Every month, I introduce you to an interesting woman living in Languedoc. Curious as I am, I like to find out why she lives in this beautiful region, what she does for a living, and some of her Languedoc favourites. This month, the multifaceted Sally Gordon-Mark explains how she ended up in the South of France, after having lived in the USA, Italy, and Paris. Now, she calls Béziers her home. Being skilled in many disciplines, Sally is a musician, teacher, historical researcher and writer.
Introduction
Born in New York City, my family and I moved to California when I was ten. My father was a musician, and he introduced me to music. Additionally, my parents exposed me to a wide range of music styles. It gave my two brothers and me a rich experience growing up, and all three of us ended up playing instruments or singing. For 20 years, I was a studio singer, having started in the teenage girl group ‘The Murmaids’ (1), along with sisters Terry and Carol Fisher. We even received a gold record for the hit song Popsicles and Icicles in 1963.
This led to my working at Warner Bros. Records in 1980, with Francis Coppola as my first client. In 1981, my son and I moved to San Francisco, where I worked as a promotions and public relations manager at Lucasfilm Ltd. In 1987, I decided to take a break. The idea was to go back to school for a year. I found a brochure about studying abroad at the Sorbonne University in Paris. This sounded wonderful, so I left on a student visa. However, I enjoyed my time in France so much, I ended up staying for 33 years, starting out as a piano and voice teacher. I met an American- now a concert artist- who introduced me to the harpsichord. I studied in a regional conservatory for four years. This completely changed my life.
For the first nine years, I lived in the French capital but moved to Saint Germain-en-Laye outside Paris to enjoy its forest. I had stopped singing and dancing in the US, and in France, I found my passions again and discovered a new one: research, which became a professional activity. Thanks to my move to Paris, I started a whole new musical life, meeting new people. Those 33 years were truly fabulous, living out many fantasies.
First Time Visiting the Region
Unfortunately, the COVID lockdown resulted in my not being able to teach, except online. I had been teaching at the British School of Paris. Hearing that the cost of living was half as much in Italy, I decided to move there. When I was 19, I had lived and worked in Florence, and it had been my dream to return. I ended up renting an apartment in a 13th century ex-monastery in Perugia. During the next five years, I wrote biographical articles that were published in the US, the UK and France. I also performed as a singer- as a soloist and in the regional opera chorus. A famous medieval music group turned out to be close by, so I took up new instruments to perform in workshops, concerts and street festivals with them. A new life again!
Bad knees had me looking for a less hilly town, though. I considered moving back to Paris, but the South of France looked appealing. Not the Côte d’Azur area, as it is too expensive and too crowded in summer. Looking at a map, I spotted Béziers. It seemed to have everything I was looking for: close to the sea and Italy, a direct train connection to Paris, public transportation, medical facilities and an interesting history.
Settling in Languedoc
In November 2024, I spent a week in Béziers looking at apartments. I found the atmosphere to be more like Italy. The many people I talked to were very helpful, and everybody looked relaxed. The decision to move was quick. I have now lived in the centre of Béziers since the beginning of February 2025. Here, I continue to give music lessons to students online, do research and translations, and write articles. I am currently working on the biography of a film producer at his request.
Living in the South of France
Of course, I had already had my first introduction to the French mentality when I lived in Paris. I have been a French citizen for many years. However, things are different here than in Paris, so there are things to learn. A simple smile to a person on the street is returned in Béziers, whereas if you were to do so in Paris, people would think you were crazy!
Béziers’ cultural life pleasantly surprised me. There is lots to do. I love going to the theatre (3), and the flamenco festival (4) is a favourite. I also take art classes at the Société des Beaux-Arts in the Maison Relin. And of course, I look forward to travelling to different places, which is easy from Béziers. I’m happy to live in France, and I don’t plan to go back to the USA.
Favourite Restaurant
I still have to do a lot of discovering, although Pica Pica (5) is quite delicious. I also heard about the wine bar and restaurant of Le Chameau Ivre, which translates to the Drunken Camel. It’s great to know that there are so many good restaurants around!
Perfect Day Out in Languedoc
I would definitely go to the beach and spend some time by the sea. Back in Béziers, I like going to the square in front of the cathedral to watch a beautiful sunset (6) over the Orb Valley. A cocktail and a lovely dinner would conclude this perfect day.
