The 2019 New York Cabaret Convention Ends on a Very High and Celebratory Note

The Mabel Mercer Foundation‘s 2019 New York Cabaret Convention concluded in the festive spirit in which it began, with especially memorable moments sprinkled throughout the evening like so much fairy dust.

First and foremost, this last evening belonged to KT Sullivan, the one and only, with her amazing wardrobe and penchant for hats, a performer of magnitude in her own right and the Artistic Director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation. It is she who is the guiding light of the Foundation and of the Convention. She not only hosted this last evening, but performed. October 31 also happens to be her birthday, and this was a special one. She proudly gave away her age, although she is quite ageless, in a rendition of “Wait Till You’re 65.”

First on the bill was the sublime singer Sandy Stewart, who with her son, the very talented pianist, Bill Charlap, gave a master class in her renditions of “It Had To Be You” and “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.” Stewart was also presented with the prestigious Mabel Mercer Award, and we couldn’t agree more with Sullivan, who waxed poetic and concluded the award was aptly bestowed to one with the greatness of the award’s namesake. Another award winner was on the bill—15-year-old Anais Reno, who won the Adela & Larry Elow Teenage Endowment Fund American Songbook High School Competition Award this year. Mature beyond her years, Reno stunned with a swinging rendition of Duke Ellington’s “I’m Just a Lucky So And So.”

There were other award winners too, with a handful of Margaret Whiting Award winners on the bill. This award, co-sponsored by Debbi Whiting and My Ideal Music, had been bestowed at the convention for several years until it was taken over by the American Songbook Association (which gave the award to Danny Bacher in a dedicated ceremony in 2019). Those winning the Award under the MMF aegis and appearing this evening were Todd Murray, Eric Yves Garcia, Celia Berk and Josephine Sanges (other winners were Natalie Douglas and Jennifer Sheehan, who appeared at the Convention this year on other nights).

There were also many making their New York Cabaret Convention debuts: Margo Brown, Christian Holder, Allora Leonard, Susie Mosher, Gretchen Reinhagen, Reno and Mark William. There were those who travelled from afar to be present—from points West as in California to Chicago to points South, as in Florida, to points East, as in all the way from London, England. A quiet moment was in the appearance of Foundation Managing Director, Rick Meadows, with a tribute to Cabaret community members who’d passed on in the last year, including music directors John Oddo and Tex Arnold.

Finally, of all the many memorable moments of this last 2019 Convention night, one of the most talked about was Susie Mosher’s rendition of the standard, “Cry Me a River.” The actress/singer/comedienne not only delivered the perfect setup for the song but delivered such a powerful, meaningful and pointed interpretation of it that it most certainly belongs to her for all time!

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All photos by Maryann Lopinto