10/01/2026
A MINI-ESSAY! why Cabaret Connexion? By TIRZAH JOY, September 29, 2026
Whether you’re a working musician, an advanced amateur, or a beginner, there is SO MUCH in the cabaret tradition that you can learn from.
I know- the word "cabaret" can be intimidating. Maybe you’re thinking Jessica Rabbit and Liza Minelli... maybe you’re picturing the can-can dancers at the Moulin Rouge... maybe you’re thinking “I’m not a Francophile and I’m definitely not a cabaret singer.” So you assume this conference isn’t for you.
I’m here to say: it is.
Because cabaret, at its heart, is much less about an aesthetic than an idea: that performance is communal. That art happens in relationship between performer and audience, between artists, between traditions, and between the work and the world it’s being made in.
This is why I say, sincerely, that the Cabaret Connexion is for everyone. It begins with the artists visiting from France, where cabaret has a deep and living history, and the cultural exchange they bring is really the spark. But the point isn’t to become “more French” or to become a “cabaret artist.” It’s to learn from a tradition that has spent a very long time thinking about how to make performance immediate, personal, connected, and alive.
And that’s where the workshops and masterclasses come in. They’re a chance to work on the craft that supports that kind of connection: interpretation, stage presence, movement, patter, show structure, vocal technique, and all the tiny choices that make a performance feel more intentional and more alive.
Over the past three years, I’ve gotten concrete tools from these classes, but also new ways of thinking about myself as a performer. And just as importantly, I’ve found community.
Because really, that’s the point. Art doesn’t thrive in isolation. It thrives in community - in exchange, in conversation, in the sparks that happen when different artists and traditions meet. Come add yours.
🎤 **CABARET CONNEXION 2026**
8th Annual Conference📍 Chicago
46 Workshops • Masterclasses • Roundtables
For Singers • Vocal Educators • Coaches • Cabaret Professionals in Chicago + Artists from Around the World
LEARN. CONNECT. CREATE.
Join one session—or the full conference.
_An initiative of Working In Concert._