Music   

In this 5-week course we'll use anecdotes, stories, humor and strong support of audiovisuals to explore the works and the legacy of influential performers who gave technical brilliance, richness of tone and showmanship another meaning, on piano, violin, cello and other instruments. Contrasting performers who base their art on acrobatics, but find a balance with intensity, passion and bold elegance. Performers whose impressive ability, charisma and distinctive sound have impressed audiences in the last 150 years, like Arthur Rubinstein, Jascha Heifetz, Vladimir Horowitz, Yuya Wang, Itzhak Perlman, Ara Malikian, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lang Lang, Mischa Maisky and future talents, like Alma Deutscher.

Have you ever wondered “What IS jazz, anyway”? That’s where we’ll begin. In the first half of the Twentieth Century, jazz was the dominant form of American popular music. We will hear jazz from when it emerged in the 1920s up until it faced the challenge of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1960s. We’ll listen to Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and other greats. There will be audio and video excerpts from various sources. Students will get links to online sources for more great music. Join us and listen to great music!