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• OLLI Summer II Online Semester

  • Start
    Monday, July 13, 2020
  •  
    9:30 AM (EDT)
  • End
    Friday, August 21, 2020
  •  
    2:00 PM (EDT)
  • Location
    Online

  Register

  
  

  Get ready for OLLI's second summer semester of online courses!

  Classes run six weeks (except where noted) from July 13 through August 21, 2020

  Registration Now Open!
  

  Mondays: 7/13, 7/20, 7/27, 8/3, 8/10, 8/17

  10:00 -11:30 am: Today’s Headlines – Steve Tobin
  2:00 - 4:00 pm: Luna – Richard Matturro

  Tuesdays 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11, 8/18

  10:00 -11:30 am: Health Care Today: Current Issues & Challenges – Gordon Josephson (5 sessions)
  2:30 - 4:00 pm: Poets of the Piano – Nathan Carterette

  Wednesdays 7/15, 7/22, 7/29, 8/5, 8/12, 8/19

  10:00 -11:30 am: Election Issues 2020 – Gordon Josephson & Steve Tobin

  2:30 -4:00 pm: The Other Side of the Berkshires -- Liana Toscanini

  Thursdays 7/16, 7/23, 7/30, 8/6, 8/13, 8/20
  

  10am-11:30am: From the Podium: Conversations with Great Performers–Renee Rotta
  2:30 - 4:00 pm: “Brevity is the Soul of Wit" Film Series- Howard Arkans

  Fridays 7/17, 7/24, 7/31, 8/7, 8/14, 8/21

  10am-11:30am: Gravity – Bill Wootters
  12:30 - 2:00 pm: Science Conversations – Hank Gold

  Learn and engage with others in live, interactive courses from the comfort of your own home using the free, easy-to-use  Zoom program (we'll show you how!)
  

  Not sure which classes you want to take? Sign up for one or more Flexpasses, which allow you to take six individual class sessions of your choice with a semester, as long as the class in not full. Click here to learn more about Flexpasses.
  

  Classes are are held weekly, for 90 minutes per session, Monday through Friday, during the day. They will be recorded, so if you miss one you may watch it later. 

  OLLI Annual and Summer members can begin their class registrations by selecting the "Register" button on this page: Register online here! You can also call 413.236.2190 to register by phone with a credit card, or with any questions you may have.

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• The Future of Classical Music: Spotlight on Young Artists Series

  • Start
    Sunday, July 26, 2020
  •  
    (EDT)
  • End
    Sunday, August 16, 2020
  •  
    (EDT)
  • Schedule
    4 sessions
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Join us for
  The Future of Classical Music:
  Spotlight on Young Artists Series

  Live, interactive & online via Zoom
  Sundays at 1pm EDT, July 26-August 16, 2020

  co-sponsored by
  
  Join us  for an intimate live online series where you will meet the stars of tomorrow via Zoom. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the music and lives of celebrated young musicians, hosted by classical music aficionado Carl Shuster, famous for his sold out home concerts introducing up-and-coming musicians.

  You may purchase a ticket for the entire series or buy them a la carte by clicking here or calling 413.236.2190 during office hours. Single session tickets are $15 for OLLI at BCC members, and $20 for the general public. A series ticket to all four sessions is $50 for OLLI members, and $70 for the general public.

  Sunday, July 26th, 1pm
  Spotlight: Mezzo soprano Fleur Barron
  

  
  

  Presentation ~ Mezzo soprano Fleur Barron will share her personal journey from her birthplace in Northern Ireland through her early years in Singapore and China as the child of a BBC war correspondent, and her formal and musical education in America. Using clips from her recitals and performances, Fleur will share her remarkable experiences over the last few years singing in some of the most beautiful and prestigious opera houses and recital halls across the continent. Fleur will also describe the effects of the pandemic on her career and the challenges they pose for her and other young artists.

  Biography ~ Mezzo soprano Fleur Barron captured the hearts of all who heard her sing the role of Anna II in Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins in Ozawa Hall in 2016.  At the end of that summer she was awarded the Tanglewood Music Center's highest honor, the prestigious Jackson Prize. The following year Fleur was a featured artist with the Sarasota Opera where she performed several roles including Zulma in L'Italiana in Algeri. Hailed by the Boston Globe as a "charismatic star" and by Opera News as a "striking looking young woman with an intriguingly dark and complex mezzo", Fleur has since been singing in the leading houses of Europe and performing recitals in the major cities on the continent. She has also performed widely in the States including in recital at Carnegie Hall. In 2018 Fleur was named the HSBC Laureate of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

  
  

  Sunday, August 2nd, 1pm
  Spotlight: Violinist Samantha Bennett

  

  Presentation ~ Violinist Samantha Bennett will discuss the vital role her experience as a Tanglewood Music Center fellow several summers ago has played in her musical life and how it continues to influence her musical career. Samantha has carved out a prominent position as principal second violinist with the Sarasota Orchestra and will describe to us how she and her husband, George Nickson, have built their careers both as leading orchestral players and as the founders of a highly respected contemporary music series in Sarasota, Florida. Samantha will tell us about how she continues to value the relationships she formed at Tanglewood with both the BSO and the Fromm players with whom she performed while a TMC fellow. Samantha will also relate to us what she has learned about the entrepreneurial side of music performance, and how recent world events have impacted her career in music.

  Biography ~ Principal second violinist of the Sarasota Orchestra, Samantha Bennett, is well known to Ozawa Hall patrons for her summers as a performing fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and as a member of the prestigious New Fromm Players. In recent summers she he has returned to perform in the Shed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Recitals have brought Samantha to Boston's Jordan Hall, London's Wigmore Hall, and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. She has won numerous prizes and competitions and has performed at major festivals at Lucerne, Spoleto, and the Music Academy of the West. Samantha and her husband, George Nickson, a percussionist with the Dallas Symphony and also a former TMC fellow, are the founders of EnsembleNewSRQ, a highly regarded contemporary music series in Sarasota, Florida.

  
  

  Sunday, August 9, 1pm
  Spotlight: Pianist & "From the Top" host Peter Dugan

  
  

  Presentation ~ Peter Dugan will describe for us his post-genre approach to music-making that serves him so well as the new host of NPR’s program From the Top. From his home studio in New York ,Peter will discuss the pitfalls of “classical crossover” music with live piano selections ranging from Mozart to Grieg to the Beatles. He will explore the very real fusion of styles that has emerged organically in music across the centuries and in many musical traditions. Be prepared to be dazzled!

  Biography ~ Pianist Peter Dugan has amassed extraordinary credits in his brief career as a concert pianist. A product of the Perlman Music Program and the Juilliard School of Music, Peter has been bringing his brand of classical, jazz and pop music to concert halls across the country. Most recently he completed a multi-year national tour with baritone John Brancy in which they performed the stirring music of World War I to wide acclaim. Peter also can be heard as the new host of NPR’s program From the Top featuring talented young musicians from across the country. After his performance last year with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, The Los Angeles Times described his playing as “stunning.” Peter is equally known for his mid-recital jazz riffs and his amazing ability to bring the worlds of classical and popular music together in concert both as an arranger and a pianist.

  
  

  Sunday, August 16, 1pm
  Spotlight: Cellist Ashley Bathgate

  
  

  Presentation ~ In addition to her extraordinary virtuosity and adventuresome and creative musical mind, Ashley Bathgate is an unusually thoughtful observer and commentator on our times. Ashley intends to “walk everyone through my life for the past couple of months, what it was before the virus to what it is now, professionally, artistically, personally, etc.” She will touch on what new skill sets are required, how artists are coming together as both artists and presenters, what tools are at their disposal, and what challenges there are to overcome. She will tell us why she thinks that the pandemic “will change music-making in ways we have not really come to grasp…”

  Biography ~ Cellist Ashley Bathgate is one of the leading performers of and advocates for contemporary music in America. Described by reviewers as an “eloquent new music interpreter” known for her “impish ferocity,” “rich tone,” and “imaginative phrasing,” new music in the hands of Ashley Bathgate is a wondrous experience. As a member of Bang on a Can for ten years, this Saratoga, New York artist traveled the world and participated in numerous radio and television performances on WMHT, WQXR’s Meet the Composer, and NPR’s Performance Today. Her latest CD, ASH, features eight new pieces for solo cello written for her by outstanding new music composers of our time. She has been much in demand in recent months as she has energetically committed herself to exploring online platforms for music performance.

  
  

  You may purchase a ticket for the entire series or buy them a la carte by clicking here or calling 413.236.2190 during office hours.

  Single session tickets are $15 for OLLI at BCC members, and $20 for the general public. A series ticket to all four sessions is $50 for OLLI members, and $70 for the general public.

  Show details
• Full Speed Ahead: Back to the Moon!

  • When
    Wednesday, August 12, 2020
  •  
    4:30 PM - 6:00 PM (EDT)
  • Location
    Online via Zoom

  Register

  
  

      

  The OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents
  Former Astronaut Dr. Kenneth Bechis

   Full Speed Ahead:
  Back to the Moon!

  Wednesday, August 12, 2020
  4:30 pm  
  Online via Zoom

  NASA has been redirected to accelerate Moon exploration and put astronauts back on the Moon by 2024. Space agencies and private companies around the world are in a race for scientific exploration, national prestige, national security and huge profits that could come from harvesting the Moon's natural resources, including safe nuclear fusion fuel that could potentially control global warming and end the energy crisis here on Earth. In this presentation, scientist and former astronaut Ken Bechis takes us skyward to look at the possibilities, the risks, and the benefits of winning the space race back to the Moon.

  
  

  Dr. Kenneth Bechis is a retired Chief Scientist in the Space Ops and Environmental Solutions Division of Northrup Grumman and a former NASA payload specialist astronaut.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Astronomy from Harvard, Master of Science in Physics from MIT, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Astrophysics from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 

  
  

   Admission is $10 for OLLI at BCC and Berkshire Museum members, and $15 for the general public.  Admission is free for Berkshire Community College students, youth 17 and under, and those holding WIC, EBT/SNAP, or ConnectorCare cards.
  

  Pre-registration is required. Click here to register safely and securely online or call 413.236.2190.

  
  

  In Partnership with the Berkshire Museum

  
  

  Show details
• Dinner-To-Go and Cooking Session with Chez Nous Bistro

  • When
    Wednesday, August 26, 2020
  •  
    10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (EDT)
  • Location
    Chez Nous Bistro, 150 Main Street, Lee MA 01238

  Register

  

  OLLI's Special Events Committee Presents

  An at-your-home dining event with Frank Tessier and Rachel Portnoy of the fabulous Chez Nous bistro in Lee!

  Chez Nous is where a French chef from Brittany and an American pastry chef bring their passion for cooking and eating well to the table.  We're excited to share both their food and their methods with OLLI members and their friends!

  
  

  On your choice of Tuesday, August 25th or Wednesday, August 26th, you will be able to pick up your three course dinner from the restaurant to take home and enjoy.  Then, on August 26th at 10 am, Frank and Rachel will tell you about their preparation methods over Zoom!  Please note that there is a maximum of 35 participants per night-- so sign up early! After you've registered, we will send you additional details on what time your dinner will be ready to pick up and how to access the Zoom session.

  The three-course menu selections are:

  IN THE BEGINNING…………
  

  Chilled Roasted Heirloom Tomato & Zucchini Soup     
  

  Mixed Green Salad with Grilled Peach & Goat Cheese
  

  FOR THE MIDDLE…………

  Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Toasted Couscous      
  

  Grilled Salmon Salad Nicoise

  Grilled Black Angus Steak with Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Summer Vegetables, Red Wine & Peppercorn Jus       

  AT THE END……………

  Flourless Chocolate Devastation Cake
  

  Creamy Lemon & Lavender Posset, Key Lime Cookie    
  

  For OLLI members, the cost is $49 for the three course dinners with chicken or salmon entrees, and $54 for the steak three course dinner.  For non-member guests, it will be $54 for the chicken or salmon entrees, and $59 for the steak.

  You may register online here or over the phone by calling 413-236-2190. 

  We look forward to dining with you all once again!

  
  

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• 11th Annual OLLI Art Show Reception

  • When
    Saturday, October 17, 2020
  •  
    2:00 PM (EDT)
  • Location
    Online

  

  Save the date!

  OLLI's 11th annual Art Show will be held online this year and kicks off with a festive online opening reception on

  Saturday, October 17th, 2020

  Watch for a call for art coming soon! OLLI's annual art show is open to all OLLI members and a variety of media including photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed media, fabric art and more.
  

  Show details
• POSTPONED-- University Day: The Right to Vote

  • When
    Monday, November 16, 2020
  •  
    9:00 AM - 3:30 PM (EST)
  • Location
    Berkshire Community College, 1350 West Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201

  Register

  Due to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ guidelines for public events in state buildings over the next month, the OLLI University Day on “The Right to Vote: The Fight for Women’s Suffrage” is postponed. A new date will be announced when it is finalized.
  

  
  

  

  The Right to Vote: 

  The Fight for Women’s Suffrage 1848-1920

  Monday, April 6th | 9:00 am - 3:30 PM

  Koussevitzky Arts Center

  Berkshire Community College
  1350 West Street, Pittsfield, Mass.

  Join us for a daylong interactive & intergenerational exploration of the history of women's voting rights 

  We’ll bring to life the voices of the suffrage and anti-suffrage movements, and explore how alliances changed across class, religion, ethnicity and race.  The day features guest speakers Barbara Berenson and Lauren Santangelo, a world premiere play, the OLLI VOICES Spoken Word Ensemble, and an exhibit highlighting local suffrage engagement. Share lunchtime conversation with panelists, performers, local students and OLLI members eager to discuss this complex history together.

  Registration is $40 for OLLI members, $55 for non-members, and includes full access plus lunch and morning refreshments.  

  Youth, college students, and participants in the Card to Culture program (EBT, WIC or ConnectorCare cardholders) may attend at no charge, but must pre-register.

  Register online or by calling 413.236.2190.
  

  Anticipated Schedule:

  9:00–9:30am Registration, continental breakfast and an exhibition of local and national suffrage history curated by OLLI and the Berkshire Historical Society.

  9:30–10:30am Author Barbara Berenson on women's suffrage in Massachusetts.

  Ms. Berenson is a historian and the author of Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers and other books. A former Senior Attorney at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, she currently teaches at Tufts University and Harvard Law School.

  
  10:45–11:45am The VOICES Spoken Word Ensemble brings to life the words of Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Alice Paul and more.

  12:00–1:00pm Lunch and curated conversation with the day’s presenters and performers.

  1:15–2:15pm World premiere performance of The Trial of Susan B. Anthony by Jesse Waldinger—talk-back to follow.

  2:30–3:30pm Historian Lauren Santangelo on “The Ballot and the Big Apple: how suffragists forged alliances with immigrant and working women on the streets of New York.”

  Dr. Santangelo is the author of Suffrage and the City: New York Women Battle for the Ballot and a historian with a focus on gender and the urban environment. She teaches at Princeton.

  
  

  Register online, by calling 413-236-2190, or by printing and mailing this form
  

  This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities and the Pittsfield Cultural Council, with in-kind support from Berkshire Community College and the Berkshire Historical Society.

  
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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