ACCOMPAGNY THE SINGERS
For 40 years, Haim Isaacs has been drawing on his own artistic research to accompany professionals and beginners in their desire to sing and deepen their musicality.
Whether through individual classes, workshops open to all, professional workshops, or workshops focusing on musical improvisation, Haim adapts his teaching methods to the person in front of him.
He accompanies clowns, storytellers, actors and, above all, singers.
Haim also directs performances where the voice plays an important role.
Workshop: Vocal technique, song interpretation and musical improvisation
Open to all levels
technique
The body, the whole body, is our instrument, our resonator. Whether it's the diaphragm, the soles of the feet, the soft palate or the spine. It's intimate, it's public, it's a source of joy. And it changes every day.
songs
People have been expressing themselves through song since the dawn of time. I offer a variety of repertoires, depending on what inspires me at the moment, or linked to a participant's wish or project. I also ask each participant to prepare a song of their choice by heart.
A multifaceted approach follows: technique, breathing, timbre, vowels, text interpretation, characters (sometimes zany), variations and improvisation on the structure. All depending on the person and the day.
improvisations
How do you create from the moment, without any prior structure? Sound textures, song snippets, text snippets, silence snippets. Read below.
Workshop: Free vocal improvisation
Prior experience in improv is needed
capture the moment
Like an animal sniffing the air, the improviser captures the moment and translates it into music: timbres... volumes... rhythms... melodies... sound textures... noises... real or invented language. An emotional state emerges. A form, a structure, is built.
choose
Improvisation is based on codes, signals and a precise intention. We restrict and optimize materials to make each improvisation specific. We develop sensitivity to the proposals of others: should we merge, complement or contrast musically? Should we take the lead, leave room for deep silence, or perhaps whisper while someone else is at fortissimo?
invent together
Every day, a different musician playing a different instrument accompanies the singers.
Together, we build a sandcastle: perilous, ephemeral and sublime.
Individual lessons
60 € for a one-hour session (at my place at the foot of Montmartre).
ALL INTERNSHIPS
They are aimed at performing artists and passionate amateurs.
Come with at least one song learned by heart.
Required level: sing in tune and have good musical sensitivity.
(Near) Paris - 3 weekends of vocal improvisation accompanied by musicians
February 8,9, 2025
April 5,6, 2025
May 17,18, 2025
Hours: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
3 hours with me to deepen the art of so-called “free” improvisation,
2 hours accompanied by a musician. Every day another musician and another instrument.
Price: 200€ per weekend.
Each weekend is independent, but priority is given to those who follow at least 2 modules.
Location: Thénardier Theater - 19, rue Girard, 93100 Montreuil - Croix de Chavaux Metro
Required level: people who have already experienced improvisation.
Information and registration: haim@haimisaacs.com
Musicians performing on February 8 and 9: Luis Lanes, guitar and François Mellan, sousaphone
(Near) Limoges - FUN DOR TSU DOR course
From Sunday 20 to Saturday 26 April 2025
Intergenerational course around Yiddish music
Location: castle of Ligoure in Limousin
Information and registration >
Roubaix - Vocal technique, song interpretation and musical improvisation
From Tursday 1st to Sunday 4 May 2025
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Atelier Jouret - 13, rue de l'Hospice, 59100 Roubaix
Price : 300 € (payable in installments)
Information and registration: aradivoniuk@gmail.com
(Near) Crest - Vocal training, song interpretation and musical improvisation
From Friday 23 to Sunday 25 May 2025
Hours: Friday 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. - Saturday, Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: La Rivière 26400 Gigors et Lozeron
Price: €180 (payable in installments)
Possibility of staying on site.
Montreuil (near Paris) - Clown / Voice course with Fred Robbe
From 27 to 31 August 2025
In collaboration with Fred Robbe
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: 93100 Montreuil
Price: 410 € (payable in installments)
Information and registration: Théâtre du Faune >
Possible support Afdas / France Travail
Here are some videos to delve into the work of Haim Isaacs:
Workshop pedagogy
Student testimonials
Haim improvises with Erwin's Cat
BIO
New York. Haim spends his childhood on swings, singing from morning to night.
Jerusalem. At 21, he plunges into classical voice training and conservatory studies. At night, he sleeps under his piano.
Cévennes, France. At 24, our tireless traveler lands at the Roy Hart Theatre: the voice as a thousand manifestations of the soul: broken sounds, animal sounds, breath as desert wind. He studies contemporary dance, buto, clowning, physical theater, vocal jazz and “free” vocal improvisation.
Paris. At 28, Haim begins the long trek of composing songs, writing stories, improvising with his voice, forming bands, and recording albums.
Today. The puer aeternus persists with:
Joni Mitchell in Jerusalem. (CD release 2025)
Erwin's Cat. Improvised music quartet.
SHIR. Solo with his compositions in Hebrew.
COLLABORATIONS
Haim has taught in various cultural institutions:
Singers and musicians: CFMI Lyon, APEJS Chambéry
Actors: Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique, Paris
Storytellers: La Maison du Conte, workshops in Denmark and Sweden
Clowns: École Samovar, workshops with Ami Hattab and Fred Robbe
Hospital clowns: Rire Médecin, 1,2,3 Soleil, workshops in Norway and Spain with Michael Christenson.
He has also provided vocal direction for companies including: Philippe Genty, CDN Poitou-Charentes (Yves Beaunesne), Galapiat Cirque.
He has directed projects by Fanny Perrier Rocha (Byzantine chant), Lydia Sevette (mask, puppet, chant), Khadija El Mahdi (mask, storytelling, chant) and the Transformation company (mask and music).
A passionate improviser, Haim has collaborated with artists from diverse backgrounds, including Barre Phillips (double bass), Stefano Genovese (piano), Izidor Leitinger (flugelhorn), Michel Thouseau (double bass), Renaud Pion (clarinet), Payâm Akhshik (santour), Abbi Patrix (storytelling), Sarath Amarasingam (dance), Christophe Delerce (bandoneon), Gyohei Zaitsu (Buto dance) and Thanduxolo Bezana (vocals, gumboots).
