Sultry Chanteuse Ute Lemper Brings Weimar to the Chan Centre Stage

Vancouver, BC - The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) presents Berlin Nights/Paris Days: The Art of Chanson; an intimate evening of cabaret, jazz, and tango evoking the bygone Weimar era on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 8pm in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Leading this journey, through the work of Weill, Piazzolla, Schulhoff and Piaf, is the multi-talented singer, actor, dancer, and composer Ute Lemper; the world’s most celebrated cabaret chanteuse. Her sensual bar room ballads and rousing jazz classics will be accompanied on strings by the Vogler Quartet, and on piano and clarinet by Stefan Malzew.

“Weimar culture is considered one of the highest periods of intellectual production in history. From 1918 to 1933, Germany was a hotbed of social, political, philosophical, and artistic progress - all of which is readily reflected in the music of the era,” said Joyce Hinton, Co-Managing Director of the Chan Centre. “No other living performer embodies the essence, intellect, and soul of the movement quite like Ute Lemper. She is the spiritual successor to the musical legacies of creators like Weill and Piazzolla, ensuring their remarkable, scintillating work lives on.”

Born in Munster, Germany in 1963, Ute’s remarkable ability to embody the emotional versatility, ferocious intellect, and commanding presence demanded by Berlin cabaret repertoire was first realized as a musical theatre performer. After a breakthrough role in Cats, she soon found a niche playing sultry, gritty jazz dames, such as Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Paris) and Velma Kelly in Chicago (London, New York, and Las Vegas). Such roles perfectly complemented her life’s true work, which lies in exploring the Weimar Republic and the music it inspired. It is a dedication that has seen her record more than 20 studio albums, mount multiple world tours, star in major motion pictures, and receive slews of awards, including Billboard Magazine’s 1994 Crossover Artist of the Year. Her performances are renowned for their sly, dark humour, sophisticated sensuality, and emotional intensity.

In this rare Canadian engagement at the Chan Centre, in which performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and New York’s Carnegie Hall are part of the same tour, Ute will transport audiences on a musical journey, exploring the cabaret, jazz, and tango traditions that take their origins from the music halls and bar rooms of 1920’s Berlin and Paris.

About The Chan Centre for Performing Arts at UBC

Since opening in the spring of 1997, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) has earned an international reputation for its striking design and stellar acoustics. Artists, critics, and patrons alike are unanimous in their praise of the multi-faceted facility, winning it a place among North America's premier performing arts venues.

Inside, the Chan Centre boasts three unique venues: the superb Chan Shun Concert Hall, the dramatic Telus Studio Theatre, and the intimate Royal Bank Cinema. All share a spectacular glass lobby that faces a mature evergreen forest and small outdoor patio.

From classical, jazz, and new music to opera, folk, and world music, the Chan Centre is a vital part of UBC campus life – a place where the artistic and academic disciplines integrate with one another to inspire new perspectives on life and culture. As such, the programming at the Chan Centre strives to enhance the values of the UBC community through its annual roster of dynamic artists and musical traditions. Past performers and guest speakers have included Yo-Yo Ma, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Renée Fleming, Al Gore, Kronos Quartet, Meredith Monk, Muhammad Yunus, Ornette Coleman, Mariza, Stephen Lewis, Romeo Dallaire, Margaret Atwood, and Shirin Ebadi.

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
University of British Columbia
6265 Crescent Road
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1

Press Contact:
Laura Murray
Laura Murray Public Relations
604-558-2200
lmurray@lauramurraypr.com

This release was published on openPR.