“She looks sweet... but I think she could kill you.”
— Sammy Horner (The Sweet Sorrows)
Bio
"Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Chantelle Constable is a renaissance woman, unafraid to try new things, to fail, to be reborn.
Between a childhood love of MGM musicals and a classical music training, her primary passion is bringing historical music to light for a modern audience in the 21st century. Although, true to "Scanner" form (to borrow a term from Barbara Sher), her musical genres span a wide range from original classical crossover ballads and Laurel Canyon-esque noir folk, to early 20th century Americana-Electroswing: currently in the pipeline.
Chantelle has craved the spotlight from an early age; once carrying around a mini cassette recorder and singing nonsense songs for the sake of playing back her own voice. Since 2010 Chantelle has had the privilege of taking many a turn upon the stage, from West Side Story to starring in Funny Girl and donning the wig of Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd, to playing in the pit orchestra for The Rocky Horror Show, Jekyll & Hyde, and music directing Hair. As an unabashed ham, she makes up in silly charm what she lacks in dancing skills!
Another facet in Chantelle's career has been her brief gigs as a rock goddess as lead singer & keyboard player for Lithus (prog rock) and Echopod (synth rock) from 2011 to 2017. Echopod recorded and released an EP entitled "Artifacts" in 2015 which is available from all major distributors.
Chantelle currently resides in Manhattan, KS, and performs with Justin Trowbridge as folk duo "Hotel Gypsies".
About My Music
My inner muse is a librarian. Right now, I'm surrounded by books on... ancient civilizations, paganism, English gardens, the French Revolution, the music industry, coding, linguistics, neuroscience, Buddhism, and so much more...
I have always had a dream of writing music that sounded like Jane Eyre, or Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Not as in a film score, but music that actually belonged in the book. Dark, eerie, brooding, soaring violin and moody piano.
Musically, I draw my inspiration from modern girl-rock songwriters like Jennifer Knapp and Fiona Apple, songstresses like Sarah Slean and Charlotte Church, and my love of classical and theatre music. Imagine the gloom of Lana Del Rey meets the melodicism of Tori Amos - with a dash of gothic chanteuse Jill Tracy.
I am always writing new songs, and I confess I bounce around between genres sometimes. (I love the electro-swing stylings of Caro Emerald, and have a set of neo-burlesque songs in the pipeline.) So keep your ears open -- for new music and for that rustling just behind you...
Favorite song: “Without a Soul” - Nicole Byblow
Favorite music: https://www.last.fm/user/missnewyork/library/artists?date_preset=ALL_TIME
Favorite book: Once on a Time (A. A. Milne), Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Favorite movie/TV show/miniseries: Arsenic and Old Lace, Crimson Peak, BBC Sherlock, QI, Over the Garden Wall
Favorite podcast: Welcome to Night Vale, Tanis, Lore
Favorite childhood TV show: Wishbone, Bill Nye the Science Guy
Favorite composer: Gustav Mahler, Leonard Bernstein
Favorite educational video: Leonard Bernstein Norton Lectures "The Unanswered Question: Six Talks at Harvard"
Favorite audiobook narrator: Stephen Fry
Favorite comedian: Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis
Favorite graphic novel: Agatha Heterodyne Girl Genius
Favorite meal: sushi or manicotti or steak
Favorite candy: toffee, anything peppermint, gummy bears
Favorite ice cream: Ben & Jerry’s Cinnamon Buns
Favorite perfume: Outremer Eau De Toilette in Bergamote
Favorite animal: cats, hedgehogs, honey bees, snails
Favorite dog breed: Corgi
Favorite big cat: tiger
Favorite animal at the zoo: penguins
Favorite pizza topping: chicken + red onion + pineapple
Favorite tipple: a Manhattan
Favorite cartoon: The Amazing World of Gumball
Favorite Actor/Actress: Cary Grant, Judy Garland
Favorite musical: West Side Story, The Scarlet Pimpernel
Favorite city: New York City
Favorite color: pink, champagne
Favorite car: Chrysler Crossfire, 1967 Impala
Favorite cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Favorite quote: For a person remains of consequence not so far as he leaves something behind him but so far as he acts and enjoys, and rouses others to action and enjoyment. -Goethe
Favorite magazine: English Home, Enchanted Living
Favorite season: summer
Favorite scent: coconut/mango, woodsy fall scents, lemon/vetiver
Favorite flower: red geranium
Favorite drink: Vanilla diet Coke, iced matcha latte, lemon ginger kombucha
Favorite coffee order: peppermint breve or cold brew with cream
Favorite era: Regency England, 1920s
Favorite history subject: French Revolution
Favorite cake: Lemon
Favorite store: The Dusty Bookshelf (MHK), ACME Gifts (MHK), Torrid, Vintage Roundup (MHK)
Dream vacation: Iceland, Prague (again)
Hobbies: reading, writing, calligraphy, gardening, snuggling with cats, cooking, bullet journaling, travel, learning about neuroscience, loom knitting, electronic looping
2013 interview with ClassicalCrossoverMagazine.us
“As Fanny [Brice], Chantelle Constable is unsinkably, unstoppably splendid... Every line, every move, every note, she’s there lighting it up. ”
— The Manhattan Mercury (2012)