Reviews from teachers on the Cabaret Paree programs:
Claudia Hommel - singing in French or English - presents a great program! I have known Claudia and her programs for many years, but I recently had the pleasure of hearing Claudia and Sean Harris in the "Jazz Fauré" concert at the Hothouse in downtown Chicago. What an experience! Claudia and her group presented Fauré art songs jazzed-up, accompanied by a great back-up group. French teachers will be especially interested in this concert ... [click here to read more] No doubt many of you know Claudia's programs which introduce students to French art songs and jazz of the 50s and 60s. For school programs, for special fund-raising projects, etc., I highly recommend it!
Anne Hebert, American Association of Teachers of French, Groupe Professionnel Francophone and Chicago-Paris Sister Cities Education Committee
"It has been such a pleasure to know you and to have you come to us these past few years with your compelling story and your professional stature. The comments from the students is that they loved it. The adults felt that your voice was in better form than ever and as I said, you always move me to a tear or two when you sing the music that soothes the savage breast! These students are truly blessed!"
Kay Saxvik, Libertyville High School teacher
"FORMIDABLE! CHOUETTE! GÉNIAL! The performance...was a mixture of comedy, sadness, tragedy and love. Part of the charm was the way in which Claudia moved about to sing directly to certain individuals (to the embarrassment of the boys and the delight of the girls). The students, all 'débutantes' in French, were familiar with the songs thanks to an extensive study guide that Claudia had put together. After the performance, Claudia made the rounds, talking to all of them. The show was great, a five-star recommendation to any school group learning French!"
Gretchen Hane, Tilden High School teacher, Chicago
"Claudia Hommel shows exquisite singing skill. Minimal, yet effective, costume changes become mood stimuli. The performance [of two hours] was not long enough."
Sarah Swienton for ICTFL Accents (Illinois Conference of Teachers of Foreign Languages)
"The response was overwhelmingly positive. My only regret is that not all the French students could attend because of schedule problems. Overall, I think your program is great, but it was obvious to me that the students who had been prepared by their teachers in advance got a lot more out of it. My students, for example, had heard about 4 or 5 of the selections from your CD, and we had taken one class period to review the lyrics and understand their meaning. Once again, thanks so much for sharing your talents with our students!"
Anne Lawday, Chair of Foreign Languages at Horace Mann School in New York.
As you can see, all the students enjoyed your performance very much—as did all the teachers who were present. French is a totally elective subject at our school, so a program such as this is truly an inspiration and a motivation for students to continue studying the language. I am very grateful to you and Bob Moreen and to the Michener Museum for providing this experience for my students. Most sincerely,
Pat Seabright, French Teacher, Neshaminy Middle School
