So, Marilyn, Bay Area Cabaret is the honoree of LCI’s annual holiday gift. We pick a deserving non-profit every year and make a donation in honor of our clients, employees and colleagues. Tell me a little about Bay Area Cabaret’s mission.
Bay Area Cabaret is a 15-year-old nonprofit organization that supports music in the Bay Area in many ways:
We bring nationally and internationally renowned artists, many of whom play in much larger venues, to intimate and elegant venues like the Fairmont’s legendary Venetian Room. Unlike the Bay Area’s other musical offerings, Bay Area Cabaret’s series is a curated subscription series focusing exclusively on cabaret artists singing musical theatre, vocal jazz and singer/songwriter material. Our hope is that this will build and maintain an awareness of the art form of cabaret.
One of our activities that I am most passionate about is our outreach to young singers. In addition to the master classes and Q and A sessions we hold periodically with our artists and other industry professionals, we present a high school singing competition, Bay Area Teen Idol, every two years or so. This year, the competition will be held at the Venetian Room on Sunday, April 29th. From this competition, singers have gone on to high level training programs (Juilliard, Eastman, University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon), starring roles on Broadway and television opportunities on Glee and other programs.
Who will be performing at Bay Area Cabaret in the months ahead?
On January 21st, Tony nominee Carmen Cusack (Steve Martin and Edie Brickel’s Bright Star) will perform Broadway, bluegrass and original songs. Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Susan Werner will open the evening, making her San Francisco debut with a program of original songs and standards. On March 3rd, Grammy nominee and Nightlife Award winner John Pizzarelli will perform two shows: a centennial tribute to Venetian Room regular Nat “King” Cole and a brand-new show from his annual Cafe Carlyle run, with his wife Jessica Molaskey. Jazz vocalist Catherine Russell will perform selections from her Grammy nominated album Harlem on my Mind on Sunday, March 24. LaChanze, Tony Award winner (The Color Purple), currently performing on Broadway in The Donna Summer Musical, closes the season on Sunday, May 19th, making her Bay Area cabaret debut with her original “Feeling Good Show”. As some people know, LaChanze lost her husband on 9/11. This show is bound to have lessons for all of us.
Communications professionals are usually extroverts – what lessons should we take from cabaret to apply to our everyday lives?
At its essence, cabaret is storytelling. Truth seeking and truth telling. Finding a way to tell a story and deliver songs in a way that allows each audience member to connect with their own truth. Sound a little like what you do at LCI?
What’s your favorite cabaret show? Feel free to comment below.
Thanks Marilyn for the insight! I feel like warbling a tune…
Marilyn thank you so much for keeping the art of Cabaret alive in the Bay Area. My favorite show so far this year? Matthew Morrison! Keep up the good work! Cheers, David
Marilyn, thanks for your post. I’ve never been to Bay Area Cabaret. I’ll have to remedy this fact immediately, since it sounds like I’ve been missing many worthwhile performances.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to San Francisco and Matthew Morrison’s performance! What a great organization for your holiday contribution.
Thanks to LCI for the generous year-end donation and introducing Bay Area Cabaret’s work to your wide network of friends and colleagues! It’s amazing that, after fifteen years, Bay Area Cabaret remains a rather well-kept-secret, and we are very grateful to you and your team for helping to get the word out. Hope to see you soon at the Fairmont’s Venetian Room!