January 2021 Program
Special events and classes
Best Wishes for a Happy New Year!
~Alliance Française de Jacksonville
~Alliance Française de Jacksonville
Please note date change for the Film. January 24th is the new date.
While our Event Director is out of the country, our Perspectives program is on hiatus. Join us next month where we plan to explore the culture and food of Switzerland.
Whether it's a new year's resolution or getting ready to travel,
we have FRENCH classes for all levels.
See the full schedule for Adult Group Classes CLICK HERE
Winter Tuition: $300 per member* for Group Totem Classes / $225 per member* for Conversation Class
French Language Class sessions are 2 hours per week for 10 weeks for a total of 20 hours.
French Conversation Class sessions are 1.5 hours per week for a total of 15 hours.
ALL classes begin the week of Monday, January 11 and run for 10 weeks.
*Please note that all students must be members of the AF Jacksonville
Join HERE
Be a king or a queen for the day!
January 6th
Every year to celebrate Epiphany, many people in France enjoy a traditional dessert known as galette des rois, or “King Cake”.
A little charm known as the "fève" is traditionally hidden within this delicious soft almond paste filled pastry . Whoever is lucky enough to find the "fève" in their slice is crowned king or queen of the day.
We invite you to make your own Galette and post your picture on our Facebook page.
Should you need a good recipe, check out: here
Dances and Improvisations with pianist Mark Markham
January 17th, 3PM
Federation of Alliances Françaises USA Zoom
In English
January 17th, 3PM
Federation of Alliances Françaises USA Zoom
In English
World-renowned pianist Mark Markham presents, “Dances and Improvisations”, including the music of JS Bach, Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc, Claude Debussy and improvisations from the American Songbook. Dance and music are inseparable for Markham, so a program which focuses on the intimacy of dance – solo, a pas de deux or an aristocratic court dance – invites the emotional exploration of this theme, and especially when combined with a French sensibility, brings so many possibilities to life. There are no words in dance, so movement is everything through the harmony, rhythm and melody.
Pianist Mark Markham is equally at home as a soloist, a collaborator with great singers, a chamber musician, a jazz pianist, or a vocal coach, and his interpretations have been praised by the public and press alike. His international career encompasses performances in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, while the artistry of his playing has been described as “brilliant”, “exquisitely detailed” and “in full service to the music”.
Born in Pensacola FL, Markham made his debut in 1980 as soloist with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra playing Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini”. He studied with Ann Schein at the Peabody Conservatory where he received the Bachelor, Master and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees. Before graduating he was invited to join the faculty where he taught for ten years.
For over a decade Mr Markham was based in the south of France. Shortly after arriving in 1999 he was enthroned into the Brotherhood of Chateauneuf-du-pape in recognition of his contributions to music. In 2016 he was invited to give a private recital in New York City for the launch of Domaine Beauregard’s “Gran Partita”, the first wine ever produced in Chateauneuf-du-pape using all thirteen grape varieties of the region.
His affinity for French culture, music, art, food, wine and the language make him a great ambassador for both countries. The program he has chosen for this occasion, “Dances and Improvisations”, includes music of Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc, as well as J.S. Bach and improvisations from the American Songbook.
This event will be on Zoom and is free for all Alliance Française members,
Please click here to receive registration information
Pianist Mark Markham is equally at home as a soloist, a collaborator with great singers, a chamber musician, a jazz pianist, or a vocal coach, and his interpretations have been praised by the public and press alike. His international career encompasses performances in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, while the artistry of his playing has been described as “brilliant”, “exquisitely detailed” and “in full service to the music”.
Born in Pensacola FL, Markham made his debut in 1980 as soloist with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra playing Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini”. He studied with Ann Schein at the Peabody Conservatory where he received the Bachelor, Master and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees. Before graduating he was invited to join the faculty where he taught for ten years.
For over a decade Mr Markham was based in the south of France. Shortly after arriving in 1999 he was enthroned into the Brotherhood of Chateauneuf-du-pape in recognition of his contributions to music. In 2016 he was invited to give a private recital in New York City for the launch of Domaine Beauregard’s “Gran Partita”, the first wine ever produced in Chateauneuf-du-pape using all thirteen grape varieties of the region.
His affinity for French culture, music, art, food, wine and the language make him a great ambassador for both countries. The program he has chosen for this occasion, “Dances and Improvisations”, includes music of Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc, as well as J.S. Bach and improvisations from the American Songbook.
This event will be on Zoom and is free for all Alliance Française members,
Please click here to receive registration information
Living the Dream:
Investing and living in France
Saturday, January 23, 2021
If you’ve had even a glimmer of an idea to enrich your life with a move to France – whether living full-time or part-time in the Hexagone – this is your opportunity to learn the steps to help make the dream come true. In this one-hour session on Zoom you’ll get the inside scoop from moving-to-France and property expert, Adrian Leeds. Adrian has lived in France for over 25 years; her expertise has been featured on House Hunters International. She understands the ins and outs of finding an apartment to rent or a home to buy anywhere in France (not just Paris). In this session she’ll discuss getting a visa, determining where in France you might want to live, and the steps to finding the perfect home. The session will also include an open forum for questions.
Adrian Leeds: French property expert, HGTV personality, published journalist and author, events coordinator, marketing, public relations and communications expert, Adrian Leeds arrived in Paris in 1994 with more than 21 years of experience in marketing and public relations, not to mention a daughter. In her need to survive in the City of Light as a single mother, she created a variety of businesses devoted to assisting other expats in their quest to fulfill their dream to live in France. Her company, the Adrian Leeds Group, is a licensed real estate agency offering complete property consultation services primarily for North Americans and other Anglophones wanting to live and/or invest in France. Photo credit: Paul de Burger.
This event will be on Zoom and is free for all Alliance Française members,
Please click here to receive a link to this event.
Adrian Leeds: French property expert, HGTV personality, published journalist and author, events coordinator, marketing, public relations and communications expert, Adrian Leeds arrived in Paris in 1994 with more than 21 years of experience in marketing and public relations, not to mention a daughter. In her need to survive in the City of Light as a single mother, she created a variety of businesses devoted to assisting other expats in their quest to fulfill their dream to live in France. Her company, the Adrian Leeds Group, is a licensed real estate agency offering complete property consultation services primarily for North Americans and other Anglophones wanting to live and/or invest in France. Photo credit: Paul de Burger.
This event will be on Zoom and is free for all Alliance Française members,
Please click here to receive a link to this event.
Apéro National French Conversation Group
Please check back for January Dates
Federation of Alliances Françaises USA
En français
Many Alliance Française chapters in the United States organize free French conversation groups, and many of those groups have moved online. Check with your local chapter for availability. If your local Alliance doesn’t offer an online conversation group or if you’d like to pick up some additional practice, you can join a hosted national group that meets via Zoom on the second Tuesday of each month. Participants are invited to enjoy their favorite beverage during our “Apéro” conversation.
The group is for intermediate to advanced (or fluent) speakers who are current members of Alliance Française de Jacksonville Join Here. Native speakers are welcome. This group conversation is for adult participants, ages 17 and up.
Note that conversation groups are not substitutes for taking an official French class. Conversation groups are for informal practice and for sharing the joy of conversing in French with other like-minded Francophiles or Francophones.
The national group meets by Zoom for 55 minutes on the second Tuesday and the second Wednesdays of each month, and meets in two different time windows to accommodate our after-work Apéro theme (choose the time that works best for you):
2nd Tuesday of each month @ 2:15 pm PT / 4:15 CT / 5:15 pm ET
2nd Wednesday of each month @ 5:15 pm PT / 7:15 CT / 8:15 pm ET
The groups are now hosted by two members of the Federation of Alliances Françaises board – Charles Coulon for the Tuesday session and Linda Witt for the Wednesday session. Attendees will be assigned to breakout rooms of 4-5 people, with each breakout session lasting 14 minutes. The rooms are then are re-created (for a different mix each time). In this way, participants get to meet and chat with a variety of participants from different backgrounds, regions, and fluency levels.
Participants will need to use Zoom (a free videoconferencing service). To get on the invitation list for the “Apéro-National” sessions, click here.
Federation of Alliances Françaises USA
En français
Many Alliance Française chapters in the United States organize free French conversation groups, and many of those groups have moved online. Check with your local chapter for availability. If your local Alliance doesn’t offer an online conversation group or if you’d like to pick up some additional practice, you can join a hosted national group that meets via Zoom on the second Tuesday of each month. Participants are invited to enjoy their favorite beverage during our “Apéro” conversation.
The group is for intermediate to advanced (or fluent) speakers who are current members of Alliance Française de Jacksonville Join Here. Native speakers are welcome. This group conversation is for adult participants, ages 17 and up.
Note that conversation groups are not substitutes for taking an official French class. Conversation groups are for informal practice and for sharing the joy of conversing in French with other like-minded Francophiles or Francophones.
The national group meets by Zoom for 55 minutes on the second Tuesday and the second Wednesdays of each month, and meets in two different time windows to accommodate our after-work Apéro theme (choose the time that works best for you):
2nd Tuesday of each month @ 2:15 pm PT / 4:15 CT / 5:15 pm ET
2nd Wednesday of each month @ 5:15 pm PT / 7:15 CT / 8:15 pm ET
The groups are now hosted by two members of the Federation of Alliances Françaises board – Charles Coulon for the Tuesday session and Linda Witt for the Wednesday session. Attendees will be assigned to breakout rooms of 4-5 people, with each breakout session lasting 14 minutes. The rooms are then are re-created (for a different mix each time). In this way, participants get to meet and chat with a variety of participants from different backgrounds, regions, and fluency levels.
Participants will need to use Zoom (a free videoconferencing service). To get on the invitation list for the “Apéro-National” sessions, click here.
Cinéclub: Before Sunset
Discussion led by Rick Hanes
January 24 ~ 2PM ET
LIVE on Zoom in English
Before Sunset is an American romantic-drama movie, the sequel to Before Sunrise, premiered on February 10, 2004. Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, the film was directed by Richard Linklater. Nine years after a young French woman Celine and a young American man Jesse first met, they cross paths again in Paris on the French leg of Jesse's book tour. The film was nominated for 1 Oscar for "Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay", and received acclaim from both critics and viewers. Before Sunset was entirely shot in Paris, France. Quai Henri-IV, Promenade Plantée, Le Pure Café, and Shakespeare & Company Bookstore were among the filming locations. Film is available on Amazon Prime.
Please RSVP at [email protected]
This is a free members only event.
Please RSVP at [email protected]
This is a free members only event.
