Accolades
“The audience at the coffee concert loved both Chelsea and David by the close of the afternoon. They are gifted musicians whose talents are not often seen in our small town. Their warm rapport with the audience reassured those who came not knowing exactly what to expect from a classical guitar/soprano duo whose repertoire includes songs from the sixteenth century and pieces of an opera sung in Italian. It was a privilege to include their superb program in our series.” – Lynda Clemmons, Southeastern Illinois College Cultural Arts Committee, Harrisburg, IL
“Chelsea and David have become friends and the music they offer has left a lasting impression of joy with the people of our parish. Chanson du Soir are a blessing!” – Fr Bob Wagenseil, Rector, Calvary Episcopal Church, Indian Rocks Beach, Florida
“An absolutely outstanding performance! Chelsea’s voice carries you away on an amazing flood of sensations. From an innocent, sweet child’s caress to a lover’s lush, seductive embrace, to the blazing virago fury—all this and everything in between—is there and washes over you in the course of the performance. Then there is David’s guitar artistry. In his hands, the instrument comes alive; it weeps, laughs, shouts, flirts with you, sings, begs you to leap to your feet and convinces you that you can dance. When you put both of these together, it is nothing short of an exhilarating evening! If you ever get a chance to hear Chanson du Soir, leap at it! You will be glad you did.”
- Mark Pendleton, M.A., M.A.L.I.S. Outreach Librarian, Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, Las Cruces, NM “What beautiful music! David Isaacs and Chelsea Camille’s selection of music was a superb mixture of styles and musical coloration which span the centuries from Renaissance to the 20th century and traversed four languages. David’s classical guitar performance was exquisite as he played with effortless technique and interpretive ability. Chelsea’s beautiful voice and singing revealed her understanding of lyrics in a personal way. She also has great stage presence. Together, the pair created a spell-binding concert experience.”
- Elva Valadez, Director, Fort Stockton Public Library, Fort Stockton, TX “The Mesquite, NV audience thoroughly enjoyed its evening with Chanson du Soir. David Isaacs and Chelsea Camille are talented performers whose joy and love of the music was evident. Chelsea brought the songs to life with storytelling and she sung them beautifully. We were pleased to be able to host them.” – Gretchen Gabbert, Branch Manager, Mesquite Library, Mesquite, NV
“It was an honor to present your very pretty recital, and I enjoyed meeting you! I especially appreciated the fact that you memorized the music, which of course is necessary for tight ensemble playing and expressive playing and singing. You were so synched up, communicating back and forth musically, it was heart-warming to behold. I also loved how you related to the audience and included us in the music making experience with insider info about the composers. The balance between your big, bold voice, Chelsea, and David’s nice Prenkert guitar was sensitive enough that it was more an equal partnership between the two of you than “Soprano and assistant”. I look forward to your next visit to my town!”
- Russel Brazzel, guitarist, Co-Founder/Music Director, Springfield Classical Guitar Society, Professor of Guitar, Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL
“Chanson du Soir has performed at the Pleasanton Library twice and we hope they will return each year. Chelsea Camille’s pure soprano soars over David Isaacs’ sensitive guitar, and they bring their musicianship to bear on complicated master works with great poise and skill. “Thank you for such a lovely evening,” was one library patron’s warm response, and thanks are owed indeed to Chanson du Soir for their gift of gorgeous music.”
- Penny Johnson, Programs Librarian, Pleasanton Public Library “It was a delight to have David and Chelsea among us — to warm up a beautiful, snowy mid-winter’s evening in Spokane, WA. The experience of a candlelit serenade in historic Holy Trinity Episcopal Church couldn’t help but to make folks sit a little closer. David and Chelsea did a masterful of weaving together both teaching and performing as a way of inviting the audience into a deeper love and appreciation for their craft. They are smart, funny, and immensely talented and leave here with our highest praise. And for those considering hosting Chanson du Soir in the future, do know that the promise of good beer and cosmopolitans is sure to sweeten the pot and strengthen the show!”
- The Rev. Paul J. Lebens-Englund, priest, C3, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Spokane, WA “Chansons Du Soir’s appearance at the concert-masterclass at OCHSA was absolutely fulfilled with fantastic sound, great knowledge and delicate work with our young and inexperienced students at the school. The masterclass started with David and Chelsea working with variety of ensembles all performing early Renaissance Spanish music. With their concert and repertoire experience the duo enriched the musical horizons of all participants regarding diction, stage presence, interpretation and concert preparation. The masterclass concluded with a refined concert of the duo in front of all participants and their parents with an array of styles, musical genres and gorgeous sound. We are excited to bring them back in the near future and if anyone would be willing to contact me I would be glad to share more details about the wonderful experience we had with Chanson Du Soir on December 5th 2007.” – Vasil Chekardzhikov, guitarist, Guitar Program Coordinator at Orange County High School of the Arts, Member of Triada Guitar Trio
“On behalf of the AGS, thank you again so very much for coming out to perform for us on the “June Showcase.” You guys are great! Your musicianship, commitment and enthusiasum are thoroughly evident. Terrific program, too.” – Gregory Newton, DMA, Faculty, Los Angeles City College & Glendale College, President, American Guitar Society, Director, AGS International Concert Series, Board of Directors, Guitar Foundation of America
“Chanson du Soir had a beautiful and unusual repertoire performed with grace and virtuosity.” – Sharon Zuiderveld, Director, Jacksonville Public Library “True music lovers of all ages enjoyed an enchanted evening with Chanson du Soir. David’s classical guitar performance was well played and rich sounding. Chelsea’s angelic soprano voice touched the heart strings of those who attended this spectacular concert. Together, they wove a beautiful musical tapestry. Their performance left the audience spellbound… we wish they could have played for hours!” – Patti Davis, Library Services Coordinator, Eckhart Public Library, Auburn, IN
“A true duo for voice and guitar has just performed for the Dayton Classical Guitar Society. Chelsea Camille’s voice is perfect for such an intimate pairing, both in stature and sensitivity, and the duo’s devotion to expanding repertoire is admirable!” – Jim McCutcheon, guitarist, President of Dayton Classical Guitar Society, Head of Guitar Studies at the University of Dayton, Wright State University, and host of “The Intimate Guitar” on WDPR-FM 88.1
“Thank you for an incredibly professional, ethereal sounding concert. Chelsea’s voice is pure, clear, and resounding – I don’t know how she does it! And David’s precision and artistry on the guitar is amazing. People are still raving. You’ll have to come back…”
- Pastor Mary Appelt Graves, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL“The patrons of Harrisburg District Library greatly enjoyed Chanson du Soir’s performance. They made a great addition to our Humanities Night programming – and drew one of our best crowds to date. If they are ever in the Midwest again, we hope they will include us as a stop in their tour!”
- Erin Steinsultz, Harrisburg District Library, Harrisburg, IL “I enjoyed the evening immensely. Your musicianship is superb. Your choice of music is outstanding. You deserved a larger audience. David, I really enjoyed your playing and choice of music. It was great. Chelsea, you have great musicianship, you sing with deep passion. You are accurate in both tempi and intonation. You have much, much talent.”
- Father Patrick Ormos, Music Director, St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Valparaiso, IN
“You make a terrific team! Your program was thoughtful and balanced. The pairing of the Tedesco and the Dowland was an especially fine match. Chelsea, you are quite a versatile and powerful singer. Your singing was precise and emotionally powerful throughout; David’s accompaniment wonderfully complimented the delicacy and intensity of your vocal lines. Again, you are an excellent team. While the Tedesco was most interesting and moving to me, my personal favorite was the Villa-Lobos – from the haunting enigmatic opening section, to the impassioned tearful appogiaturas of the middle section, to the mystical reprise and coda – you (together) captured the spirit and passion of the music.”
- Peter Zisa, guitarist “Chanson du Soir’s greatest asset, perhaps, is their choice of bold, unusual yet intelligently chosen repertoire, which they deploy with a level of skill that shows great promise.”
- Gordon M. Brown, KFSD-AM, San Diego “Chanson du Soir are a gift from God.” – Father Dale McQueen, Music Director at St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Aberdeen, Washington “Chanson du Soir created an entertaining and engaging atmosphere during its polished performance. David and Chelsea Isaacs blended together beautifully, yet each one’s talents stood out. Chelsea’s voice, though filled with emotion, carries on clear, pure tones, and David’s rich, classical guitar arrangements seemed more like a second voice than an accompaniment. Thanks for the wonderful evening of music at Church of the Ascension in Seattle. Hope to see you again someday!”
- Jody Lemke, Music Director, Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Seattle, Washington “Thanks SO much for the wonderful concert here at St. Luke’s last Sunday. I really enjoyed the variety of your selections and the expertise of your performance. I also appreciated your verbal program notes. Please thank Chelsea for me. What a gorgeous voice!”
- David York, organist and Musical Director St. Luke’s Episcopal Church of Long Beach Sunday Concert Series “We SO enjoyed Chanson du Soir’s performance. As a small town, we are seldom the benefit of sophisticated musical performances. The audience was very appreciative…Thank you so much, and if you do the tour again, we hope you will keep us in mind.”
- Jeanette Blankenship, Music Director, Eagle Point Public Library, Eagle Point, Oregon
Reviews Grunion Gazette > Lifestyle > Musical Notes Chanson du Soir Enchants, Delights By Jim Ruggirello Published: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 1:37 PM PDT Don’t you love the guitar? The only thing more pleasing would be the combination of guitar and soprano, and that’s what was featured on the latest offering by the Long Beach Classical Guitar Society the other night at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. The performers were the ensemble known as Chanson du Soir, consisting of the husband and wife team of David Isaacs and Chelsea Camille. They managed to put together a varied, interesting program of music written for this delightful pairing of voice and instrument, a juxtaposition not often encountered in the concert hall. Isaacs is a wonderful guitarist, sure of technique and in possession of a truly beautiful, colorful sound. He is able to coax out whatever timbre the music demands, and he provided a many-layered cushion of support for Camille’s voice. What a voice it is. The tone is incredibly pure — clear as a bell and remarkably lovely. Her impeccable intonation and a sensitive musicality only add to the listener’s pleasure.
The program opened with a couple of tunes by the Elizabethan composer John Dowland, including the famous “Come Again.” These set the tone the entire evening: tasteful, intimate and enchantingly expressive. Music by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco followed, a set from the intriguingly titled “The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra” along with a couple of Shakespeare songs. Camille introduced each with chatty, informative remarks that had something for everyone, general audience and guitar geeks alike. Three songs arranged by Mauro Giuliani from arias by the now-forgotten Simone Mayr (his opera “Adelaisa ed Aleramo”) ended the first half. Here Camille unveiled her considerable dramatic and comedic chops for a welcome change of pace. Isaacs took the opportunity provided by a couple of solo pieces by Manuel Ponce to display his own range, tonally and expressively. And the jazz- and blues-inflected “Entre Guitarra y Voz” showed both performers in a more popular vein. This is a really cool piece, and it received a really cool performance.
The duo’s performance of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ ubiquitous “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5” almost made me like this composer’s music, which I usually can’t stand. But the combination of Camille’s bewitching voice and Isaac’s assured accompaniment won me over, at least temporarily. Their reading of the piece was fabulous, just fabulous. Composer Brian Madigan, who was in attendance, wrote the closing set and dedicated it to Chanson du Soir. The three songs, set to texts by three different poets, vary greatly in mood and style; Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “A Fable” ended the evening on a humorous note. I’m sure the performers deserved, and would have appreciated, a larger audience. These concerts by the Long Beach Classical Guitar Society (did you even know there was such a thing?) are just the sort of intimate, high-quality musical event that you can find around town if you look hard enough. You just have to know where to look.