Mr. Patrick Benoit took 21 students from his Advanced French classes to preview Charles Bizet’s popular French opera “Carmen” put on by the New Orleans Opera at the Mahalia Jackson Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 8. The opera was entirely sung in French, and it was a wonderful opportunity to expose students to the French language and culture.

As a bonus, they had the pleasure to watch a fellow Blue Jay take the stage—opera star Bryan Hymel ’97.

The students were accompanied by faculty members Ms. Holly Smith, Ms. Khanh Nguyen, Mr. Charles Bourg, and Mr. Matthew Firmin for the outing.

The group already hopes to attend a spring production of Mozart’s “Le Mariage de Figaro.”