Chicago, IL —There’s no need to fly to Paris this spring—experience l’amour near the banks of the River Chicago with Chicago a cappella’s charming concert of French love songs, Chansons d’Amour: April in Paris. The acclaimed vocal ensemble will transport audiences with the beauty of 16^th-century Parisian chansons and the irresistible tonal colors of French Impressionists, including masters such as Debussy and Ravel. The group will also perform enchanting works by Saint-Saëns, Poulenc and Milhaud, and familiar pop standards redolent with the allure of Paris, all shimmering with the "breathtaking ensemble and control [and] stylistic elegance" (American Organist) of Chicago a cappella.

Chansons d’Amour: April in Paris will take place Saturday, April 18, at 8:00 pm, at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake St. in Oak Park, IL; Sunday, April 19, at 4:00 pm, at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave. in Evanston, IL; Friday, April 24 at 8:00 pm, at Anne & Howard Gottlieb Hall, 38 S. Peoria St. in Chicago, IL; and Sunday, April 26, at 4:00 pm, at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave. in Naperville, IL. For tickets and information, visit www.chicagoacappella.org or call (773) 755-1628.

In Renaissance Europe, chansons were sung by everyone from peasants to kings. As French became the leading European language, composers from that region created unforgettable songs with clever rhythms, beautiful harmony, and poetry ranging from tender to bawdy. The singers of Chicago a cappella will delve into these 16^th-century riches at Chansons d’Amour: April in Paris, singing gems by Jacques Arcadelt, Orlande de Lassus, and Pierre Certon. The tender sadness of Josquin de Prez’s famous chanson "Mille regrets" will be heard along with the slightly risqué banter of a shepherd and shepherdess in Thomas Crecquillon’s "Un gai berger." Alternating from duets, trios and quartets to the full ensemble, the group will revel in Claude le Jeune’s joyous "Revoici venir du printemps" ("Once again springtime is coming").

The tradition of Renaissance chansons was taken up centuries later by some of France’s greatest musical masters. Chicago a cappella will sing a rarely-heard chorale by Camille Saint-Saëns, "Calme des Nuits" ("Stillness of the Night"), as well as four sets of later songs by famous French composers. Claude Debussy’s impressionistic Trois Chansons on texts by Charles D’Orleans are justly renowned for their evocative harmonic colors and graceful expressiveness. Maurice Ravel wrote the text for his own set of Trois Chansons (1914-15), music rich with wry humor and technical virtuosity. Francis Poulenc’s eight delightful Chansons Francaises (1945-46) are based on French folk-tunes, and Darius Milhaud’s little-known Naissance de Venus ("The Birth of Venus," 1949) is a brief four-part cantata with an elegant and unusual harmonic language. As a prelude to Chicago a cappella’s May 21 benefit event celebrating composers of the American Songbook, the ensemble will add an American twist to this French program with Vernon Duke’s classic ballad "April in Paris," in an incomparable arrangement by Gene Puerling.

Chicago a cappella: Chansons d’Amour: April in Paris

Sat., 4/18/09, 8:00 pm, Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake St., Oak Park, IL

Sun., 4/19/09, 4:00 pm, Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL

Fri., 4/24/09, 8:00 pm, Anne & Howard Gottlieb Hall, 38 S. Peoria St., Chicago, IL

Sun, 4/26/09 4:00 pm, Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville, IL

Tickets: $35/$28/$22 seniors (62+) and students (23 and under)/ group rates available.

For tickets call (773) 755-1628 or 1-800-SING-WOW (800/746-4969).

More information and secure online ticket sales: www.chicagoacappella.org