Hallelujah! Monsieur Camembert and guests bring Leonard Cohen memories to Sydney
Monsieur Camembert, the three-time ARIA Award-winning ensemble, will cap off a national sell-out tour when their acclaimed Leonard Cohen tribute, Cohen Noir, hits the State Theatre on Saturday, November 8.
This one-night-only Sydney performance promises an immersive, musically adventurous closing statement steeped in Jewish soul and theatrical brilliance.
Led by band mastermind Yaron Hallis, the production has earned widespread acclaim across Australia for its powerful reimagining of Cohen’s work. The show seamlessly weaves Cohen’s original voice and profound poetry with Hallis’s live narration, creating a haunting, intellectual conversation with the late singer-poet.
Yaron Hallis and Victor Valdes (photo by Tony Egan)
Hallis maintains the concert transcends mere tribute, plumbing the depths of Cohen’s philosophies and his enduring relationship with Judaism. “It’s not just a celebration of his music,” he explained. “It’s about the ideas and spirituality behind it—it’s a show with a Jewish soul.”
The expansive 12-piece ensemble features some of Australia’s top Jewish musicians, including violinist Ben Adler, accordion-playing saxophonist Edouard Bronson, and jazz pianist Daniel Pliner. Adding astonishing international flavour are Mexican harp virtuoso Victor Valdes, Mongolian throat singer Bukhu, and the massive 50-voice choir of the Sydney Jewish Chorale Society.
Guest performers (supplied)
The Sydney finale will welcome a constellation of stellar guest artists, including acclaimed performer iOTA, four-time Helpmann Award winner; former Leonardo’s Bride frontwoman Abby Dobson; The Voice winner Diana Rouvas; Golden Guitar-winning country artist Lyn Bowtell; and powerful vocalist Timothy James Bowen.
They will breathe new life into Cohen classics such as Suzanne, Bird on a Wire, and the monumental Hallelujah. Over the past fifteen years, Monsieur Camembert’s Cohen tributes have consistently sold out the Sydney Opera House, the State Theatre, and the City Recital Hall, celebrated for their emotional depth and theatrical flair. Having toured Cohen Noir to Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra this year, Hallis, who devises, directs, and narrates the production, describes this final concert as a profound homecoming.
“The Sydney Jewish community has embraced this show like no other,” he said. “It feels right to end the tour here, in the city where it all began.”
Monsieur Camembert: Cohen Noir will be performed at the State Theatre on Saturday 8 November at 8 pm. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or the State Theatre website.
