VALÉRIE AHNEMAN AND BON CHIC BON GENRE

Valérie Ahneman and Bon Chic Bon Genre

I was born in Paris, France and came over to the United States at the age of 17 to study Business Management. I have always been involved in the financial field since graduating from college, but found myself happily immersed in a second career in 2007 pursuing a musical ambition I thought I left behind in my teens.

I formed “Bon Chic Bon Genre” in 2008, an exciting band composed of outstanding musicians from the NY Tri State area.

We offer a repertoire of French and American Signature Songs from the 20th century and have performed at libraries, colleges, outdoor festivals, on radio and TV shows, on boats, at private parties and more. We love to come out and entertain audiences.

We recently released “Christmas with a French Twist”, including 10 Holiday Classics sung in either French or English or both. We have also recorded an earlier album
entitled “A La Mode” with unique twists on well-known songs, whimsically mixing a range of musical styles including Pop, Jazz, Funk, Latin, Soft Rock and Reggae.

Both albums are available on itunes, CDBaby, Amazon and streaming outlets.

Please contact me if you’d like more information. Thank you.

Au Revoir et a bientot !

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day!

Merci de votre visite et bonne journee!

Valérie

Events

Valerie with her band Bon Chic Bon Genre offers two musical productions:

“Souvenirs: 50 years of French and American Signature Songs” and

“Christmas with a French Twist: Classic Holiday songs in French and English with a Gospel Choir.”

She has appeared over the years with the band or as a guest in the following:

The Bijou Theatre: Red, White & Blues: A Musical (a retrospective of popular music of the 20^th century. Bridgeport, CT

Belgium Got Talent TV show, Brussels, Belgium, quarter finals

Greenwich Library. Then and Now, From Paris to New York, Music of the Century. A Celebration of International Jazz Day – Greenwich, CT

Wine Enthusiast Magazine – Wine Awards Cocktail party at NYC Public Library, NY

Greenwich Chamber of Commerce – Greenwich Has Got Talent – Greenwich, CT

New Rochelle Arts Council – Bastille Day Outdoor Concert at Hudson Park New Rochelle, NY

University of Pennsylvenia event – Private residence concert – CSRN (Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology)– Glenn Mills, PA

Connetquot Public Library, Bohemia, New York.
“Souvenirs: 50 years of French and American Signature Songs”

Valerie Ahneman – Guest Vocalist at Hofstra University. The Joseph G. Astman International Concert Series. Too Marvelous for Words: Johnny Mercer at 100

Fall Harvest Dinner – Manhattanville College – Purchase, New York

Metropolitan Room – CD Release Party – ” A La Mode” – NY, New York

Private Cruise – Long Island Sound – Greenwich, CT

The Dennis Bono Show – Las Vegas, Nevada

Reviews

Rob Lester of www.talkinbroadway.com
UNDER THE RADAR

French-born singer Valerie Ahneman provides the vocals for the band Bon Chic Bon Genre, based in New York City…..[The album] provides a change-of-pace ambiance from the usual cabaret sound evoking French flavors….she has a different and insistent quality. Edith Piaf trademarks are here. With a rock beat that some will find anathema to tradition, “Non, je NE regrette rien” is adamant in an oddly casual way rather than melodramatically insistent. “La vie en rose” is relaxed and easy to take.

It’s not all French flights of fancy … Things get sultry and Valerie switches to English with the Patsy Cline hit “Crazy” and gets a bit feisty with Tina Turner’s chart-topper, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” Part lounge, part modernizers, part throwback, Bon Chic bon Genre mixes genres – this is hybrid time.

John Hoglund for Cabaret Scenes Magazine
Valerie Ahneman with Bon Chic Bon Genre

Christmas with a French Twist

Reviewed by John Hoglund for Cabaret Scenes Magazine

Joyeux Noel. Parisienne chanteuse Valerie Ahneman has released a Christmas album collaborating with her talented rock band Bon Chic Bon Genre. This recording is consistently interesting on many levels. For starters, how often does one hear Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” sung in French? With a driving, pop-flavored beat, she pulls this off with flair, for a more cheerful delivery than usual. In fact, Ahneman’s spin on these familiar holiday classics is anything but usual. She brings less fire and brimstone to most interpretations than we might be used to. Instead, she repeatedly leans toward a more casual, laid-back approach. But, that is her strength and she knows how to work it……
While some of these songs have enjoyed a wide currency around the globe for decades, hearing new interpretations is welcome. Her vocals are mostly upbeat and, while not recalling the natural darkness of a Piaf or Morreau, retain a sense of whimsy that works just fine. At times, more depth might be called for, but she has her own style that is compelling sans drama.
Other cuts worth noting are “Christmas Time Is Here” and the debut of a fine new song, “I Believe in Christmas Eve” by Jay Sweeney. He gets credit as arranger for the disc as well as piano and keyboard duties. Hansen does an excellent job on guitar, bass, and drums (and is also the producer), and Meo is on saxophone and flute.

Full review here.

Valérie Ahneman