Current Programs

We are currently offering these 90 minute programs. To book a program, please click on "Booking Information" above.

Art and Music for the Medici

The Medici were the first ruling family to realize that their path to immortality lay through the arts. This program will feature important moments in Medici patronage of art and music during the Renaissance. We will examine how the personalities of outstanding family members affected the nature of the art and music they patronized.

Elizabeth I: Woman, Ruler, and Myth

As a female ruler in a man's world, Queen Elizabeth I turned perceived disadvantages into strengths by inspiring the greatest creative talents of the English Renaissance. Poetry, music, portraiture, even fashion and cosmetics were employed to portray her as an exceptional personality. This program will examine Elizabeth's transformation from human ruler to myth through the writing of Shakespeare and Spenser, the music of Dowland and Morley, and the paintings of Hilliard and Gheeraerts.

Baroque Opera 101

Baroque opera emerged from a world that prized courtly splendor, ornamental excess, and elegant artifice. Through an exploration of Italian opera of the 17th and 18th centuries, participants in this program will gain a deeper understanding of the music, poetry, florid singing style, and stage conventions of Baroque opera. We will examine the artistic achievements of the great composers Handel and Vivaldi and of the dazzling castrati and glamorous prima donnas who were the stars of their day.

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty

When first presented in 1890, The Sleeping Beauty redefined the role of music in ballet. In contrast to tradition, Tchaikovsky's symphonic, richly orchestrated score exhibited a passion and pathos never before heard in ballet music. Tchaikovsky's music, the elegant virtuosity of Petipa's choreography, and a glorious visual spectacle created a unity of the arts that changed the course of ballet history. Although controversial at its premiere, The Sleeping Beauty now stands as the supreme achievement of classical ballet.

Shakespeare'sTwo Gentlemen of Verona

The story told in Shakespeare's early comedy may seem improbable on the page, but is convincing and moving in performance. At the heart of the play is the volatile relationship between the devoted Julia and the unfaithful Proteus. These two lovers and the characters surrounding them experience friendship, passion, betrayal, broken promises and, ultimately, forgiveness and redemption. Our presentation anchors the play in its historical context, including the Elizabethan culture of romance and the performance practices of Shakespeare's theater.

Divas of Jane Austen's Day

In 1814, Jane Austen attended a performance of Thomas Arne's opera Artaxerxes, followed by a farce and a pantomime. Although Austen says she was "bored" by the opera, the three contrasting pieces would have presented the full array of theatrical experiences in her time. This presentation will include period images and recorded musical examples celebrating the great divas of opera and theater in Regency Britain.