If They Asked Her She Could Write a Book

Madeline Kerns made her debut at four, performing in a “tent” show radio broadcast. A year later she sang to a captive audience at the NYC House of Detention, her stage a cellblock gallery. This was at the request of the warden, her father’s boss. Vividly she recalls the loud cheers and hands clapping through the bars.

Many years and performances later, Ms. Kerns made her official cabaret debut on April 25, 2010 at the first of two shows at Don’t Tell Mama. The diverse program – Sentimental Sandwich – featured many of her favorite songs and composers, Too Marvelous for Words (Mercer & Whiting,) They Say It’s Wonderful (Berlin,) I Can Dream, Can’t I (Kahal & Fain) and I’ll See You Again (Coward) among others.

Accompanied by Rolf Barnes, Kerns brought decades of performing, life experience, and a huge amount of feeling to her singing. She expressed a personal connection to each of the songs, making for a poignancy that was palpable to the audience. Madeline Kerns has a generous spirit and delightful sense of humor. Along the way she’s made lots of friends and several were present that afternoon. Ms. Kerns said that when the audience responded to her setup within the first minute, she thought “Madeline, do exactly what you were planning to do!”

A natural performer, she has always liked to sing, encouraged by her mother early on. “I just opened my mouth and the voice came out.” Kerns has sung at every possible opportunity, especially on cruise ships. “It was a great way to make new friends.” She’s a graduate of the Singing Experience and performs regularly in the Singers Forum Outreach. Madeline Kerns has no intention of slowing down.