Chantefable

Chantefable is a one-of-a-kind song and story experience developed by vocalist Mariana Rodrigues and keyboardist Andrew Cowie. The word chantefable itself refers to a 13th century French tradition of ‘song and story’ from the French medieval tale Aucassin et Nicolette, alternating spoken text and sung passages. The duo combines vocal music with spoken poetry blended with improvised music, drawing on this ancient form of connection through words. The improvised music draws on various genres ranging from film and folk, to jazz, bluegrass, and early music. Every performance is different, never to be heard again. Chantefable also explores a wide range of vocal repertoire spanning music from the last 600 years, including everything from Scottish and Portuguese folk songs to Renaissance music and modern poetry.

Debuting in the David Josefowitz Recital Hall at the Royal Academy of Music in June 2023, the duo has gone on to perform around the UK and internationally at the Vilalte Music Festival in the south of France. Since their founding, they have been coached by Joseph Middleton, James Baillieu, Skip Sempé, Yvonne Kenny, Reiko Ichise, James Johnston.
Chantefable has performed two recitals at the Royal Albert Hall, also performed for the closing recital of the Bloomsbury Festival, the Musicali-Tea series at the National Musician’s Church, the Stoke Newington Early Music Festival, the St. Mary Le Strand International Chamber Series, the Peregrine Orchestra Chamber Music Series, St James’s Church Piccadilly and St Pancras Church, and many more. The duo has featured as the annual debut concert at Southwark Cathedral in 2024, as well as recitals at St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington and the Royal College of Music Museum on harpsichord. A recent favourite has been live premiering an absurdist song cycle about animals with music by Billy Cowie and poetry by Robert Desnos alongside children’s stories in Regent Hall, London.
Future projects include two recitals at the Händel Hendrix House, Cromer Music Evenings, St Cyprian’s and recording at the VOCES8 Centre, amongst other exciting projects in 2026.
Chantefable is delighted to be selected as BREMF Emerging Artists 2025/2026.