Café des Chansons

Café des Chansons is a captivating Amsterdam-based ensemble founded in 2015, blending classic French chansons with a fresh twist through a professional string quartet and the soulful vocals of Charlotte Haesen. Haesen, born in 1987 in Amsterdam and raised in French-speaking Belgium, trained as a jazz singer at the Amsterdam University of the Arts; she was spotted by viola player Odile Torenbeek while performing at Noordermarkt, sparking the group's formation with violinists Giles Francis and Evelien Jaspers, and cellist Sebastiaan van Halsema (from the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra).

They've released gems like their self-titled debut in 2016, *Du bout des yeux* in 2018, *Perles de pluie* in 2019, and more recent ones including *La Blancheur Des Cygnes*, *Paroles, paroles*, and *Y'a d’la joie*, reimagining timeless tracks from icons like Piaf, Gainsbourg, and Barbara. With Haesen's dramatic, evocative voice backed by lush strings, they've earned rave reviews and keep pushing the boundaries of chanson on stages across Europe.