LEWISTON — Accomplished mezzo-soprano Joelle Morris of Evian, France, will perform during French Cabaret Night Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Franco-American Heritage Center.

She will sing some of France’s best standards from the 1920s to the 1950s, including songs by Edith Piaf, Yves Montand and Cole Porter, for a show billed as “light, funny and sometimes romantic.”

Morris uses her dramatic voice and musical understanding to bring passion, depth and clarity to her performances. She controls the power of her voice whether singing opera’s darkest arias, jazz’s most memorable tunes or Broadway’s greatest hits — while finding subtleties within each song.

Born in Seattle, Wash., Morris was raised in both the United States and France. She earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal pedagogy from the University of Colorado in Boulder and graduated in 2003 with a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Colorado’s Lamont Conservatory of Music in Denver.

She has performed as Cherubino in “The Marriage of Figaro,” as Dorabella in “Cosi fan Tutte” and as Rosina in “The Barber of Seville” for a variety of theater companies.

Morris is not only a performer, but also a teacher and conductor. She is a member of the jazz group The Jean-Marie Reboul Trio, which performs throughout France as well as in Geneva, Switzerland. For the past four years, she has also taught voice to adults and children through her private studio in Evian. She currently conducts an established 60-person choir based in Thonon-les-Bains, as well as a 16-member choir called Double Croche, formed in 2006.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. The concession will be open at intermission for crepes, wines, beers and other beverages.
Tickets are $15, $13 for students and senior citizens. For reservations, call 689-2000. For more information, log on to www.francoamericanheritage.org.