OLLI@DU / 2023 FALL / COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

JS Bach and the Baroque Era in Music and Art

VIPA 1012

Tuesday

Dates: 9/19 to 11/7 (8 weeks)

Time: 1–3 PM

Facilitator: Hille Dais, Master Facilitator

Location: Jefferson Unitarian Church

Class Limit: 50 Participants

Sponsoring Site: West

In this class we will focus primarily on the life of Johann Sebastian Bach, his family and his career. We will learn about his major works for keyboard, the solo violin and cello, his orchestral compositions, and his church music. More broadly, we will learn about other major composers of the baroque. What was happening at the time to create the baroque style? Why and how is this music still so relevant to present-day composing and performing? We will finish with a guest art historian’s presentation on the art of the baroque era. Guest musicians will bring music and their stories of what the baroque has meant to them.

Journeys: Learning Through Travel

VIPA 1015

Wednesday

Dates: 9/20 to 11/8 (8 weeks)

Time: 1–3 PM

Facilitator: Barbara Werren, Diamond Facilitator

Location: Online

Class Limit: Unlimited

Sponsoring Site: West

We’re traveling again! And traveling is Barbara’s university, recreation, and passion. Creating programs to share with others is a satisfying pursuit that expands her knowledge and appreciation of the world and its wonders. Travel gives us all the opportunity to learn and experience the culture, music, art, religion, geography and especially the beautiful people of the world. We’ll travel to many destinations in this session...my most recent trip to Jordon and Egypt, of course. We will so visit Ireland, Iceland, Mexico, Chiapas, Budapest to Amsterdam River Cruise, Canadian Maritimes...and more. Whether you are eager to travel again and want some ideas about future trips or are an armchair traveler who enjoys seeing the beauty of the world, you’ll enjoy this class. Come travel with us!

Listen to the Music—The Rhythm of Life

VIPA 1010

Tuesday

Dates: 9/18, 2–4 PM & 9/26 to 11/7, 1–3 PM (8 weeks)

Facilitators: Sue Bramley, Master Facilitator/ Wayne Gardner

Location: Columbine United Church

Class Limit: 35 Participants

Sponsoring Site: South

We’ll be examining far different music than we’ve done before. Here is just an sample.

Matinee at the Bijou—Billy Wilder and Friends

VIPA 1002

Monday

Dates: 9/18 to 11/6 (8 weeks)

Time: 12:30–3 PM

Facilitator: Mac McHugh, Platinum Facilitator

Location: Online

Class Limit: Unlimited Sponsoring Site: On Campus

• Stories Behind the Songs: Fleetwood Mac & the Eagles

• Iconic Performances: From the jazz clubs of France to Broadway & film, to sports arena chants to music videos, we’ll take a look at iconic performances through the decades.

• Nashville Songwriters: History, stories, writing process, clever lyrics

• Surfin’ USA: A New Craze & Culture Hits America. We’ll reintroduce you to the influencers who put forth this phenom.

• Behind the Curtain: Deep Dive into the Grammys & R & R Hall of Fame

• Westward Expansion – Music Weaves the Narrative: What contributed to the development of America? Music! We’ll explore western music, war chants, men at work, lifestyle & patriotism.

Billy Wilder, the name may not conjure up recognition but name the movies and suddenly a light bulb goes on. Wilder’s list of movie successes goes long. Names such as The Major and the Minor, Double Indemnity, Lost Weekend, Stalag 17, The Seven Year Itch, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, and Witness for the Prosecution. His style ranged from comedies, heavy drama, crime dramas, and back to comedies. But wait…. Wilder didn’t start out to be a director. His beginning was a screenwriter and many of his bestknown movies were from screenplays he wrote. The only thing that can be said about his movies are none are alike. Join us as we look into the four decades Wilder made movies. We have a minor without money to pay a train ticket, a crooked insurance investigator, a prisoner of war, an over-thehill actress, two executives after a girl, a courtroom drama, a crooked lawyer, and a newspaper reporter. Again, we will have a short discussion before and after the movie to discuss the stars, the plot, and why the movie was successful. Due to the length of the movies the class will start at 12:30 p.m. and there will not be an intermission during the movie. The participation of the attendees was encouraged. The enthusiastic response struck chords of memory and made us all friends.

Paul Simon: A Musical Journey

VIPA 1006

Tuesday

Dates: 9/19 to 10/10 (4 weeks)

Time: 1–3 PM

Facilitator: Steve Spirn

Location: 1st Universalist

Class Limit: 30 Participants

Sponsoring Site: Central

If you have enjoyed the music of Paul Simon over the decades, join me in a retrospective of his musical work. I have enjoyed his music since college (a long time ago) and have decided a review of his work might be of interest to others who grew up with him and his music.

We will listen and watch a lot of music but also learn more about the man behind such a vast catalog of famous music.

We will cover the following:

1. The Early Years

2. Simon and Garfunkel

3. Performing with Others

4. Paul Simon-Performing and Talking about His Music Over the Decades

5. Famous Concerts Including a Capstone Concert

The emphasis of our time together will be spent in watching and listening to music. If you want to relax and listen to lots of good music by this legendary artist, this is the class for you.

Portraits: People, Pets, and (Holiday) Parties

VIPA 1009

Tuesday

Dates: 9/19 To 10/10 (4 Weeks)

Time: 1–3 PM

Facilitator: Mark Payler

Location: Online

Class Limit: Unlimited

Sponsoring Site: On Campus

Babies and older (think grandchildren of all ages) — YES! Pets (really; think of your fur babies) — YES! Formal posed portraits — YES! Candid family moments — YES! This hands-on course will focus on both formal and informal portraiture techniques which anyone can use no matter their photography level (beginning to advanced amateur photographer) and tool set (Smartphone — [Note: With limited capabilities at times] to DSLR/Mirrorless digital cameras). Natural and artificial light sources will be utilized as well as techniques in both posing and capturing those fleeting informal moments at a family holiday gathering. This course will help make you comfortable with photographing your family and friends as well as prepare you to capture the upcoming holiday celebrations which you have come to love and enjoy. Weekly shooting assignments, based on the course material presented that week, will be given so the class member is able to practice the different techniques and topics presented during the weekly session.

Stage-Inspired Great Music: From Broadway Back To Shakespeare VIPA 1013

Wednesday

Dates: 9/20 to 11/8/ (8 Weeks)

Time: 9:30–11:30 AM

Facilitator: Betsy Schwarm, Master Facilitator

Location: Online

Class Limit: 50 Participants

Sponsoring Site: On Campus

For over a century, the bright lights of Broadway have lured countless performers and enchanted myriad audience members, especially when music is involved. Perhaps music settles more readily into the heart than words. Of course, even before the advent of the Great White Way, as it has been called, music and drama were close companions. This eight-week online course led by music historian Betsy Schwarm begins with Broadway, in which we find some of the most beloved theatrical music of the past 150 years. Works combining music, spoken dialog, and storytelling have been an adored form of cultural entertainment since the late 19th century. Thank you, Gilbert and Sullivan, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and many more!

From The Pirates of Penzance to Showboat to South Pacific to Sweeney Todd, telling a tale in musical form gives us not only the text, but also the subtext. What lies beneath the surface? Once we’ve reviewed how musical theater works, Betsy will look back to the origins of that art form with operetta, opera, and even Shakespearean songs. Great music can make unfamiliar tales more accessible, and familiar ones that much more powerful.

Shot in the Street, the Photography of Henri Cartier Bresson

VIPA 1022

Tuesday

Dates: 9/26 to 10/24 (5 weeks)

Time: 1–3 PM

Facilitator: Daniel Teitelbaum

Location: Online

Class Limit: Unlimited

Sponsoring Site: Central

Henri Cartier Bresson is recognized as one of the most important photographers of the 20th Century. His work on the development of candid photography (street photography) and his critical position in the development of modern photojournalism is undisputed. Richard Avedon has said that “Every photographer working today has roots in the work of Henri Cartier Besson.” His images revolutionized the modern concept of photojournalism. He conceived the notion of “The Decisive Moment,” that fraction of a second when everything in the image comes together to make a perfect picture. His work has been shown in numerous groups and one-man shows throughout the world. He has photographed critical moments in contemporary history, from the death of Gandhi to the transformation of China from the Kuomintang to Maoist Communism. In this course, we will review Cartier Bresson’s biography, which is sufficiently intriguing to be the basis for a Hollywood biopic and examine his photographs and his brilliant work in portraiture which is unique in the photographic archives.