"The Best Friend A Song Ever Had"

On October 14, 2021, we announced that we’re releasing our first ever album, “Count Your Blessings: A Tribute to Rosemary Clooney,” in December of 2021. “So, why a Rosemary Clooney album?" you might ask.

So, why a Rosemary Clooney album?" you might ask.

We dreamed up this Rosie Album project with a few ambitions in mind. Most pressing in 2020 was figuring out a way for QCC to continue its mission of "celebrating the Cincinnati region’s musical past, present, and future” during a global pandemic! But in truth, we had long dreamed of creating an album, and couldn’t think of another artist who has been more influential to us, both as individual musicians and as a vintage pop duo. From the first time we first rehearsed "Tenderly," to when we visited Rosie's house in Augusta, KY, to the magical moment when we performed a whole concert of her music in her hometown of Maysville, KY at The Washington Opera House, Rosemary Clooney has been a constant source of inspiration to us. Her depth of character, her determination, her charm, and her brilliance as an artist continually encourages us to be the best we can be.

Rosie is such a huge part of our story, and a really wonderful part of Cincinnati's story as well. We are so grateful for your support as we continue to celebrate our Queen City, even in these uncertain times, by doing what we do best and love most. We’re so glad to have you on this journey with us as we honor “the best friend a song ever had.”

Tickets for "The Marvelous Music of Mrs. Maisel" On Sale Now!

Amazon Prime’s hit show, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” tells the story of a 1950s house wife, Midge Maisel, who’s picture-perfect life on New York’s Upper West Side changes forever when she discovers her talent as a stand-up comedian. Join Queen City Cabaret as they celebrate women in comedy with a night of music from the show’s soundtrack (featuring hits by Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington, Elvis, and more!) as well as performances by Cincy’s favorite vintage comedy duo, Two Sketchy Dames! Be ready to sit back, relax, and laugh out loud at Cincinnati’s Redmoor Theatre.

In an effort to ensure the safety of our audience and performers during the pandemic, we are selling admission by the table. We are offering tables for up to 4, 6, or 8 people. All tables will have 6 feet of space between them and will have a server to take care of them throughout the evening. Tables will be reserved by best available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Doors open at 6pm for dinner, and the show begins at 7pm. Tables will be booked by the best seating available, so reserve yours today!

Cincinnati Music History Fun Fact - Jewel Records

Howdy Fab Cab Fans! You see that record, so you know it’s time for a..... Cincinnati Music History Fun Fact!

You might have heard of the famous Jewel Records label in Shreveport, Louisiana, but did you know that Cincinnati has its very own Jewel Records label, too?

Jewel Records was founded in 1965 by Rusty York. Jewel released records under other labels, too, including Teen Records for teen garage bands, and Log Cabin Records for country music (although, most of Jewel’s records were country music).

Jewel Records was active through the 1990s, and was sold in 2009 when York retired.

QCC is so excited to be a part of Cincinnati’s rich music history. Let us know who or what you want to see us cover next!

March Subscriber of the Month!

Spring is here and so is our next Subscriber of the Month… Meg McCann! Meg is a longtime QCC fan who lives in Clifton and loves learning, reading, dancing, and live music!

Here are some other fun facts she shared with us:

Favorite show"? “Two favorites; Jerry’s Girls at the Carnegie - pulling together AMAZING talent (who knew Cincinnati was home to such richness) with the sounds of Broadway, yes! And the Women’s Day video - touched me deeply.”

Favorite cocktail? “A Manhattan. Which is why I love some of the venues QCC has chosen - Cafe Vivace and The Hearth both make good ones!”

Favorite song? “So many, too many! But I’m going to list Rosemary Clooney’s Come-On-a-My-House. The swing, the rhythm, sultry but bright, just makes my heart jump!”

"Why support the Arts? “The Arts provide depth and color and engagement to our senses of life - otherwise we’d just be stuck in our experiences trying to understand what just happened and never getting any answers! The Arts help provide those answers!”

Meg, thank you so much for supporting us! QCC loves you!

Mar- I mean FEBRUARY Subscriber of The Month!

February flew by faster than expected, but it’s not too late to celebrate a subscriber of the month! February’s subscriber of the month is another long-time QCC fan, Denyse Kerr!

Denyse lives near Cleveland, Ohio, and is a nature lover who loves to create things through art, photography, and sewing. Denyse also shared these fun facts with us:

Favorite QCC show: Jerry's Girls!

Favorite cocktail: Moscow Mule

Favorite song: Too much good music out there to pick just one song! (Same Denyse, same.)

Why support the arts? “I support the arts because where would we be without art? The arts add so much joy to life! So proud of Sarah and Matthew for all of their hard work accomplishments!”

Thank you so much for all your support, Denyse! QCC loves you!

One Year Anniversary of "Quiet" Music Video

It has been one year since we gathered women from all over Cincinnati to create a music video cover of the 2017 Women's March anthem, "Quiet." And what a year it has been! So much has changed, and yet our responsibility to stand up and speak out against injustice in every form feels more important than ever.

May we continue speaking truth and fighting for justice for all today and every International Women's Day! We will not keep quiet.

Happy Women's History Month!

March is women’s history month, and Cincy is a one-stop shop for amazing musical HERstory! Did you know that Nina Simone’s debut album, “Little Girl Blue,” was distributed by Cincy’s King Records? Matthew and Sarah honored the composer, musician, and activist in their most recent “Queens of The Queen City” show with Salon 21, covering two songs from that album.

Check out their performance of Simone's "My Baby Don’t Care For Me" at the following link—https://youtu.be/WlwgxC-vjxc.

Like so many of her compositions and arrangements, this song showcases how she masterfully blended musical styles of jazz, blues, gospel, and classical into a fascinating sound tapestry. Don't miss Matthew rocking her incredible piano solo at 1:10-2:10. 👌

#cincymusic #herstory #ninasimone #cabaret #cincyarts #localmusic #localart #jazz #WomensHistoryMonth #kingrecords

Behind the Scenes - Small Business Spotlight!

Have you ever wondered what it’s like behind the scenes at QCC? Wonder no more, because we’ve just wrapped up a social media series about the small businesses that keep us running. Check it out on our Instagram or Facebook, and read all about it below.

The small businesses we work with are Maiarts Management, Dust Village, Excelsior Accounting, and Brandenburgh Productions. These businesses and their amazing founders provide services and expertise in their fields so we can put more time towards making music! Read more about each of them below!

Sara Danner Dukic of Maiarts Management provides QCC with Production and Organization support. What does that mean exactly? She basically keeps QCC from bursting into flames. Sara manages our website, built the brand new QCC+ system, creates promotional materials, and designs delightful animations for our promo trailers.

She often supports us on-site, too, by helping us with equipment setup, front of house and ticketing, and giving us pep talks before performances. As Sarah (singing Sarah!) likes to say, “She is a genius goddess on the earth.”

Sara has a huge repitoire of work with other organizations and projects, too. Check it all out at www.maiarts.it

---

When you look at our logo and think to yourself, “Gee, that’s one snazzy logo,” you have Jake Staubitz of Dust Village to thank! Aside from the signature crown with a mic on top, Jake designed our fonts and signature color combinations.

Jake’s also responsible for our snazzy website design, as well as the design of all of our merchandise! Mugs, t-shirts, wine stoppers, stickers; all Jake!

On top of his creative genius, Jake is also super easy to work with and puts customer service first. He’s such a delight and always does an incredible job.

Thanks Jake and Dust Village Design Co. for every everything you do for QCC! Check out their work at dustvillage.com

---

Sarah and Matthew might be musical geniuses, but for keeping the books, we need the accounting genius of Nathan Musgrove of Excelsior Accounting! Nathan advises and supports us with all of our financial matters, and he serves on our Board too!

Nathan and Excelsior also demonstrate top-tier commitment to local nonprofits: 1% of Excelsior’s profits are donated, plus each of their nonprofit clients receive one free hour of service per full workday.

Want more proof that Nathan is a great asset to QCC? Once, he drove over an hour to watch half of a QCC concert! He didn’t realize it was in Kentucky when he left his house, but rather than turn back, he came all that way to support us and catch the 2nd half of the show!

Thanks Nathan and Excelsior for everything you do for QCC! More information available at excelsioraccounting.com

---

If anyone has been QCC’s hero this last year, it’s Bill! His skill and creativity behind the camera and soundboard have allowed us to keep making music and reaching audiences during a time when live performances aren’t possible.

In addition to filming our recent Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Christmas, and Patsy Cline shows, Bill was behind our very first music video, which premiered in 2019.

Bill is a true professional and one of the best dudes you’ll ever meet. He doesn’t even tell us we’re crazy when we tell him our show ideas!

Thanks so much Bill for everything you do for QCC! Check out more of his work at brandenburghproductions.com

QCC relies on all of these businesses to keep us going and growing. We love being part of the Cincinnati small business community!

xoxo, Sarah and Matthew

"Queens of the Queen City" Premieres Thursday, 2/25 at 7pm

Nina Simone's dazzling piano solos. Skeeter Davis's twangy tones. Big Maybelle's earth-shaking soul. Come hear the stories and songs of the queens that put Cincinnati on the musical map!

"'Queens of the Queen City" features songs recorded by singers of the 1950s-1970s, each with a connection to the Queen City, including a sampling of music by Nina Simone, Rosemary Clooney, Big Maybelle, Skeeter Davis and Doris Day. Join Queen City Cabaret vocalist Sarah Folsom and pianist Matthew Umphreys for an unforgettable ode to Cincinnati’s rich musical history.

This concert is being produced by our friends at Salon 21: Petite Piano Concerts, and attendance is free with a suggested $15 donation

Reserve your free ticket here!

Cincinnati Music History Fun Fact!

Howdy Fab Cab Fans! We hope you’re staying safe and warm during this storm! To spice up your day, here’s a Cincinnati Music History fact for ya! 🎶

Fraternity Records was Cincinnati’s 2nd most successful recording company, behind King Records (check out our previous post on their history!)

Fraternity Records was founded in 1954 by Harry Carlson and Dr. Ashton Welsh. In the 1950s and 60s, Fraternity produced hits by local singer Cathy Carr, Jimmy Dorsey, Lonnie Mack, and The Casinos!

The label was purchased by Shad O’Shea in 1975, and Fraternity Record recordings are still available from the UK-based Ace Records Ltd.

We want to keep this little series going, so ;et us know who or what we should cover next!

Celebrate love, music, and small businesses this weekend with QCC!

Don't miss the Cincinnati's official Valentine's Day Show, brought to you by QCC!! We've partnered with ArtsWave , The Fitton Center for Creative Arts, and TvHAMILTON to celebrate love, music, and small businesses this weekend in the Queen City!

Two Ways to Watch:

1. Subscribers to QCC's Online Performance Subscription, QCC+, get early, unlimited access to the show starting Friday, 2/12 at 7:30pm! More info here--https://www.queencitycabaretcincy.com/.../tea-for-two-a...

2. Catch the show right here on our Facebook page Sunday 2/14 at 7:30pm! You can also watch on TV or through The Fitton Center! More info here--https://www.queencitycabaretcincy.com/.../one-time-live...

Can't wait to share some locally curated love songs with the Queen City this weekend!

#cabaret #cincymusic #cincyarts #artswave #tvhamilton #thefittoncenterforcreativearts #queencity #localmusic #teafortwo #ilovethearts

Our January "Subscriber of the Month" is....

*drumroll*

Carly Greene!

Carly is a longtime QCC supporter and she shared these fun tidbits with us:

Favorite show? “The upcoming Cole Porter Show!”

Favorite drink? “Mocktails!”

Favorite song? “Anything by Cole Porter!”

Why support the arts? “Because they support you!” (Good answer, Carly!)

Anything else? “QCC is the best and I love them.”

We love you too, Carly! Thanks so much to all of our subscribers for supporting QCC.

Our amazing Cole Porter cabarette will be coming out in April, but coming up soon is our “Singing the Blues” cabarette! Subscribe today to get access to these upcoming cabarettes and more!

Christmas Cheer is Here!

Someday soon, we all will be together, if the fates allow. Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow...

This year has been especially muddlesome, but we're feeling more grateful for our fans than ever before! We'd love to share some holiday cheer with you--hop on over to https://www.queencitycabaretcincy.com/watch to check out our hour-long program of warm and wondrous holiday tunes! Pairs well with hot cocoa and nostalgia 🎁

Our November "Subscriber of the Month" is....

*(drumroll)*

Jan Greiner! 🦃Jan is the mother of our fabulous intern, Carmen (no nepotism here, folks!) She lives in St. Louis, MO and is a brand new fan of Queen City Cabaret.

1. Fav QCC Show? “The brand new Thanksgiving Cabarette!”

2. Favorite cocktail? "Bloody Beer" (a Midwest concoction of a lite beer with a shot of bloody Mary mix or tomato juice)

3. Fav song? "‘I Feel Love” by Donna Summer" (It’s hypnotic 👀)

4. Why support the arts?

The performing arts have given me such joy from a very young age and I’m so glad that I was able to pass on this passion to all three of my kids. I’m happy to support the arts because it’s a win-win situation; artists get to do what they love, and I get to have great experiences! Especially now that so many arts venues are closed, subscribing to QCC makes me feel involved and connected to the arts.

5. Anything else?

I sure wish my Mom was here to subscribe along with me because I know she would enjoy hearing so many of her favorite old tunes. Growing up, we had an organ in our home. We would sit next to each other on the organ bench and she would play and I would sing. I used to think I was really somethin’, but Sarah puts me to shame!

Money Makes Your Local Arts Organization Go Round

Recently, we were interviewed by Stephen Baum of WGUC for a Cincinnati Spotlight Intermission radio segment. We chatted about our new QCC+ subscription service and our current season of digital shows. One question kept coming up--why are you charging people money to see your content?  

This is a great question in an age where many arts organizations are streaming both archived and newly filmed concerts for free to their audiences, and high quality video performances from musical superstars are available for streaming at no charge. Additionally, many audience members are feeling the ‘digital overload’ after 9 months of watching musical performances on their phone or computer screen instead of experiencing the thrill of a concert hall or black box theater. So why are we asking our fans to pay a monthly or annual subscription to see another online show?  

One of the biggest reasons we ask our audiences to pay is because producing high quality digital content is expensive! Whether we use our own audio/video equipment for our monthly cabarettes or hire our trusty recording engineer, Bill Brandenburgh, to create a multi-camera holiday special, video content costs more to produce and requires many more hours of pre-production and post-production work. Your monthly or annual subscription to QCC+ helps us bring you the best video and sound we possibly can. Also, when you support Queen City Cabaret, you are supporting local artists. In-person concerts and gigs around the globe continue to be cancelled and many musicians are struggling to make ends meet. We might not see the end of this pandemic for a while, and if we don’t continue to fairly employ artists during this time, there won’t be any left to employ on the other side. When QCC hires a professional vocalist or band member, your subscription helps us pay them what they are worth. 

We also ask patrons to financially contribute to QCC+ because honestly, we believe it’s worth it. Our library grows every single month with new Cincinnati-inspired jazz and pop projects, and past shows are available to view any time, on any device. When a new show premieres, our subscribers have direct access to the performers via a post-show zoom chat, and occasionally receive little thank you goodies in the mail from us. We love to craft themed shows about Patsy Cline, Halloween, and your favorite TV series, and we think you will enjoy the little QCC twist we bring to every concert we create.  

The important thing to remember is that when large arts organizations release content for free, they are sharing an immense gift of time and talent with us. For organizations that can afford it, this is an amazing act of love and inspiration for the community, and we should not take these generous offerings for granted. As a small nonprofit, we release as much free QCC content as we can. However, our goal is to maintain a high standard of artistry, digital quality, and artist compensation, and this is only possible if we charge for our services. Queen City Cabaret had two seasons of live, in-person shows before Covid-19 stepped in and turned the world on its head, but we are grateful to each and every one of you who enjoy this little project of ours and believe in it enough to support us through this new adventure. We love Cincinnati, performing, and you, and we can’t wait to give you the biggest hug in person soon. Until then, see you at the (online) cabaret. Cheers!  

Matthew and Sarah

Matthew Umphreys & Sarah Folsom, Artistic Directors of Queen City Cabaret

Listen to the archived Cincinnati Spotlight Intermission interview on 90.9 WGUC here:

https://www.wguc.org/special/spotlight_intermission_archive.php?id=105&fbclid=IwAR08FwjkChKsm8gFVN4dDJhpSec4rR_9SWNtZ659dzqgYYnkBO1NH_qHN9w

Sign up for your very own QCC+ Subscription here:

www.queencitycabaretcincy.com/watch

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...

What’s that sound? Why, it’s QCC’s Christmas Cabaret!

Christmas came early for Matthew and Sarah this week as they recorded "A Very Merry QCC Christmas" at the gorgeous Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. An art deco paradise, this Queen City landmark welcomed many a mid-century star and was the perfect backdrop for QCC's upcoming concert of holiday favorites! The show releases for our members on December 11!

Our October "Subscriber of the Month" is....

*(drumroll)*

Kyle and Angel Neumann!🎉🎃Kyle and Angel have supported QCC right from the start, and we love them to pieces. Here are their answers to some very important fab cab fan questions:

1. Fav QCQ Show? "You'll Never Know: An Evening with Rosemary Clooney"

2. Favorite cocktail? "Bourbon" (correct.)

3. Fav song? "Whaaaaat how do we choose just one?" (fair.)

4. Why support the arts?

Kyle: "People have been supporting the arts since Mesopotamia, who are we to stop now?" (an excellent point.)

Angel: (as perfectly stated by Walt Whitman, and then Robin Williams in "The Dead Poets Society") --

"Oh me! Oh life!

Of the questions of these recurring,

Of the endless trains of the faithless,

Of cities fill’d with the foolish,

Of myself forever reproaching myself,

(for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)

Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,

Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,

Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,

The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.

That you are here—that life exists and identity,

That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."

Also, bell hooks--"The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is--it's to imagine what is possible.”

(boom.)