Alliance Française de
Chicago
(French Alliance of Chicago)
810 North Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60610
Phone: (312) 337-1070
Fax: (312) 337-3019
[email protected]
www.af-chicago.org
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Aimée Laberge
Director of Cultural Programs
[email protected]
MEDIA CONTACTS
Sabrina Tadić
Marketing & Communications Manager
[email protected]
SUMMER 2015
CULTURAL PROGRAMS
THE FRENCH EXPERIENCE
LEARN FRENCH CHICAGO
FETE DE LA MUSIQUE / MAKE MUSIC CHICAGO
LA RETROSPECTIVE LOL !
BASTILLE DAY / GASTRONOMY
FAMILY FUN
MÉDIATHÈQUE
THE FRENCH EXPERIENCE
French up your summer, mais oui!
New Summer Session Starts June 27
FREE Trial Classes / ALL LEVELS
Initiation / Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
June 20 - 25
810 N. Dearborn Street
FREE ADMISSION
You’ve always wanted to learn French and now is your chance! Try one of our French
classes for FREE. Choose your own level or have one of our language specialists help with
your placement. Classes for every level: whether you are an absolute beginner or looking to
brush up, we have a class for you! Enroll now… Allons-y !
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Class.php
Pre-Session Crash Courses
June 22 – 25
810 N. Dearborn Street
This highly varied immersion course is a unique chance for students to
brush up on culture and language in a stimulating setting. It includes 4
classes, each taught by a different, specialized instructor.
Featured classes for this session: Grammatical Workshop; Phonetics &
Communication; Speaking in Context; Du Tac au Tac (Idiomatic French).
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Class.php
FREE Wine & Cheese Open House
Wednesday, June 24 / 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
810 N. Dearborn Street
FREE ADMISSION
Visit our facilities, meet teachers, current students & volunteers, try one of our
French classes or take a placement test. Après l'effort, le réconfort ! Savor a
glass of French wine and cheese in the courtyard (Weather permitting).
Schedule:
6:00 p.m. - Doors Open / Check-In
6:30 p.m. - Program Starts / Free-trial classes
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.php?event=1323&type=
LEARN FRENCH CHICAGO
Learn French Chicago
The Alliance team is proud to present to you its very own blog.
Conceptualizing and delivering classes that are motivating, engaging,
and effective is– our priority. This is why the Alliance Française de
Chicago is one of the greatest innovators and trend-setters in the US and
in the world, in terms of pedagogical approach. As such, the entire
Alliance team is proud to present to you its very own blog:
learnfrenchchicago.com
This new, original, and exclusive learning portal constitutes the perfect
extension to your French class experience, as it will help you synthesize,
solidify, and use your French outside of the classroom. Specifically
designed to fit our students’ needs, it is free, easily accessible from
anywhere, and interactive.
Here are some examples of what you can do through this platform:
Engage in conversations with your teachers and other students
Access the class content (lessons, recaps, homework, etc.) as well as
extra material (recordings, videos, etc.)
Keep in touch with the life of the school
At the heart of this tool is the will to deliver a world class service. We count
on your feedback to accomplish this, so do not hesitate to contact us.
Bonne classe, bonne route et bon vent à tous.
The Learning Center Directors: Geoffrey Ruiz and Elodie Kaplan along with the entire Alliance team.
For more information: http://learnfrenchchicago.com/
FETE DE LA MUSIQUE / MAKE MUSIC CHICAGO
Music takes over the Alliance in June!
June 21 is the Fête de la Musique in France but why limit ourselves to one day only? In June, the
Alliance presents a “pocket-size” opéra with harpist and composer Isabelle Olivier and featuring
Chicago’s own Sarah Marie Young, Lynne Jordan, Mitchell Owens, and Saalik Ziyad. Come back
for our screening of super retro Populaire with Romain Duris, following a live performance of French
songs led by Abigail Boucher.
Opéra de poche : « Don’t worry, be HaRpy »
Thursday, June 11 / 6:30 p.m.
54 W. Chicago Avenue
Admission, $20, including a glass of French mousseux
Freely adapted from « The Baron in the Tree » by Italo Calvino, Isabelle
Olivier composed an original libretto and music based on the paradox
between civilization and nature. The result is an interactive jazz opera
featuring singers Sarah Marie Young, Lynne Jordan, Mitchell Owens
and Saalik Ziyad, and called “Don’t worry, be haRpy”!
Recording artist and award-winning composer and harpist, Isabelle
Olivier is artist in residence at the Villa Lenôtre in Versailles in 2015.
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.php?event=1303&type=
LA RETROSPECTIVE LOL !
La Rétrospective LOL en Musique ! – LAST SCREENING
Special live performance: pre-screening récital of French songs with Abigail Boucher (voice),
Daniella Rukin (piano), and Joseph Lutz (clarinet) beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Populaire (2012, 111 min.)
(In French with English subtitles)
By Régis Roinsard
Wednesday, June 17 / 6:30 p.m.
54 W. Chicago Avenue
Admission, $8, with a glass of our favorite French wine,
Louis Jadot
It is 1958: Rose is a terrible secretary but an incredible typist. Her boss
decides to make her enter a typing contest and trains her to win... but a love
of sport doesn't always mix well with love itself. This delightful French
comedy with stunning art direction features two of the most charming
actresses working in France now, Déborah François and Bérénice Bejo (The
Artist).
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.php?event=1259&type=50
And don’t miss Make Music Chicago on June 21st!
For more information: http://www.facebook.com/makemusicchicago
AL’after-work…The French version of the Cocktail
AHour
ATuesday, June 23 / 6:00 p.m.
A54 W. Chicago Avenue
AAdmission, $8 with a glass of our favorite French wine,
ALouis Jadot & French DJ
ALong day at work? In need of new faces? No worries, the Alliance opens up
Aits sun-bathed courtyard for an apéritif, the French version of the cocktail
Ahour. Enjoy good conversation, music with a French DJ, and a glass of
AFrench wine!
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.php?event=1321&type=30
BASTILLE DAY
CELEBRATE THE FETE NATIONALE !
Bastille Day
Tuesday, July 14 / 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Daley Plaza
50 W. Washington Street
Chicago, IL 60602
FREE ADMISSION
Bastille
Day,
the
French
national
holiday,
commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took
place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the
French Revolution. On July 14, 2015, right here in
Chicago, the French take over Daley Plaza. Come
celebrate with us the Fête Nationale!
Enjoy music by French rock band La Jarry: "Like Sex
Pistols meets The Beatles!". Well-known for its muscular
performances on stage, La Jarry's combination of strong
melodies and Benoît Pourtau's voice makes it a hit.
Let our juggler deploy his talents and discover our brand new children's corner before getting ready for the very
popular Waiter's Race.
Travel to Southern France and try your luck at a centuries-old game: la pétanque.
Have a drink entre amis and discover French treats: crêpes, viennoiseries, and vins on-site.
And...don't forget to enter our very special Bastille Day Raffle: tons of prizes to enjoy the French joie de vivre this summer in
Chicago!
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.php?event=1322&type=39
GASTRONOMY
BEING A CHEF: FRENCH COOKING LESSONS
With Madelaine Bullwinkel
Tuition: $70 Members / $80 Non-members / $15 Materials Fee
Please dress to work in the kitchen: long pants, a shirt with sleeves, and shoes with covered
toes. Merci !
Steak à la Française
Saturday, June 27 / 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
810 N. Dearborn Street
Grilling on the deck or indoors is a snap when you've mastered the timing. Discover
the rich flavor in the inexpensive cuts the French prefer: hanger, tri-tip, skirt, and
flatiron steaks. With polenta frites on the side!
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.php?event=1317&type=35
Spotlight on Olive Oil
Saturday, July 11 / 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
810 N. Dearborn Street
Boost your olive oil savvy as we taste oils from France, Spain, and Italy and pair them
with a special summer menu. We'll marinate tuna in oil for a salade niçoise, season a
peppered rib-eye steak, dress strawberries in vanilla-infused oil, and bake a
voluminous olive oil cake.
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.php?event=1318&type=35
From Pesto to Pistou
Saturday, July 25 / 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
810 N. Dearborn Street
We explore the refreshing ways fresh basil is used in Provence. From simply
garnishing fresh fruit with spicy leaves to making a light pistou with garlic and olive oil
that enriches chilled soup, bread salad, fettuccini, and stuffed vegetables. Easy
recipes make this hands-on class a summer treat!
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.php?event=1319&type=35
Provençal Style Pizza
Saturday, August 8 / 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
810 N. Dearborn Street
Try your hand at a Provençal thin crust pizza with zucchini and St. Maure cheese.
Our version of pissaladière niçoise includes thinly-sliced fennel, onions, anchovies,
and black olives. Don't feel like baking? Learn how to prepare pan-bagnat , a bread
salad on a bun.
Information & Registration: http://www.af-chicago.org/app/Calendar.php?event=1320&type=35
FAMILY FUN
SUMMER CAMP 2015 – ENROLL TODAY!
FRENCH SUMMER CAMP / (AGES 6–12)
Have Fun! Make Friends! Learn French!
June 15 – July 31
5 days a week / 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
810 N. Dearborn Street
 ALL LEVELS OF FRENCH ARE WELCOME!
This action-packed, seven-week program will have your child making
friends, speaking French and having fun all summer long! Designed to
introduce your children to French language and culture through arts & crafts, games, singing & music, sports, cooking, field
trips and much more... This camp experience is ideal for children ages 6-12. Register by the week or for the full seven weeks.
Offer your children an entire summer of fun, discovery and French!
To register, please contact us at (312) 337-1070.
For more information: http://www.af-chicago.org/YOUNG/summercamp.php
MÉDIATHÈQUE
Plan your summer vacation with our travel selections
Fresh ideas are always available in the library – just ask. Plus, stop
in for a summer reading list!
Raw Materials: Uncovering Chicago’s Historical Collections
August 7 – November 15
Harold Washington Library
Featuring items from 20 cultural institutions, including the Alliance Française de Chicago!
For more information: http://chicagocollectionsconsortium.org/node/4923
View all our programs on www.af-chicago.org
ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FRANCAISE
The Alliance Française de Chicago, a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) institution, is Chicago’s and the Midwest’s leading French cultural and learning center,
dedicated to the study of French language, cultural exchange and friendship between Americans and French speaking people from around the world.
As a language and cultural center, the Alliance Française of Chicago offers a wide range of classes for adults and children in addition to artistic, literary,
culinary, musical, theatrical, and current event programming. A partnership with the Chicago Public Schools provides enrichment classes in French
language and culture for Chicago public high school students and an ‘Award Towards Excellence Scholarship’ program. Conversation groups and a film club
are also offered, as well as a lending library with an impressive selection of DVDs, books, and magazines.