In conjunction with our Cultural Foundation, the Alliance Française de Sydney regularly organises concerts, performances and musical recitals. This also encompasses opportunities for our supporters to attend events hosted by partner cultural institutions.
This year, our Bastille Day celebrations found a new home at the Greenwood Hotel, bringing together the French and Francophile community in a festive atmosphere with live music, dancing and French flair. We also had the pleasure of welcoming French comedian Tania Dutel, who stopped in Sydney as part of her Australian tour, much to the delight of the audience.
In 2024, the Australian Alliances Françaises came together to organise a tour for stand-up comedian Franjo, whose show attracted more than 500 spectators in Sydney.
Our 14 July celebration was another highlight. Guests enjoyed a festive evening with cancan performances and a set by DJ Loo-e, who kept the dance floor lively until the early hours. The party was made even more special by a raffle with 26 prizes.
In addition, we continued to celebrate 2024 through events such as the student party. We also organised celebrations throughout the year around the Olympic Games.
In 2023, our traditional national holiday once again brought the community together, this time under the theme ‘France: North and South’. More than 900 guests gathered at the Argyle for an evening of music, dancing and French festivities.
In addition, our community enjoyed other festive gatherings throughout the year, including the celebration of ‘140 years of the Alliance Française Movement’ and our annual Beaujolais Nouveau tasting, which brought together wine lovers.
2022 marked the return of our traditional national day celebrations. With the theme ‘France around the world’, the event brought together more than 1,000 guests at the Argyle for an unforgettable evening. The festivities were officially opened by Her Excellency, the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales, alongside His Excellency William Chan, Sydney City Councillor.
In addition, our community gathered for ‘La Fête des Étudiants’, a joyful celebration for students, and a champagne tasting organised in collaboration with Pinnacle Drinks.
With the support of the Lycée Condorcet and the French Embassy in Australia, we had the pleasure of organising a performance of Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, featuring internationally acclaimed pianist Maxime Zecchini. Best known for mastering the left hand repertoire works composed to be played with a single hand Zecchini captivated his audience with a rich program including Bellini: Casta Diva (from Norma) and Massenet: Meditation (from Thaïs), among others.
We were also honoured to welcome The OZY Youth Choir Honouring Defence Service at the Alliance Française de Sydney for the launch of their second singing tour of the Western Front, Pour le Devoir de Mémoire (The Duty of Remembrance). Guests had the opportunity to meet members of the 2018 tour, hear their moving stories, and enjoy a live performance.
Our collaboration with the annual festival So Frenchy So Chic continued, showcasing its first-ever all-female line-up, including experimental pop artist Camille Dalmais, Yelle, Clara Luciani, and Cléa Vincent.
Throughout the year, our community also enjoyed exclusive opportunities to win tickets to leading performances, including the Sydney Dance Company’s 50th Anniversary triple bill (with Rafael Bonachela’s Cinco, Gabrielle Nankivell’s Neon Aether, and Melanie Lane’s WOOF), the spectacular cabaret Blanc de Blanc Encore at the Sydney Opera House, and Mea Culpa, an avant-garde dance-theatre production by French choreographer Cloé Fournier.
Finally, 2021 also saw the introduction of a highly successful new format: the French Cooking Workshops, run online in partnership with Magimix and Four Frogs Crêperie. These events combined cultural discovery with culinary expertise, as participants were introduced to the cultural and linguistic origins of iconic French dishes before joining a live, chef-led cooking demonstration.
The year kicked off with a bang with our partner, the celebrated Francophile festival, So Frenchy So Chic, sporting a line-up of legendary acts including the melodic Lou Doillon; the Gallic disco queen Corine, and the troubadour TÉTÉ.
Unfortunately, as restrictions tightened around the pandemic, the performing arts were among those most gravely hit. During this time, our community were able to make the most of our online catalogue of cultural resources which included archives of concerts and shows, available through our e-library Culturethèque. In addition, they were able to browse live streaming of music festivals like Rock en Seine, Vielles Charrues, les Inrocks, Lolapaloosa Paris and more through other affiliated platforms such as France TV Spectacles et Culture and Arte Concert.
Later in the year, once some cultural activities had resumed, our members were given the opportunity to win tickets to a special tribute concert to the legendary jazz musician Don Burrows at the Sydney Opera House. Led by lifelong friend James Morrison, this memorable night featured performances by the likes of Emma Pask, William Barton and more.
Our members were also lucky enough to go into the running to win tickets to win a reserve double pass to Vivaldi's Venice at City Recital
Hall presented by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra; and a screening of Jules Massenet’s comic opera Manon, an evening which
embodied the quintessential expression of the charm and vitality of the music and culture of the Parisian Belle Époque.
With the support of the Lycée Condorcet and the French embassy in Australia, we had the pleasure of organising Piano Concerto for the
Left Hand,
performed by internationally acclaimed pianist Maxime Zecchini. Best known for practising the ‘left hand repertoire’, where a musician uses a
single hand to play compositions that would ideally require all ten fingers, Zecchini treated his guests to a robust program that included Bellini:
Casta Diva,
extract from the opera, 'Norma' and Massenet: Meditation from ‘Thais’ to name a few.
In turn, we were humbled to welcome The OZY Youth Choir Honouring Defence Service at the Alliance Française de Sydney for the launch of its
second singing tour of the Western Front in December 2020; Pour le Devoir de Mémoire (The Duty of Remembrance). During the launch,
guests had the privilege of meeting some of the 2018 tour members who shared stories of their 2018 trip and performed some of their songs
together.
We were also proud to continue our partnership with the annual French festival of food and live music So Frenchy So Chic, which presented
their first ever all-female line-up, including experimental pop artist Camille Dalmais, Yelle, Clara Luciani and Cléa Vincent.
Throughout the year, we also provided opportunities for our supporters to win tickets to Sydney Dance Company’s 50th Anniversary with a formidable triple bill featuring the world premiere of Rafael Bonachela’s Cinco, Gabrielle Nankivell’s new work Neon Aether and Melanie Lane’s WOOF.
In addition, our supporters were also able to win tickets to the Blanc de Blanc encore at the Opera House, a refined blend of
vintage French glamour, spectacular aerials, comedy, dazzling dance numbers and acrobatics as well as Mea Culpa, a dance-theatre
ensemble work which saw French choreographer, Cloé Fournier re-evaluate the plasticity of the body as a technological landscape in scrutiny
of the female form.
In July, we also welcomed traditional Cancan performances as part of its annual Bastille Day Celebration which took place at the Argyle,
welcoming close to 1,000 Francophones and Francophiles.
