the pianist, connecting with the audience, telling your story, patter between songs. 

Paul L Martin— Patter Matters: communicating with your audience.
While other workshops will explore text and subtext of our lyrics, let’s take a look at what happens in between the songs. What setup or context connects the song to your audience? Whether the song serves as soundtrack to the world we live in or is a time-travel vehicle to another time, its “patter” helps point the way.

Jean-Claude Orfali, Mark Burnell, Jon Weber, Stefan Kukurugya: Talking with your pianist.
Speaking the Language of your Accompanist. Whether meeting for the first time at an open mic or working for years with a pianist partner, there’s an essential vocabulary to share. Tempo, Key, and Song Form.
The relationship between pianist and singer soloist is technical, psychological and spiritual. Let’s explore what each brings to the partnership. Bringing a clean score, specifying the key tonality and other details. What you “hear” and what you want the pianist to hear. The song is an instantaneous creation you make together. Elements to keep in mind include phrasing, the beat, the rhythm, tempo, the pickup and longer anacrusis, slowing down and accelerating, guiding, breathing, Vibrato and vibration, vibrating, climax and coda. This workshop is for singers and accompanists.