Walk the High Line to view installations by leading contemporary artists on hot topics such as immigration, labor, and race. Our tour includes gallery visits and incorporates Hudson Yards, where we'll experience the flexible art space SHED, as well as the Vessel, which has been dubbed the 'Eiffel tower of NYC.'

In 2019, we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), a man whose name is nearly synonymous with the notion of genius. Leonardo was the epitome of the Renaissance ideal of the Universal Man: he was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, musician and anatomist whose talents were sought after by dukes, kings, and popes. Despite his impressive resume, Leonardo is also akin to his Mona Lisa, in that he continues to fascinate us because he is in some ways elusive. Though he was a practicing painter with a career that spanned nearly five decades, only about a dozen paintings survive. One of them, St. Jerome Praying in the Wilderness, will be at The Metropolitan Museum of Art until October 8th. He planned buildings that were never built, devised inventions that were never realized, and wrote treatises that were never published. This lecture will examine Leonardo da Vinci in the way that he must be, through the power of his ideas, considering projects that were finished and unfinished in order to gain a better understanding of his genius.

Did you ever wonder why a singer who sings Susanna in the "Marriage of Figaro" does not sing Brünnhilde in "Die Walküre?" Did you ever wonder why Bizet wrote the role of Carmen for a mezzo soprano rather than a lyric soprano? It is explained in the understanding of the German "fach" system. Join Dr. Regina Zona for this fascinating and entertaining presentation.

This guided tour includes several galleries housing impactful contemporary art. Between visits to galleries we'll view several examples of street art, including murals and mosaics, and we will discuss the important messages conveyed by the artists. We'll also take in iconic landmarks like the Apollo, the Cotton Club, and beautiful brownstones. This tour involves vigorous walking for about a mile and a half.

The Joy of Opera: The Met Live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera's 2019-2020 season of its critically acclaimed Live in HD series will return to local movie theaters this fall. This diverse and exciting group of operas includes two classic Puccini favorites, "Turandot" and "Madama Butterfly," and Massanet's most famous work and a French classic, "Manon." Join Dr. Regina Zona for an informative and entertaining overview of these compelling operas, so that you will be prepared to enjoy the performances.

TURANDOT (Puccini) - Wednesday, September 25 (Live in HD 10/12)

Art fakes and forgeries give us the combined satisfaction of a captivating criminal mystery on one hand, and on the other, the profound contemplation of what we expect from art in the first place. As forgeries get more outrageous and damaging, some forgers enjoy celebrity status, and their fakes are studied in museum exhibitions for what they are. Alarmingly though, museums around the world are also full of undetected fakes that are proudly exhibited as genuine art. Join us for a colorful exploration of how forgers convince, how they are detected, and why authenticity matters.

The Joy of Opera: The Met Live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera's 2019-2020 season of its critically acclaimed Live in HD series will return to local movie theaters this fall. This diverse and exciting group of operas includes two classic Puccini favorites, "Turandot" and "Madama Butterfly," and Massanet's most famous work and a French classic, "Manon." Join Dr. Regina Zona for an informative and entertaining overview of these compelling operas, so that you will be prepared to enjoy the performances.

MANON (Massenet) - Wednesday, October 2 (Live in HD 10/26)

"It'll be a great place if they ever finish it."
— O. Henry

A department store becomes a graduate center for the City University of New York, and a post office is transformed into a train station. These are just a couple of examples of how New York City rethinks and reshapes itself, by revitalizing neighborhoods and repurposing historical buildings. Travel 34th Street from 5th Avenue to learn what came before the Empire State Building, to 8th Avenue to see how Farley Post Office was repurposed to accommodate Penn Station.

The Sistine Chapel paintings by Michelangelo, breathtaking and awe-inspiring for centuries, has undergone more than a decade-long, extensive, and controversial restoration. The result has been unexpected to say the least. Is this the true Michelangelo, or have we altered this unequaled work in the process? Do we have the right to change an artist's work? Does restoration conflict with conservation? Join us for a colorful exploration of these and other questions about the restoration, and the ongoing controversy of this and other important artworks.

Dubbed 'Disneyland for Art Lovers,' the former tobacco warehouse is now home to Mana Contemporary, a thriving art community with artist studios, exhibition space and other art related services. Our excursion includes guided studio visits, a silkscreening demonstration and lunch (provided) within the Mana compound.

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City is an international icon of Modernism. It will re-open to the public this October, after its second grand expansion in ten years, with not only a new architectural design, but a much anticipated and long overdue revision of how we understand the story of Modernism, and in fact, of visual arts in general. Join us for this comparative and colorful exploration of this iconic institution, its masterpieces, and Modernism.

Next year will mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth in 1770 and his music will be featured in concert halls around the world. Cristiana Pegoraro, the first Italian woman to have played in concert the complete cycle of the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas, will examine the multifaceted genius of Beethoven, touching the different aspects of his art and life, exploring the stories and secrets behind the masterworks. Her innovative presentation combines sparkling performances with tales illustrating Beethoven's life and legacy, the development of the piano, and the career of a musician at Beethoven's time.

The Joy of Opera: The Met Live in HD
The Metropolitan Opera's 2019-2020 season of its critically acclaimed Live in HD series will return to local movie theaters this fall. This diverse and exciting group of operas includes two classic Puccini favorites, "Turandot" and "Madama Butterfly," and Massanet's most famous work and a French classic, "Manon." Join Dr. Regina Zona for an informative and entertaining overview of these compelling operas, so that you will be prepared to enjoy the performances.

MADAMA BUTTERFLY (Puccini) - Wednesday, November 6 (Live in HD 11/9)

Internationally acclaimed pianist Cristiana Pegoraro brings her deep passion and enthusiasm for classical music to an intimate classroom setting that combines concert-worthy performances with stimulating discussion of greater music themes. She will guide music lovers in understanding the language and structure of classical music to more fully enjoy the classical repertoire. Discover the secrets of sonatas, symphonies, and concertos, the different approaches of composers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Tchaikovsky, and learn how the musical language evolved during the centuries.

Recent media images of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in flames have spurred reactions of mourning and dismay throughout the world. It is a monument in which many people have a deep investment today, one that is in many ways different from its relationship to its public when it was first constructed. This talk aims at chronicling some of the transforming forms and meanings of this iconic monument throughout time, beginning with its original construction in the Middle Ages, including the surprising ways in which it has been transformed over time, and an attempt to imagine what the future might hold.