Boston
Singers' Resource News Bulletin, November
26, 2003
Classically
trained tenor and founding member of BACA (Boston Association of Cabaret
Artists), Brian De Lorenzo, speaks
to us about his experiences in Cabaret singing and offers advice to anyone
wishing to form their own Cabaret act. He is the headliner performer on
December 1 at Club Cafe for the BOSTON SINGS BOSTON Festival of New Works
(new songs written and performed by Boston artists http://www.centastage.org)
For Brian's
complete biography, list of upcoming performances and recordings, please
visit his website: http://www.briandelorenzo.com
LS: When did you start
labeling yourself as a "cabaret artist?"
BD: I believe the first cabaret shows I ever saw were performed by Belle
Linda Halpern at 'Club Cabaret' (the back room at 'Club Café')
back in the mid-late 80s. I was moved to laughter and tears and I knew
right then that I wanted to do that for an audience, too. Though I was
a founding member of the Boston Association of Cabaret Artists (BACA)
in 1995, like many of its members I wanted to become a cabaret artist
but needed support and education to make that happen. I began working
on my first cabaret show that year. Then in early '96, BACA hosted a workshop
taught by Helen Baldassare, a wonderful cabaret performer and teacher
who lives in NYC. I realized through the workshop that I was definitely
ready to put on a show. I hooked up with the accompanist for the workshop,
Doug Hammer, and began working with him at places like 'Borders Books'
at Downtown Crossing (they were sponsoring a free "cabaret"
series in their cafe) and 'InStages Piano Bar & Cabaret' in the Theatre
District. By this time, I was also visiting New York five or six times
a year. While there, I would visit piano bars and participate in their
"open mikes."
I didn't really become a "cabaret artist" until I performed
my first hour-long solo cabaret shows early in 1997. In February of that
year, I won an open mike contest at a piano bar in Manhattan called 'Pegasus.'
My "prize" was the chance to do a full show at the club. I was
already working on my first full show, "FOUND TREASURES" which
I would be doing in 'The Blacksmith House Cabaret Series' at the Cambridge
Center for Adult Education in April, so I decided to bring the show to
'Pegasus'. With the help of Helen Baldassare, I was also able to book
the show at one of the better known clubs in NY, 'Eighty-Eight's'. Since
then, I have performed at the 'Crown & Anchor' in Provincetown, 'Don’t
Tell Mama' in NYC, 'Piaf's' in San Francisco, 'Club Café' in Boston,
the 'Downstairs Cabaret Theatre' in Rochester (NY) and
'Odette's' in New Hope, PA. I've also done three different shows at 'Scullers
Jazz Club' in Boston, including a CD release concert for my CD, “FOUND
TREASURES,” which received a 2000 “Recording of the Year”
nomination from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC).
In addition, I've performed at cabaret festivals in New York and Chicago
known as "The Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention," and at the first
and second Boston Cabaret Festivals.
LS: Many of the complimentary quotes on your website say something like
"Brian De Lorenzo really gets to the heart of the music." What
does that mean to you? How can we all get to the "heart of the music?"
BD: Actually, if I could get closer to paraphrasing one of the critics,
it's "the heart of a song." For me, finding the heart of a song
is expressing to the audience what the lyrics mean to me. It's about bringing
my own life experiences - or what *could* be my own experiences - into
my interpretation of the song.
LS: Where did you go to school, study music?
BD: The long version is that we always had music in our house. My parents
always sang and my father still sings at weddings, funerals, and retirement
communities. I began studying piano when I was 9 and soon after that made
my "professional" singing debut as one of the "Pickled
Boys" in Benjamin Britten's "St. Nicholas" cantata with
a community choir in my hometown. The following year I joined a choir
school which met on Saturdays during the regular school year. There I
learned music theory, took alto recorder lessons, and sang in various
concerts. I ended up majoring in music at the University of Lowell (now
UMass Lowell).. But I really wanted to do musical theatre. Lowell didn't
have a theatre program, so I ended up at the State University of New York
(SUNY) in Fredonia a year later. My degree is a BFA in Musical Theatre.
I have been studying voice with Craig Wich for the past ten years.
LS: What is the difference
between a "cabaret artist" and a "singer?"
BD: Explaining the difference between a "cabaret artist" and
a "singer" requires defining cabaret. For me, cabaret is a performance
where a singer reveals his soul to an audience by communicating what the
lyrics mean to that particular singer. An audience should leave the venue
knowing something about the singer and about themselves. The music is
often from musical theatre or the Great American Songbook, but doesn’t
have to be. Pop, jazz, folk songs, and even art songs and arias can work
well in a cabaret setting.. There are also many writers penning songs
today specifically for cabaret singers. Local writers include Dennis Livingston
and Barbara Baig. A couple of my favorite writers who are writing today
include David Friedman and John Bucchino. A (non-cabaret) singer is usually
more interested in making a beautiful sound than conveying the meaning
of the lyrics to the audience. While cabaret artists sometimes create
characters, especially for the purpose of humor, non-cabaret professionals
often use the character for which a song was written (e.g., "Christine"
in "Phantom of the Opera") or the "fourth wall" as
a crutch, putting the audience at arm's length.
LS: Ouch. I don't know if I agree with you that all non-cabaret singers
are only interested in "making beautiful sounds" rather than
communicating the lyrics. I think most of us try very hard to convey the
meaning of the text, but some of us are better at it than others. I do
admit, however, that I prefer to explore different characters when I sing
rather than to tell my own life story (using the 'fourth wall' as you
say). Does that make me a bad cabaret artist?
BD: Looking at it
another way, it would make you a good "concert artist." Of course,
there is an audience out there who likes to hear good singers performing
songs from their favorite musicals, operettas, and operas, so I wouldn't
discourage anyone from singing what they love for people who love to hear
it. However, I would discourage someone from putting together a performance
of songs in which s/he is performing only as if s/he were a character
from a show and then presenting it at Club Cafe in Boston or Don't Tell
Mama in New York and calling it "cabaret." Because the cabaret
audience (and the cabaret critics!) expects to learn about the singer
through (many of) the songs and through the patter between songs. Unless
your entire audience is going to be "friends and family," you
should create characters from shows only on occasion in a professional
cabaret act.
LS: You have done an amazing job of forming BACA, promoting cabaret singers
and promoting the art of cabaret in Boston. What was the cabaret scene
in Boston like before BACA in 1995? Who were the performers you first
involved?
BD: The mid-to-late '80s was a high point in Boston for cabaret, with
the Copley Plaza hosting national acts such as Barbara Cook and Club Cabaret
presenting local and nationally known performers. Things went downhill
in the early '90s, which is why Mary Scarlata founded BACA in January
of 1995, after having taken a series of cabaret classes and workshops.
She discovered that there were virtually no venues for cabaret and she
wanted to figure out what to do about that. She also wanted to network
with and help support other cabaret singers. When I heard that an organization
was forming, I immediately made contact, since I didn't really know how
to go about creating a cabaret act, finding accompanists and arrangers,
or getting booked into a venue. We had a core group of about a dozen in
1995 and have grown to 170 members. Original members in addition to Mary
and me include Ben Sears and Brad Conner, Dorothy Clark, Erica Leopold,
Maeve Spain, Valerie Anastasio, and Debra Grollman. I was the first vice
president of the organization, and recently completed four years as president.
I also served as editor and layout person for our newsletter for over
four years. BACA now has a mostly new board and four new officers.
LS: How would a typical classical singer, trained for opera and symphony
work, begin to study the art of cabaret and the process of forming their
own cabaret act?
BD: First there is information about joining BACA on our website. Watching
other performers is a great way to learn about cabaret. You can visit
the BACA website <http://www.BostonCabaret.org>
to find out when and where people are performing. Also, some of our members
teach classes for groups and privately. The first person that comes to
mind is John O'Neil. See the link to him on our website page that lists
our members. I also recommend trying out songs at piano bar "open
mikes" such as The Encore Lounge in Boston's Theatre District or
Frank's Steakhouse in North Cambridge. In NYC you can try Danny's and
Don't Tell Mama which are across 46th St. from each other on "Restaurant
Row," just west of the Theatre District. BACA also co-sponsors open
mikes with the Cambridge Center for Adult Education 5 or 6 times a year.
Listening to recordings of other cabaret artists is also helpful. I highly
recommend any recording by Nancy LaMott. Information can also be found
at <http://www.CabaretHotlineOnline.com>,
which also has a weekly email
newsletter, <http://www.cabaretscenes.com>,
which also has a monthly magazine, and <http://www.Cabaret.org>.
LS: You have also had success bringing your cabaret acts elsewhere such
as NYC and San Francisco. What are some tips on promoting your act and
booking venues?
BD: It's always good to have a connection with someone who has performed
at a particular venue, but of you don't have that connection you can phone
a club and talk to the booking agent and learn the particulars about booking
that club.
LS: Where do you find your material?
BD: I love performing songs that don't get heard very often, especially
from musical theatre, so I collect recordings of obscure or unsuccessful
Broadway shows. I also spend time in sheet music shops, especially during
a sale, browsing through old sheet music. Listening to recordings of other
cabaret singers is also a good way of finding material. Another is collecting
songbooks of particular lyricists or songwriters.
LS: Browsing sheet music! You mention browsing stores and, as you know
this has been a subject of much discussion on the BSR message boards where
do you browse here and NYC?
BD: I hear that Haverhill Music Center has good stock and has excellent
customer service, though I've never been there. I occasionaly go to used
book stores to look for old sheet music, but that doesn't help if you're
looking for something particular. When Boston Music was going out of business,
I spent two whole afternoons in there going through lots of music, seeing
if anything was right for me. I spent a lot of money!
In NYC, a good shop for classical music is Sam Ash (a chain that also
has stores in suburban NYC) 163 West 48th St, 212-398-6052. Colony Records
and Music on B'way at 48th has a good selection, but they mark up the
list prices, so I don't buy there.
Whenever I'm looking for a "bricks & mortar" business nowadays,
I tend to use the site http://whitepages.com
and search for a particular
category. For online stores there's http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/
which seems to have a good selection. Another site from which I've
actually downloaded theatre and pop music is http://www.musicnotes.com/default.asp.
They also sell "hard copies" of sheet music & music anthologies,
including classical.
LS: Whenever I have seen cabaret, the pianist and the singer always seem
to have interesting, unique arrangements and medleys. How important is
it to make your own arrangements?
BD: It's actually very important. This is a way of putting your own "stamp"
on a song and keeps things interesting for an audience. It can also help
to focus the audience to really listen to the lyrics. Sometimes when attending
a cabaret performance I suddenly discover I now have a better understanding
of a song I've heard countless times, just because the arrangement and
the singer's interpretation forced me to listen in a different way.
LS: And, your 'HOW WAS I TO KNOW?'
program was just nominated for the 2003 IRNE (Independent Reviewers of
New England) award for Best Male Performer?
BD: Yes, though I ultimately did not get the award, it was a great honor
to be nominated. The program featured songs by Richard Rodgers.
I decided to honor
Richard Rodgers because the film of THE SOUND OF MUSIC and the CINDERELLA
TV specials were my introductions to musical theatre and had a lasting
impression on me. Again, I wanted to do some lesser-known material, so
I searched for songs from some of his less famous shows like ME AND JULIET,
REX, and SHE'S MY BABY. But I also include some of my favorites from THE
SOUND OF MUSIC, SOUTH PACIFIC, CINDERELLA, and THE KING AND I.
LS: Thank you so much,
Brian, for your introduction to the working world of Cabaret Singing and
all the helpful links. Have a wonderful performance on December 1st!
BOSTON SINGS BOSTON
(Festival of New Works:)
The third cabaret of new songs by local songwriters.
Enjoy the delightful food of Club Cafe while you hear
some of Boston's best talents singing all newly written songs.
Neil Casey, November 23;
Kathy St. George, November 24;
Bobbi Carrey, November 30;
Brian De Lorenzo*, December 1st.
7:30 PM (doors open at 6:30)
Tickets $13. Cash bar.
Club Cafe
209 Columbus Ave., Boston
617-536-5981
http://www.centastage.org
FOR MORE CABARET INFORMATION:
Brian De Lorenzo
bdsouthe@gis.net
http://www.BrianDeLorenzo.com
Boston Association
of Cabaret Artists (BACA)
http://www.BostonCabaret.org
Boston Sings Boston
November 23, 24, 30, Dec. 1
http://www.Centastage.org
Cabaret History
http://www.musicals101.com/cabaret.htm
*************************************************************
Brian will reprise
his roles of "Topper," "Dick Wilkins," & "Charitable
Gentleman" in A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Stoneham Theatre,
395 Main St., Stoneham, MA from Nov 28 - Dec 23.
http://www.stonehamtheatre.org
On 1/11/04 at 7 PM, Brian sings Standards, Old & New as part of the
Association of Performing Arts Presenters 47th Annual Members Conference.
The Bridges Lounge - Hilton Lobby Bar, New York Hilton Towers,
1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY. No cover.
Brian’s CD Found Treasures was nominated for the 2000 MAC**
"Recording of the Year" Award. It is available at:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/delorenzo.
Also at Footlight, Max Muchnik,
Dress Circle, & Tower Records Lincoln Center.
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