LIFETIME LEARNING SPRING 2016

Transcription

1 LIFETIME LEARNING SPRING 2016 Hour 1 Classical Music Series April 25: Elevate Your Musical Mood with David Houston, flute and Joy Phinney, piano. This elegant flute and piano duo returns to Lifetime Learning with an all new program of Bach, Hindemith, Bloch, and Hummel. May 2: Bach s Goldberg Variations: Version Trio with Robyn Bollinger, violin; Wenhong Luo, viola; and Sujin Lee, cello. This trio of prize-winning young musicians presents Bach s harpsichord masterpiece arranged for string trio. May 9: Dolci e Traversi with Sarah Cantor, recorder and traverso; Na ama Lion, recorder and traverso; Christien Beeuwkes, voice and cello; and Dana Maiben, violin. These early music virtuosi present an all Baroque program for recorder, traverso (wooden flute), voice, violin, and cello. May 16: Morgenliede with Thea Lobo, mezzo soprano and Sylvia Berry, piano. This muchlauded duo presents a program of German Lieder. May 23: Revere Piano Quartet with Jin-Kyung Joen, violin; Ronald Gorevic, viola; Eugene Kim, cello; and Tae Kim, piano. This dynamic new New England Conservatory-based group presents Dvorak s masterwork Piano Quartet No. 2, Op. 87, with musical examples beforehand to give the audience listening tips. June 6: A Morning of French Song. Peabody Conservatory Musicology Chair/baritone Richard Giarusso presents a program of French song with Boston-area mezzo soprano Mary Gerbi and pianist and music historian Sean Gallagher.

2 Hour 1 Courses (pick one) Western Gunslingers: The Bad Guys with Dan Seligman, PhD. This course will consist of a series of PowerPoint seminars on the lives of five bad guys who lived in the American West in the late 19th century. This is a sequel to our previous series about Western good guys but also stands on its own, so there is no prerequisite. The intent is to present the unvarnished truth as far as it can be ascertained from historical records, free of the broad exaggeration with which the American West has been treated by westerns and other media, as well as by a more recent tendency towards uninformed debunking. The five seminars will be fit into the six Lifetime Learning sessions, each addressing one of following figures: Jesse James John Wesley Hardin Billy the Kid BlackBart ButchCassidy

3 Morocco: From the High Atlas Peaks to Saharan Dune with Barry Pell Note: this is a 3-session course; students will attend the music series for the last three sessions. Morocco is an exotic gateway to Africa. Its mountains, desert, and coast are populated by Arabs, Berbers, and nomads, and its ancient medina lanes lead to bustling market souqs and stunning riad residences. Barry Pell and his wife recently lived and taught English in Casablanca and traveled extensively throughout the country. In this three-session course, Barry will present aspects of Moroccan life in its historic cities, mountain villages, and desert settlements. Accompanied by his photography, the presentations will focus on the country s most fascinating places that make it such a popular destination for visitors. Session 1: Morocco s Imperial Cities: Marrakech, Fez, and Meknés Session 2: Morocco s Atlas Mountains: Berber Villages and Dramatic Vistas Session 3: Morocco s Desert South: Kasbahs, Oases and Camels Great American Speeches from 1783 to the Present with Peter Kastner In this class we ll explore the great American speeches. We ll analyze the rhetorical skills of the orator, his or her background, and the historical, social, and cultural contexts of the speech.

4 Join us as together we ask: What are the necessary conditions for a great speech? Do you need a great event to give a great speech? What are the recurring themes of American speeches? How does the style of the speaker reflect his or her times? What was the historical impact, if any, of these speeches? How do great speeches vary according to the audience and setting? How do we evaluate the effectiveness of opposing speakers? We will review specific speeches for each class. Participants will be provided copies of the speeches as well as material on general rhetorical style and the style of many of the individual speakers. This is an interactive class; no prior knowledge is needed. The material will include comparisons with previous classes, so please plan to attend every week in order to fully participate in the class. The Importance of Interfaith Activism and Spirituality through an Islamic lens With Latifa Ziyad In this class we will examine the lives of the Prophets and their stories that have modern-day implications for activism and spiritual growth. We ll view them through the perspective of the Quran, and discuss their relevance to biblical and Torah accounts as well. Each class will include accounts of their companions so that women will be a fundamental part of the narrative as well. We ll discuss interfaith actors Moses/Musa, Abraham/Ibrahim, Muhammad, Solomon/Sulliman, Joseph/Yusuf, and Jesus/Isa.

5 Hour 2 Distinguished Speaker Series April25:WritingtheState snextchapterineducationreform.massachusettsleads thenation andmuchoftheworld inoverallstudentachievement.thisdistinction masksdeepopportunitygapsforlowaincomestudents,studentsofcolor,andenglish LanguageLearners.StateSenateEducationChairSoniaChang;Díazdiscusseshowwe mustcometogetherwithurgencytoaddressthesechallengesandprovideeducational opportunityforall. May2:Boston'sLastBest(kept)Secret:WhereAretheGardnerMuseum Masterpieces?AquarterAcenturyago,twomenstoleanestimatedhalfAbilliondollars worthofartworkfromthegardner,includingmasterpiecesbyrembrandt,vermeer,and Manet.ThreeAtimeBostonGlobePulitzerprizeAwinnerStephenKurkjianhaswrittenthe definitiveaccountofwhatisstillthegreatestarttheftinworldhistoryanditsfbi investigation.kurkjian sbook,masterthieves,revealshowandwhyithappened and whatitwilltaketoretrievethestolenpaintings.

6 May9:TheOverviewEffect:WhattheAstronautsAreTryingtoTellUs.Formore than50years,astronautshavebeentryingtocommunicatehowtheirexperiencesin outerspacearerelevanttoeveryoneonearth.whataretheysayingandwhydoesit matter?harvardgraduateandrhodesscholarfrankwhite,authoroftheoverview Effect:SpaceExplorationandHumanEvolution,offershisthoughtAprovokinganswers. May16:GrubStreet:HowBoston sliteraryartscenterchangeslivesforwritersand thecommunity.acrossthecountry,literaryartscentersarepromotingwidespread engagementinthenarrativearts,unleashingpowerfulideasandbuildingconnectionsboth locallyandnationallyamongemergingandestablishedwriters,literaryagents, andpublishers.evebridburg,grubstreet sfounder,explainshowsheaccidentallyendedup birthingandstewardingoneoftheleadingcentersattheheartofthisnationalmovement.

7 May23:America swarforthegreatermiddleeast.sincethecarterdoctrineof1980, theushasrepeatedlyintervenedintheislamicworld,buthaslittletoshowforitsefforts. WhatlessonsshouldwetakefromAmerica sfailure?formerbuprofessorandrewj. Bacevichisawriterwithadozenbookstohiscredit,includingmostrecently,America s WarfortheGreaterMiddleEast. June6:AWomanintheAmericanPresidency?APerspectivefromHistory.Professor, scholar,andbestsellingauthorellenfitzpatrickasks:whatwecanlearnfromthree womenwhotriedtobreakthrough"thehighestglassceiling"totheamerican presidency?thetale,spanningacenturybeginningin1872,involvesresistance, influence,andintrigue.

8 Hour 2 Courses (pick one) Chair Yoga with Diann Siegel Learn traditional yoga postures while seated in a chair. Safe and gentle, chair yoga is suitable for beginners, the inflexible, and those with physical challenges. Anticipate renewed vitality, enhanced strength and balance, and increased range of motion. Learn to use your breath to calm and focus your mind and maximize your energy.wear loose-fitting comfortable clothing, and avoid wearing fragrances. Limited enrollment. Get Organized Now with Rae Mintz, Professional Organizer This class is for the overwhelmed who need some encouragement to get organized. After getting to know everyone and what brought you here, we ll discuss common challenges of getting and staying organized dealing with the influx of mail, finding a system for paying bills, closet reorganization, setting up/keeping your home office organized, storage tips, and more. Each week we ll discuss a different challenge. Progress reports and next steps will be reviewed at the end. Feel free to bring your own organizing issues to class. Limited enrollment.

9 Masterpieces of French Literature with Ingrid Kisliuk, PhD Note: this class will run from 11:15am-12:30pm. Enjoy readings and discussions of French masterpieces: L Assommoir, by Emile Zola (translation by Margaret Mauldon, Oxford World s Classics, reissued, 2009); The Stranger, by Albert Camus (translated from French by Stuart Gilbert, Vintage Books, division of Random House, New York); and A Man s Place, by Annie Ernaux (translated by Tanya Leslie, Seven Stories Press, New York, 1992, with introduction by Francine Prose, Please read up to page 95 (the first three chapters) of L Assommoir before the first class. Limited enrollment. Sharpen Your Internet Skills with Howard Loewinger, IT Professional Get more Internet-savvy. Learn search tips, and explore various browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Chrome), and essential settings. Learn to refine search terms to get results more quickly, and focus your searches for images, videos or books, movie times, and flight information in Google. You ll become familiar with Google services such as Maps, Play, Google+, and Google Drive. We will also survey various social media websites, and we ll go over Internet safety for you and your computer. Optional: bring your fully-charged laptop or tablet to class. Limited enrollment.

10 Opera with Erika Reitshamer, New England Opera Club board member, and former VP of Wagner Society In this course we ll explore five operas in detail and one opera star: 1) Ambroise Thomas grand opera Hamlet, which features Ophelia s famous and vocallystunning mad scene, with Natalie Dessay and Simon Keenlyside. 2) Puccini s obsessive love story, Manon Lescaut, whose heroine transforms herself into a Parisian temptress while a dashing student desperately woos her, with Kristine Opolais and Jonas Kaufmann. 3) The popular Madama Butterfly, in a beautiful Martin Scorsese film. Her heart is broken by an American naval officer. 4) Gaetano Donizetti s opera Roberto Devereux, with Beverly Sills. A tale of Queen Elizabeth I and the Earl of Essex. 5. Elektra by Richard Strauss, with Leonie Rysanek and Astrid Varnay. Based on Sophocles gruesome tale of a very dysfunctional family, it s the bloodiest opera of them all. 6. The final class will be all about the Welsh Wonder, baritone Bryn Terfel.