Chicago Cabaret Professionals Annual Gala Presents Cabaret Awards and Celebrates Live Performance
The event was on October 17 at the Epiphany Center for the Arts in Chicago.
By: Stephi Wild Oct. 27, 2022
The Chicago Cabaret Professionals 2022 Annual Gala, held on October 17 at the Epiphany Center for the Arts in Chicago, showcased the diversity, resilience and artistry of the Chicago cabaret community that includes singers, musicians, directors, producers and fans.
"After two years of conducting our Galas online, bringing our community together in the fabulous venue was a great experience," explained Anne Burnell, president of Chicago Cabaret Professionals. "The evening featured performances by 25 cabaret artists, and we honored seven of our members with awards for their artistry, leadership, and achievements."
A highlight of the Gala was a performance by Jeff Harnar, an award-winning New York-based cabaret performer and director, who received the Chicago Cabaret Professionals National Award. Jeff opened his set with a song from his is new CD, "I Know Things Now: My Life in Sondheim's Words" - and then surprised the audience by announcing that the CD had just been selected for the Grammy's Preliminary Nomination Ballot in the category of Traditional Pop Vocal.
Other Chicago Cabaret Professionals award recipients were: Laura Freeman, Gold Coast Honoree, is a former president of Chicago Cabaret Professionals. She dazzled the large audience with a trio of songs: "They Call the Wind Maria", "On a Bus to St. Cloud", and "I Love a Film Cliché".
Charles Troy, an acclaimed musical theater historian and graphic designer, received the Chicago Cabaret Lifetime Achievement Award for creating and presenting more than 50 multi-media shows on theater history since 2006.
Cynthia Clarey, a celebrated opera singer who has appeared in major roles in the important opera houses and concert halls of Europe, received the Chicago Cabaret Advocacy Award for her cabaret show "Bridge Over Muddied Waters," drawing on her personal experience as a black woman growing up in the South in the 1950s.
Wydetta Carter, an accomplished stage actor and performer, and the host of Cabaret Beat, an online interview series of cabaret artists, received the Chicago Cabaret Service Award. Carter serves as First Vice President of Actors' Equity Association, and is the highest-ranking Black woman in the history of Equity.
Tommy Hensel, a multi-talented director, actor, and arts presenter, received the Chicago Cabaret Presenter Award. Hensel is currently Senior Director of Performing Arts at Elgin Community College Arts Center and also serves as Chair of the Illinois Presenters Network.
LaShera Moore, a versatile singer, lyricist, and actor, was the 2022 Chicago Cabaret Emerging Artist, and is recipient of the Denise Tomasello Scholarship.
The other artists and acts that performed at the Gala were: Boomer Babes (Pam Peterson and Jan Slavin), Anne & Mark Burnell, Cynthia Clarey, Jay Cook, Jim Cox, David Edelfelt; Feathered Beaus (Olin Eargle, Kyle Russell, Kyle Hustedt, and Justin Harner), Hilary Feldman, Laura Freeman, Russ Goeltenbodt, Carla Gordon, Phil Gratteau, Jeff Harnar, Lynne Jordan, Beckie Menzie, David Meulemans, Tom Michael, Paul Montondo, LaShera Moore, Daryl Nitz, Marianne Murphy Orland, Howard Pfeifer, Patricia Salinski, Christine Steyer, Denise Tomasello, and Carolyn Wehner.
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