Fall 2008 course listing

Music and Performing Arts

MU06 CHORUS

Thursdays, 3:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Dates: 10 sessions, September 11 - November 13
Instructor: Roo Brown

Join the "Elder Moments" in harmony. Sight reading is preferred but a good ear and smile are a must! We happily sing four to six part harmony and our songs range from folk tunes to John Mandel and John Rutter. You name it, we sing it. All voice parts are welcome.

MU22 WAGNER'S RING OF THE NIBELUNG

Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Dates: 10 sessions, September 11 - November 13
Instructor: Jon C. Woodyard

Universally acclaimed as the greatest heroic music ever written, the German composer Richard Wagner's four opera Der Ring des Nibelungen, stands as a monumental work that has achieved artistic, musical, and political prominence in the world. Controversial because of its use by the Nazis in World War II, nonetheless, it is the finest example of the total integration of both drama and opera. Based upon an old Norse legend, the Ring describes a mythical world creation and the abuses the gods make in the governance of that world leading to the destruction of the gods and man's rise to power. Using the classic Metropolitan Opera video of the Ring, selected examples of this massive work will be shown to not only tell the saga but to highlight the compositional style of the genius of Wagner. Amazon lists several inexpensive texts that are suitable for this course. Class limited to 50 students.

PA14 RECORDER ENSEMBLE PLAYING

Thursdays, 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Dates: 10 sessions, September 11 - November 13
Instructor: Cissy Johnson

The most important thing for a good ensemble player to achieve is rhythmic precision. In order that all the musical parts of the music fit together, each part must be accurately played. With this in mind, we will explore the four-part music of the early Renaissance period which, although not technically demanding in terms of speed and fingering, will be a challenge to our keeping the rhythmic pulse and executing tricky rhythms. You will find this Renaissance music lovely, interesting harmonically, and quite enjoyable to play. Students should have completed the previous semester or be able to read music and play fairly well. Class limited to 20 students.

NEW! PA21 A QUARTET OF OPERAS

Mondays, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Dates: 10 sessions, September 8 - November 17
Instructor: Patricia L. Mossel

Performance of four popular operas featuring exceptionally fine casting will be viewed and discussed: Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saens with Placido Domingo and Shirley Verrett (San Francisco Opera); Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss with Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, and Lucia Popp (Bavarian State Opera, Munich); Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi with Jose Cura, Veronica Villarroel, and Dmitri Hvorostovksy (Royal Opera Covent Garden); and Tosca by Giacomo Puccini with Giacomo Aragall, Eva Marton, and Ingvar Wixell (Verona Arena). Class limited to 50 students.

OperaDelaware Visits SDALL
Monday, October 20, 2008, 1:00 p.m.

Singers from Opera Delaware's cast of Puccini's La Boheme will give a preview performance with highlights from the opera and background information by Leland Kimball, General and Artistic Director, and Jeffrey Miller, Associate Music Director. This special class session will be held at Cadbury on Monday, October 20, 2008, at 1:00 p.m.

NEW! PA22 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF FLORENZ ZIEGFELD, JR.

Wednesdays, 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Dates: 5 sessions, September 10 - October 8
Instructor: Richard Sciorra

Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., 1867 - 1932, was America's first and foremost "impresario." Ziegfeld had more than 90 entertainment productions to his credit including Midnight Frolic, The Follies, and musical comedies, both on-and off-Broadway during the early teens of the 20th century. Three classes will be about his life and his female stars, and two classes will be the movie, The Great Ziegfeld, starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, and Luise Rainer, with discussion time afterward. Class limited to 50 students.

NEW! PA23 LISTENING TO MUSIC OF THE 20TH CENTURY AND BEYOND: THE AMERICAN CHARACTER IN MUSICAL DRAMATIC WORKS SINCE 1900

Wednesdays, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Dates: 10 sessions, September 10 - November 12
Instructor: Jon Newsom

Starting with Aaron Copland's ballet for Martha Graham, Appalachian Spring, we will examine major works that define the American Character. We will include Charles Ives's, General William Booth Enters Into Heaven, (Vachel Lindsay), Paul Hindemith's setting of Whitman's, Memories of President Lincoln, George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, and Samuel Barber's, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (James Agee). Time permitting this semester, we will discuss ballets of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins, film scores of Hugo Friedhofer, David Raksin, Bernard Herrmann, and Alex North, whose score for A Streetcar Named Desire, was adapted as a major ballet. A second semester will continue this series. Class limited to 50 students.

NEW! PA24 THE MANY FACES OF NOEL COWARD

Tuesdays, 10:45 a.m - 12:15 p.m.
Dates: 10 sessions, September 9 - November 18
Instructor: Beverly Gayhardt

Painter, novelist, librettist and composer, singer, dancer, comedian, tragedian, producer, director, cabaret artist, TV star, celebrity, playboy, and spy. He did it all! The course will try to make him come alive through videos and readings. Additional $6.00 materials fee. Class limited to 50 students.

NEW! PA25 EXPLORING THE AMERICAN SONGBOOK

Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Dates: 10 sessions, September 9 - November 18
Instructor: Doug Yetter

At each meeting, the class will view and discuss several pieces from the American Popular and Musical Theatre canons of the 20th century. The art form will be examined as closely to a chronological order as possible so that societal issues and shifts can be connected to the pieces. Class limited to 50 students.