Come learn the stories behind some of the greatest works of classical music, each term offering eight fascinating and fun lectures – choose the subject that most appeals to you or attend them all. No prior music history knowledge necessary: the only pre-requisite is the love of music!
| Fall Term: Russian Orchestral Works | Oct 13 – Dec 1 |
| From the Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto to Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition to Stravinsky’s Firebird, orchestras and audiences have always been drawn to the power and exoticism of Russian music. | |
| Winter Term: Verismo Opera | Jan 26 – Mar 16 |
| In preparation for Vancouver Opera’s performance of Puccini’s La bohème, we will explore the phenomenon of verismo or “realism” in the post-Romantic era. In context we will also investigate works by Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Giordano and others. | |
| Spring Term: The Philosophy of Music | Apr 13 – Jun 1 |
| Drawing from examples in the Western classical tradition as well as a wide array of world and historical traditions, students will debate topics of music philosophy that continue to perplex musicologists today: questions of authenticity, tradition, culture and style. | |