Monsieur Camembert will present Cohen Noir: The Beauty, Mystery & Romance of Leonard Cohen at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival this weekend, and we caught up with Yaron Hallis to explore what makes their Leonard Cohen show such a powerful, uplifting experience. Hallis shares why Cohen’s music feels familiar even to those who think they don’t know it, how the Adelaide performances bring something new with three guest singers touring from Sydney, and what it’s like to reinterpret the work of what he calls “the quintessential poet-songwriter” through Monsieur Camembert’s genre-blending lens of jazz, gypsy swing, klezmer and tango. Whether you’re a lifelong Cohen devotee or discovering his work for the first time, this conversation reveals why Cohen Noir promises to be a uniquely moving, unmissable night at the festival.
You’re bringing your Leonard Cohen show, Cohen Noir: The Beauty, Mystery & Romance of Leonard Cohen to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. What can audiences expect?
Audiences can expect an uplifting experience – a loving homage to the genius of Leonard Cohen and a celebration of his extraordinary music and words. The show highlights not only his brilliance as a songwriter and melodist, but also his deeply philosophical outlook on life, love, and humanity. They can also expect incredible musicianship from the wonderful band I’m so fortunate to share the stage with, along with the amazing guest vocalists we’re incredibly lucky to tour with. Together, it creates a powerful and immersive evening that honours Cohen’s spirit while bringing a fresh energy and emotion to his work.
a loving homage to the genius of Leonard Cohen and a celebration of his extraordinary music and words. The show highlights not only his brilliance as a songwriter and melodist, but also his deeply philosophical outlook on life, love, and humanity.
For those who don’t know Leonard Cohen or Monsieur Camembert, what would you tell them?
The funny thing is, people may think they don’t know Leonard Cohen, but they almost certainly know more of his songs than they realise. Obviously, Hallelujah is the most famous, but many people would also recognise songs like Bird on the Wire or Everybody Knows. His music has such a deep cultural presence that even people who wouldn’t necessarily call themselves Leonard Cohen fans are often surprised by just how familiar his catalogue feels.
His music has such a deep cultural presence that even people who wouldn’t necessarily call themselves Leonard Cohen fans are often surprised by just how familiar his catalogue feels.
As for Monsieur Camembert, what audiences can expect is passionate musicianship combined with a willingness to think outside the square. Whatever music we choose to play – whether it’s our own compositions, traditional tunes, or in this case Leonard Cohen’s songs – we always try to put our own stamp on it. The aim is to create something fresh, emotional and ultimately uplifting for the audience.
Whatever music we choose to play – whether it’s our own compositions, traditional tunes, or in this case Leonard Cohen’s songs – we always try to put our own stamp on it. The aim is to create something fresh, emotional and ultimately uplifting for the audience.
This is a show that you toured last year nationally. Does the version you’re performing at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival differ from those shows, and if so, how?
One of the things that keeps the show feeling fresh for us is the opportunity to collaborate with different featured guest vocalists. That always brings new energy, emotion and interpretation to Leonard Cohen’s music. What’s especially exciting about the Adelaide Cabaret Festival performances is that, for the first time, we’re bringing three guest singers from our Sydney flagship show on tour with us. We’re absolutely thrilled to be featuring Timothy James Bowen, Diana Rouvas and Lyn Bowtell as three of our guest singers. They each bring something extraordinary to the music, and together they make these performances particularly special.
What’s especially exciting about the Adelaide Cabaret Festival performances is that, for the first time, we’re bringing three guest singers from our Sydney flagship show on tour with us. We’re absolutely thrilled to be featuring Timothy James Bowen, Diana Rouvas and Lyn Bowtell as three of our guest singers.
What made you decide to cover Leonard Cohen’s music? What is it about his work that stands out to you?
We were drawn to Leonard Cohen because he is the quintessential poet-songwriter. People naturally focus on the brilliance of his lyrics and poetry – and rightly so – but what inspires us just as much is the music itself. His words are incredibly potent and profound, but alongside that he also wrote one unforgettable melody after another. His songs are catchy, haunting, beautiful and emotionally powerful, and I think the strength of his melodies is sometimes overlooked because his lyrics are so extraordinary.
We were drawn to Leonard Cohen because he is the quintessential poet-songwriter. People naturally focus on the brilliance of his lyrics and poetry – and rightly so – but what inspires us just as much is the music itself.
For us, Leonard Cohen’s music is an incredible blank canvas for musicians to work with, because the foundations are already so strong – both melodically and lyrically. That gives us the freedom to bring our own Monsieur Camembert perspective and musical language to the material. To reinterpret those songs through our own lens is both an honour and an absolute delight.
Monsieur Camembert blends jazz and gypsy swing with klezmer, tango, Latin and Eastern European influences. What draws you to those musical styles, and what has kept that fusion fresh for nearly 30 years?
Since the late ’90s, Monsieur Camembert has been exploring gypsy-inspired music. I grew up surrounded by Jewish music in my formative years, but interestingly, I was never especially inspired to perform it until I discovered gypsy music. That journey eventually led me back to the Jewish music of my youth with a completely fresh perspective. What really excites me now is exploring the point where those traditions meet – blending klezmer and Eastern European Jewish music with gypsy swing, Latin and tango influences and other musical styles we love. There’s such a rich emotional and rhythmic connection between them. In gypsy swing – or hot club swing, as it’s sometimes known – there’s also a very strong element of jazz and improvisation, and that spirit is central to the music of Monsieur Camembert. It’s all part of the musical pool we swim in.
What really excites me now is exploring the point where those traditions meet – blending klezmer and Eastern European Jewish music with gypsy swing, Latin and tango influences and other musical styles we love. There’s such a rich emotional and rhythmic connection between them.
What’s also kept the music feeling fresh over nearly 30 years is the fact that so many truly remarkable improvising musicians have passed through Monsieur Camembert during that time. Each person has brought their own cultural and musical background and personality to the music – whether that be jazz, cabaret, punk, rock, or often a combination of all those things. Every musician leaves their imprint on the sound, and that legacy remains within the music, so it’s constantly evolving. A song we were playing in the late ’90s would hopefully sound nothing like it did back then, because the arrangements continue to grow through improvisation, the risks we take live on stage, and the instincts, choices and personalities of the musicians performing the music.
What’s also kept the music feeling fresh over nearly 30 years is the fact that so many truly remarkable improvising musicians have passed through Monsieur Camembert during that time. Each person has brought their own cultural and musical background and personality to the music – whether that be jazz, cabaret, punk, rock, or often a combination of all those things. Every musician leaves their imprint on the sound, and that legacy remains within the music, so it’s constantly evolving.
In Sydney concerts, you’ve collaborated with guest vocalists including iOTA and Abby Dobson, adding emotional layers to the performance. How do you balance the energy of the 10-piece band with their voices and Cohen’s rare audio clips?
It’s such a wonderful privilege to collaborate with singers of that calibre. For these Adelaide Cabaret Festival performances in particular, we’re thrilled to be joined by three absolutely extraordinary artists – three of my favourite voices in Australia – Timothy James Bowen, Diana Rouvas and Lyn Bowtell. The way they each interpret Leonard Cohen’s music brings enormous emotional depth and potency to the material. Every singer connects with the songs differently, and that gives the performance a richness and humanity that audiences really respond to. We also intersperse the music with audio clips of Cohen himself speaking – sharing his wisdom, humour and reflections on life. That adds another emotional layer to the experience and gives audiences a deeper sense of his outlook, his philosophy and the remarkable mind behind the songs.
we’re thrilled to be joined by three absolutely extraordinary artists – three of my favourite voices in Australia – Timothy James Bowen, Diana Rouvas and Lyn Bowtell. The way they each interpret Leonard Cohen’s music brings enormous emotional depth and potency to the material. Every singer connects with the songs differently, and that gives the performance a richness and humanity that audiences really respond to.
Are you able to reveal any other special guests for the Adelaide show?
As I mentioned earlier, we’re absolutely thrilled to be bringing three incredible singers to the Adelaide performances – Lynne Bowtell, Timothy James Bowen and Diana Rouvas – all of whom bring something deeply moving and unique to the music of Leonard Cohen.
We’re also very excited to be bringing a three-piece string section. Within that is the extraordinary virtuoso violinist Ben Adler, along with the wonderful Susie Bishop, whose singing is every bit as beautiful and poignant as her violin playing – and she is our fourth featured guest-singer for those shows. And then there’s Bukhu, who brings something truly unique to the show. As well as performing extraordinary Mongolian throat singing, he also plays the traditional horsehair fiddle, adding another rich and unexpected texture to the music. Together, these artists help make the show feel incredibly cinematic, emotional and immersive.
Together, these artists help make the show feel incredibly cinematic, emotional and immersive.
You’ve performed everywhere from the Montreux Jazz Festival to the International Leonard Cohen Festival. What has been the highlight of your career – not just in relation to Leonard Cohen’s music?
It’s very hard to identify a single career highlight, because over the course of nearly 30 years there have been so many extraordinary moments. But certainly, a couple you’ve mentioned in the question stand out. Performing at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Paralympic Games was incredibly exciting and something I’ll never forget. Winning three ARIA Awards was also a tremendous thrill. To receive that kind of mainstream recognition for music which, by its very nature, sits outside the mainstream in a conventional sense, was an unbelievable high and deeply gratifying for all of us involved.
What was it like performing at the International Leonard Cohen Festival? How did you distinguish yourselves from other acts interpreting Cohen’s music?
It was an unbelievable honour to be invited to perform at the International Leonard Cohen Festival in Canada – and also quite terrifying in some ways! Ordinarily, we certainly perform for many devoted Leonard Cohen fans, but this was a situation where virtually every person in the audience knew every lyric and had very high expectations of how each act would interpret the music of someone they loved so passionately. So, there was definitely no room to inadvertently fudge a lyric here or there – they would have picked it immediately! What was incredibly gratifying, though, was that audiences embraced our often very left-of-centre interpretations of Cohen’s music. To receive standing ovations at the festival was immensely rewarding, but also, I have to admit, a huge relief! It felt wonderful to know that our approach connected with such passionate and knowledgeable Cohen devotees.
What was incredibly gratifying, though, was that audiences embraced our often very left-of-centre interpretations of Cohen’s music. To receive standing ovations at the festival was immensely rewarding, but also, I have to admit, a huge relief! It felt wonderful to know that our approach connected with such passionate and knowledgeable Cohen devotees.
Do audiences need to be well versed in Leonard Cohen’s music to appreciate your show at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival?
Audiences can be either deeply versed in the music of Leonard Cohen or completely uninitiated and still enjoy the show equally. We’ve had many people come along saying they barely knew anything about him – or that beyond Hallelujah, they hadn’t heard a single song – and they’ve still been absolutely captivated. The brilliance of Cohen’s writing, the elegance of the man and his music, the passion of the performances and the sheer beauty of the material all speak for themselves. Whether someone is a lifelong Cohen devotee or discovering his work for the very first time, there’s something deeply moving and accessible about the experience.
The brilliance of Cohen’s writing, the elegance of the man and his music, the passion of the performances and the sheer beauty of the material all speak for themselves. Whether someone is a lifelong Cohen devotee or discovering his work for the very first time, there’s something deeply moving and accessible about the experience.
Why should people come and see Cohen Noir at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival?
People should come and see Cohen Noir at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival because, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, it really is a show like no other. Beyond the sheer beauty of the music, it’s a deeply thought-provoking experience that explores what it means to be human and how we connect with one another. There’s something about the power of Leonard Cohen’s work that transcends music itself. It touches people emotionally, philosophically and spiritually. Combined with the passion of the performances and the unique musical world that Monsieur Camembert creates around the songs, it becomes a truly unique – and, in my admittedly subjective opinion, completely unmissable – experience.
Beyond the sheer beauty of the music, it’s a deeply thought-provoking experience that explores what it means to be human and how we connect with one another. There’s something about the power of Leonard Cohen’s work that transcends music itself. It touches people emotionally, philosophically and spiritually.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I’d just like to add that we’re incredibly grateful to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival for inviting us to present this show. We can’t wait to bring this wonderful lineup of musicians and singers – and, of course, the extraordinary music and poetry of Leonard Cohen – to Adelaide audiences. We’re very much looking forward to sharing the experience and to celebrate this remarkable music together.
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We thank Yaron Hallis for this interview and can’t wait to see Monsieur Camembert this weekend.
KEY INFO FOR MONSEIUR CAMEMBERT: COHEN NOIR
WHAT: Monsieur Camembert – Cohen Noir: The Beauty, Mystery & Romance of Leonard Cohen
WHEN: 7:45pm on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 June 2026
WHERE: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, ADELAIDE
HOW: Purchase your tickets via this link
HOW MUCH: Ticket prices between $89 and $99 exclusive of transaction fee.
