Community. Communion between audience and performers. Inspiration, anticipation, spontaneity; SHARED transcendent moments. Do you miss these things? I sure do! The Virtual Dream Café (VDC) attempts to recreate this atmosphere, via Zoom (interactive environment), until live music venues are able to reopen.
Post-Valentine's Day in the VDC! Let's drink a Cabernet and enjoy some Cabaret as Wendy Parman, Jenny & Robin Bienemann, and Sue Fink sing of the splendors (and pitfalls) of that mysterious thing called Love.
About the Performers:
- Wendy Parman has spent a lifetime in the performing arts as a singer, actor, songwriter, creator of work, and teacher, with a thriving voice studio in Chicago. She has appeared in theaters throughout the Chicago area. As a singer, Wendy has transformed from fronting a roots rock band for 10 years, collaborating with composers, and performing jazz standards and originals in cabaret and club settings. Her original songs have elements of jazz, swing, and R&B, often with a theatrical feel, and lyrics inclining towards the darkly humorous.
Wendy also performs in the virtual theater world, including “A Very Covid Christmas Carol” (Dec. 2020), and “Clue” (This Moment Productions, Jan. 2021). https://wendyparmanvoice.com/
- With both Jenny and Robin Bienemann being consummate singer/songwriters, each with their unique styles, multiply the fun and amazement you’ll feel when they perform together.
By turns hilarious and heartfelt, this cutting-edge acoustic duo melds original and traditional music with an elegant hint of jazz. Robin's wild guitar stylings harken back to the earliest forms of jazz, blues and country guitar. Jenny’s voice and guitar playing evokes comparisons to Joni Mitchell and Ricki Lee Jones. Both write songs that are celebrations of modern life in all of its wonderful, strange and hilarious beauty, garnering airplay on National Public Radio, Dr. Demento, and The Midnight Special. https://jennybienemann.com/jenny-robin https://jennybienemann.com/ http://robinb.org/ - Chicago-based singer-songwriter Sue Fink enchants audiences with her whimsical perspective on the world, through her compelling songs and charming performances. Her genre, “urban campfire cabaret,” is folk with a hint of jazz, a large dollop of humor, and a drop of sadness for good measure. Her songs receive airplay locally and nationally, including "The Midnight Special" (WFMT) and "Folk Festival" (Lilli Kuzma, WDCB); most recently, her “Alternate Universe” song was included in Episode 691 of This American Life (NPR).
Sue performs solo, as CatBird (duo with Jane Godfrey), and as SongSisters (trio with Amy Dixon-Kolar and Patti Shaffner). As host of the Virtual Dream Café, Sue appears in the round with very talented performers whom she feels everyone should get to know. https://suefink.com/
About the show format:
- "In the round" means we each perform a song, one after another. Performers are inspired by each other's songs, and spontaneity abounds!
- This show runs from 7:30 to ~8:30 pm (CST), approximately 1 hour... so, likely 3 to 4 rounds.
- "Doors open" at 7:15pm, so we can chat before the show begins. (Zoom is an interactive environment, where performers and audience can see and hear each other! Audience will be muted during the show, for sound clarity issues, but we can talk before and after the performance.)
- This will be an intentional show: we ask you to donate to reserve your seat, and then be present so we can share community. The show will NOT be recorded for later viewing. The intent is for us to share the magic together, in real time.
- Your generous $donation goes directly to these artists. Your donation also reserves your place in the "Zoom room," so to speak. We look forward to sharing music, and community, with you!
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Refund Policy
Your donation is non-refundable, but you may transfer your spot to someone else (for the same show date) if you're unable to attend.