An interlingual cabaret show about longing and belonging performed by Aletia Upstairs and Sigrun Paschke. 

Although Aletia lives in London and Sigrun in Berlin, they have performed their multi-lingual, jazz, cabaret, world and original music in all three cities. Their journeys, which occasionally collide, are illustrated in their songs. This show is a discovery of their worlds, their journeys, their intertwined lives and the best music they have produced together over 10 years of collaboration, which included two solo albums and an EP. Apart from their own compositions, with lyrics by Antjie Krog and Maya Angelou, expect songs from Kurt Weill, Edith Piaf and Italian singer Fiorella Mannoia. 

Aletia Upstairs is a performing artist, cabaretist, singer-songwriter and vintage songstress in the third year of a PhD based on Performing Archives. Her practice involves (auto)biographical, verbatim, one-to-one and participatory, durational performance as well as performing archives. She investigates subjective archives and examines individual memories and mementos in innovative performance pieces that are intercultural and interlingual with traces of original music, poetry and puppetry. In 2016 her work ‘Emballage’ was awarded the Kantor Demarco Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (aletiaupstairs.com)

Sigrun Paschke is a pianist, accordionist and composer (Stellenbosch University and Hans Eisler Hochschule Fuer Musik, Berlin graduate, majoring in piano and organ). She has extensive experience as a soloist, accompanist and ensemble as well as band member, playing classical music, jazz, cabaret, Balkan- and African music. Currently based in Berlin, she works as a free-lance musician in several different capacities, in Germany and beyond. (sterpaschke.com)

Audience Responses

Hi I desperately hoped someone would tune the guitar. Aletia did, only to get it further out of tune with the keyboard. Vocals too loud at times, and the presentation somewhat pretentious. We would have left after two songs if we weren't right at the wall on the far side. Sigrun on the accordion was good.