Souvenirs of Paris, 1950 at Vernon Hills
High School -- Photo by Cathy Foley
Claudia with the AATF National Standards
Committee, 1996
Robinson High School
Paris in the Jazz Age with students from
Libertyville High School --Photo by Cathy Foley
"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)
Lincoln High School, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, student Ali Bendix: "What a spectacular job Ms. Hommel did when she visited our school. Granted, our facilities are not as nice as some of the larger locations where she has performed, but she worked with what she had, leaving many of the students, including myself, amazed. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit us. You are an inspiration and wonderful asset to the performing and education industry! Merci beaucoup!"
"A stellar performance! ... thank you for taking me to Paris along with you...I found your show to be most amazing and interesting, and I think that other high schools would enjoy your show just as much as I did. Do you ever think about touring the United States with your program?" James Sherwood, Robinson High School, Robinson, Illinois
"The response was overwhelmingly positive," said Anne Lawday, Chair of Foreign Languages at Horace Mann School in New York. "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.
"I thought the presentation was excellent!" said Jeff Crawford of Colfax High School in California, "She could be comical and serious at the same time. The funniest part was where she played the role of a French hooker. She made my brother's face turn beat red! Overall, I hope that she comes back in the years to come. I admire her, and think of her as an inspiration for me to work on my French. C'est Bien C'est Bien."
Chase Dowling also of Colfax High School in California wrote, "I liked the show and how she came around and mingled around the crowd, and how she made it seem real." From Annie Brooks, "I thought it was so awesome how you changed the scene, you made me feel like I was in Paris myself. I now plan to go see another performance sometime. Good job." From Sarah Crook-Perry, "I also liked the atmosphere of the cabaret. I loved the singing and the piano. It makes me happy that they chose our school to come to!"
From the Falcon Free Press (CHS): under the headline of "French cabaret brings culture to CHS campus": "Students interested in the art of presenting a one-woman show, post WWII history or languages were invited to attend the seminar that followed the performance and continued through part of second block. The cafeteria was modeled as close as possible to a 1950's nightclub scene in Paris. Mrs. Jana Sacharuk said that the show was realistic in the performance style and intimacy. However, she said, 'a real cabaret would be a lot smokier, and in this one there's going to be juice on the tables instead of wine.'"
From Colfax High, California: Jason Hoffmann "Your performance left a significant impression on other kids and especially myself. My musical nature made me even more attracted to the singing and dancing which I was so honored to see. As a performer in choir I can admire and respect your excellent range, your voice as well as your incredible way of drawing your audience into the act. Your accompanist inspired me to put more into my efforts as a pianist and do greater things. I really enjoyed your storytelling before you flew into your songs. I also would like to thank your pianist for his great Jazz rendition."
From Mark Mattson: "I think it's cool that you perform for high schools and share the art and culture with us."
Unsigned: "I liked the show but it was too short!"
From Neshaminy Middle School (Bucks County, PA):
"I was so impressed when you came to our school and gave us lessons in how to develop character when singing. I thought it was so beneficial. I was the one who sang Edelweiss. It was amazing. I am really starting to understand what I am singing. I really hope I can make singing as a career like you. Thank you so much!!!" Zach Clause
You have such a magnificent, beautiful voice, and it was especially interesting to listen to you sing in French…..Another aspect of your performance that was extremely remarkable was your ability to get the audience involved. This made the program so much more fun because you actually took us to Paris during the jazz age. Mr. Bob Moreen is also a very talented musician. I thought it was really cool how he was able to simply sight-read some of the music we gave him during the master class….Today was such fun, and was a truly amusing, enriching experience I will not soon forget. Rachel Share
……Ms. Hommel sang so beautifully with such emotion and expression. I have learned once that music comes from the heart and not from notes or words on a piece of paper, and Ms. Hommel truly let the audience see her heart and soul. Her soprano voice and the way she sang so high was very amazing to hear……Her impersonations of different musicians showed her great acting ability. I want to thank Ms. Claudia Hommel and Mr. Bob for coming. It was a wonderful pleasure to have them at our school today. Helen Jun
…Claudia Hommel and Bob Moreen made me feel as if I were in a cabaret. The room was set up nicely and I very much enjoyed myself. Emily Funk
Dear Claudia and Bob, Hello! Wow! Your performance was spectacular! You work so well together. When you were singing in French it really made me feel like I was there. I hope that you can come back to our school again. Genevieve Crose
You and your accompanist really showed that you were having fun, and that made the audience have fun too. What you taught in the master class really helped me out. Thank you for coming. Alexandra Miller
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
See what the press has said about Claudia Hommel.
