Spirituals à la Française

At the generous invitation of one of our host families, whose Madame sings in the Voices Choeur International, a number of us attended a benefit concert at the Apprentis d'Auteuil, a nineteenth-century Catholic orphanage and benevolent society in the sixteenth arrondissement.  The Voices Choeur International performed a program of African American spirituals, including Amazing Grace and Go Tell It On the Mountain, in -- according to the poster -- "the pure tradition of American choral societies."  It was an interesting experience for all of us to hear Parisians beautifully sing uniquely American songs, reminding us of the power of music to cross cultural and linguistic boundaries.