KABARETT KOLLEKTIF at the Duplex Cabaret Theater in April

Karen Kohler, Theo Bleckmann, Gina Leishman, Dirk Weiler are first in a line-up of top-flight artists specializing in the European cabaret songbook.

Singer Karen Kohler and Fin Alley Arts Management are excited to announce the formation of a new artist's collective that aims to preserve the cabaret arts of 20th century Europe and to further the art form as a whole. This expanding troupe of European-born singers, actors, musicians and other performers, now based in New York, will be featured in a variety of venues throughout the city. The first concert series, Kabarett Kollektif, will be held at THE DUPLEX CABARET THEATRE (61 Christopher Street, NYC - 1-212-255-5438 - http://www.theduplex.com/) on Thursdays in April at 7:00 pm. There is a $12 cover, 2-drink minimum.

Each artist will present their 1-hour concert showcasing 20th century popular song from the golden age of European cabaret - Hollander, Weill, Eisler, Dessau, Stolz, Contet, Piaf, and more. These top-flight performers have recently been featured in sold-out concerts at the German Consulate and the Neue Galerie in New York, the German Embassy in Washington, and other venues in the U.S. and abroad.

April 3rd - Karen Kohler with Doyle Newmyer, piano
April 10th   Theo Bleckmann with Denman Maroney, piano
April 17th   Gina Leishman with Doug Wieselman, clarinet
April 24th   Dirk Weiler with Lucy Arner, piano

German-born Karen Kohler was raised in New York where she studied opera and musical theater prior to bringing her voice to early 20th century popular song. She has toured Europe and North America with the music of Weimar-era Germany, 1930s Paris and Tin Pan Alley, and is as much at home in the song books of Kurt Weill and Marlene Dietrich, as she is in Edith Piaf or the Gershwins. Through her production company, Fin Alley, she produces concerts, albums, and lectures on the history of cabaret.

Theo Bleckmann, a vocalist and composer performing jazz, contemporary music and performance art has toured throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. Originally from Dortmund, Germany, he has performed and recorded with Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, and John Hollenbeck, and has been a long-time collaborator of performance artist, Meredith Monk. Last October, his performance of German songs by Eisler, Weill, Ives, Strauss and Kraftwerk played to sold-out houses at the Neue Galerie.

Gina Leishman originates from London, lived in Hamburg as a child, and studied in Vienna and Edinburgh before making her home in the U.S. In the 1970s, she cofounded a cabaret theater company dedicated to the work of Brecht and Eisler, and recently formed the Mr. Wau-Wa band with clarinetist Doug Wieselman. A composer and multi-instrumentalist, she is currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of her ensemble Kamikaze Ground Crew.

Dirk Weiler is a singer, actor and tap dancer and hails from Essen, Germany. He appeared in theater productions and recitals throughout Germany and Belgium prior to pursuing vocal studies at the Manhattan School of Music. An operatic baritone, Mr. Weiler is also an award-winning Kurt Weill specialist who has appeared at Symphony Space, the German Consulate, City College, BAM and the 92nd Street Y, and whose German theater songs will be featured at the Neue Galerie in April.

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