Alliance Française DuPage, Inc. - P.O.Box 3992 - Naperville, IL 60567 - USA
Chante la vie, chante
The Golden Age of French Song: 1950 - 1990
Direct from Paris, France André Nerman (vocals) , Lucile (vocals) , and Laurent Clergeau (on piano) will sing, in French, songs from the Golden Age of French Song.
Sunday, April 27, 2025 from 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Naperville Public Library, 95th Street - 3015 Cedar Glade Dr, Naperville, IL 60564 (Map)
Free and open to the public.
This program is made possible in part thanks to a grant from the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA.
This is a very special opportunity for the Alliance Française DuPage community to experience a live recital of some of the finest songs in the French repertoire, which you will not want to miss.
From Edith Piaf to Véronique Sanson, from Jacques Brel to Michel Berger and Renaud, 4 exceptional decades will be covered, with a broad, rich range of singers and composers known around the world, and integrated into French history and technological advancement, from left bank cabarets to the rebel 70s and the années yéyé.
About the Troupe
Since 2001, André Nerman and the company “Caravague” have organized tours of French shows across North America. Their shows have varied from performing classic plays by Molière, Duras, Sartre, Ionesco, Cocteau or Camus, to poetic shows by Apollinaire or Prévert, to musical programs such as Chante la Vie Chante.
They performed for several Alliance Française chapters in the Midwest in 2024 and are coming to AF DuPage as part of another tournée in 2025.
The troupe’s work has been acclaimed by French media such as Le Figaro, France Info and Pariscope.
André Nerman - vocals
For almost 40 years, André Nerman has performed in a variety of shows on the French stage, ranging from classics to musical shows such as “Jacques Brel ou l’impossible rêve” where he played the role of Brel in a Parisian and international success show. In addition to a career in acting for theatre, cinema and television, André has produced numerous shows performed in prestigious Parisian venues as well as festivals such as Avignon, Sarlat and Casablanca.
In the musical field, André has worked alongside renowned singers such as Annie Cordy, Serge Gainsbourg, Gilbert Lafaille, Manon Landowski and Fugu Mango.
He won the “Prix de la jeune chanson française” in 1992, the Trophée Piaf in 2002 and the “Médaille d’Or du rayonnement culturel” awarded by La Renaissance Française in 2020.
His latest project is as producer of the movie “Bienvenue en Islande”.
Lucile (Linabery) - vocals
A note on the guitar. Silence. Then her voice takes off. Accompanied by a smile lighting up her face. That is Linabery, a mix of joy and soft melodies. Originally from Rouen and influenced by Chicago, she grew up in a family with 4 siblings, all of whom are artists. She started off in dance and theatre before transitioning to music. She is involved in jazz and funk as a student in one of France’s best schools, the Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood near Paris. The central theme of her songs is a soft but upbeat voice. Her tunes project both warmth and melancholy, with lyrics infused with love and a hint of late summer.
Hear Lucile sing Le Monde est Stone from the Starmania musical.
Follow Lucile on Instagram - www.instagram.com/lucilerolls/
Laurent Clergeau - piano
Laurent Clergeau - piano
Laurent is classically trained through the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and started off in the music-hall world by accompanying Québecois singer Richard Foisy. He has taught in several conservatories as well as in two ateliers he created in the towns of Etrechy and Les Mureaux in the Paris suburbs. He is also the pianist in two theatre groups in the Paris suburbs, Les Tréteaux Bleus and La Compagnie de l’Yerres. He has been part of the Caravague troupe for many years. When he is not playing the piano he enjoys toying with old Citroën cars and has earned the nickname “le cyclopianiste”, given his enthusiasm for long bike rides.