By Michael Stevenson

Our featured performer tonight is “Barbara” — one of the most important voices in French chanson.
Born Monique Andrée Serf, she performed under a single name – perhaps one name was all she needed.

Barbara sang quietly, often from behind a piano, trusting words, silences, and emotion more than volume.

Elle chantait vrai — she sang truthfully. Once you hear her, she tends to stay with you.

Many of Barbara’s songs are tied directly to her life — sometimes painfully so.
She was Jewish, spent years in hiding during World War II, and was abused and later abandoned by her father. Those experiences don’t always appear explicitly in her lyrics, but they echo in her songs. La mémoire est partout — memory is everywhere.

To spend an hour with Barbara is to slow down — to listen closely, to allow sadness and beauty to sit side by side.

C’était Barbara.