Artists Bio

Anne Burnell and Mark Burnell are a Chicago-based jazz duo known for innovative vocal jazz arrangements paired with the immediacy and intimacy of cabaret-style storytelling. Blending the Great American Songbook, jazz standards, vintage pop, and original music, their performances combine sophisticated musicianship with personal narrative and audience connection.

Anne Burnell is a vocalist and songwriter whose work has been presented at jazz clubs, concert halls, and festivals including the Sarasota Jazz Festival, Taste of Chicago, Plymouth Arts Wine & Jazz Festival, and the Food & Music Festival in Panama. Her solo recordings include Blues in the Night, a Harold Arlen tribute arranged by Count Basie Band veteran Bob Ojeda, and Summer Days & Dreamy Nights, produced and arranged by Henry Johnson, featuring original songs that earned her a Billboard Magazine Certificate of Achievement in Songwriting. Anne served as President of Chicago Cabaret Professionals (2019–2023) and received the organization’s Excellence in Cabaret Service Award. She is also a recipient of a Chicago DCASE Individual Artist Grant.

Mark Burnell is a pianist, vocalist, and arranger hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “silky smooth and highly polished” and by Cabaret Hotline as “one of the most talented pianists and arrangers I’ve seen.” He has worked with Dave Frishberg, Richie Cole, Louie Bellson, Connie Francis, Ward Swingle, and others, and has toured internationally throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America. A dedicated educator, Mark taught jazz at Northwestern University and Roosevelt University, trained vocalists for ten years at Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned his BFA and MFA, and directed the CMU Jazz Choir. He is one of Chicago’s most in-demand pianists and music directors and leads a weekly jazz trio at Tortoise Supper Club.

Together, Anne and Mark Burnell tour nationally and internationally, presenting Chicago-rooted jazz and cabaret on stages in New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Panama, and beyond. Their work has been supported by Chicago DCASE, Illinois ArtsTour, and the City of Chicago Band Roster. They are 2024 Gold Coast Award recipients from Chicago Cabaret Professionals.