Chanson and Jazz with Mathilde Vendramin

In the 1950s and 1960s, both hosted their own shows in which the French stars of tomorrow were presented. They thus had a great influence on musicians' careers in all genres.

Mireille Hartuch was a musician herself. She studied piano at the Paris Conservatory in the 1920s and had early performances at the Odéon and the Bouffes-Parisiennes. She composed over 600 chansons with her husband Jean Nohain. Before the start of the Second World War, she went to the USA, where she appeared in front of the camera in Hollywood with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Buster Keaton. In 1937 she married the writer Emmanuel Berl, with whom she (she was Jewish) had to hide from the German occupiers in the mountains of southern France.

After the end of the war she returned to Paris and moved in the circles of Jean Cocteau, Albert Camus and André Malraux. Her friend, the film director Sacha Guitry, suggested that she found the "Petit Conservatoire de la Chanson", which opened in 1955 and which she later hosted as a television program of the same name. Singers such as Françoise Hardy, Frida Boccara, France Gall, Colette Magny and others performed at the "Petit Conservatoire".

Frida Boccara was presented by Mireille Hartuch and trained at the Petit Conservatoire de la Chanson. She celebrated her first successes in 1960 at the Rose d'Or Festival in Antibes. In 1969, she represented France at the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson (Eurovision Song Contest) with the song Un jour, un enfant, a composition by Émile Stern, and won, tied with three other singers. Other international successes included Les Moulins de mon cœur (by Michel Legrand - an English-language version, The Windmills of my Mind, made Dustie Springfield famous) and Cent mille chansons (composer Michel Magne).

Michel Legrand was one of France's most important jazz pianists and composers. He began his career in the 1950s and composed the soundtrack for many well-known films. He also composed pieces for Frida Boccara, who received two gold records and one platinum record for her biggest sales successes. Besides France, she was particularly popular in Spain; she also recorded songs in German, English, Italian and Russian. Her active time as a popular singer with annual record releases was between 1960 and 1983.

Françoise Hardy owed her career, among others, to Mireille Hartuch, who introduced her on her show (and who trained her). Françoise Hardy was also featured on the show "Discorama" with Denise Glaser.

In her show "Discorama", Denise Glaser helped Serge Gainsbourg, among others, to become more popular because she interviewed him several times on her show. Unfortunately, Gainsbourg mumbles so much into the camera that it is difficult to understand a word of what he says. Denise Glaser also presented important French musicians of the time, but not only their songs, but also let them have their say in interviews. Among others, she conducted lengthy interviews with Marie Laforêt and with Sylvie Vartan, who was considered the top star of the so-called Yéyé Girls (French teenage pop movement of the 1960s) along with Françoise Hardy and Sheila.

Entrance fee 18/12 euros