Classes

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  Curtain Up! Light the Lights!

  Broadway Favorites | Online Class

  Thursdays, January 21–February 25, 10:00 am–12:00 pm (PT)

  $150 General; $120 Members

  Broadway may be dark for now, but it’s “curtain up” for us as we focus on the illustrious careers of Jule Styne, Comden and Green, Marvin Hamlisch, Charles Strouse, and Neil Simon—a generation of composers and writers who brought laughter and tears to millions. Enjoy such favorites as Funny Girl, Annie, and Bye Bye Birdie, and dive into decades of unforgettable musicals and comedies that lit up the Great White Way and continue to enchant audiences to this day.

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  Realism in Opera—Verismo!

  Online Class

  Wednesdays, February 3–March 3, 1:00–3:00 pm (PT)

  $125 General; $100 Members

  At the end of the nineteenth century, Italian opera appeared to be on the wane. “Where is the next Verdi?” opera lovers asked. Then, suddenly, with the 1890 premiere of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and the emergence of composers led by the superstar Giacomo Puccini, Italian opera entered into a period of enormous artistic creativity, expressing an unparalleled intensity of passion, sentimentality, and turbulence. This remarkable revival integrated the themes of the past into a new operatic tradition—Verismo!

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  Coen Brothers Movie Group

  Online Class

  Thursdays, February 4 and 18, March 4 and 18, 7:30–8:30 pm (PT)

  $50 General; $40 Members

  In a career that has so far spanned thirty years, Joel and Ethan Coen have co-created a cinematic body of work that is uniquely and recognizably theirs, despite working across wildly diverse genres. Come together with fellow movie buffs to discuss four of the Coen Brothers’s most acclaimed films—Barton Fink (1991), The Big Lebowski (1998), No Country for Old Men (2007), and A Serious Man (2009).

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  Skirball Book Groups: Art, Society, and the Individual

  Online Class

  Winter–Spring 2021

  $150 General; $125 Members

  Open yourself up to new cultures and ideas through fiction and nonfiction! Under the direction of a professional book group facilitator, discuss the characters, themes, and motifs of five critically acclaimed books with a thoughtful cohort of fellow readers.

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  The Healing Power of Art

  Online Class

  Wednesdays, February 10–March 17, 10:30 am–12:00 pm (PT)

  $150 General; $120 Members

  Go behind the scenes and virtually visit the studios of several contemporary artists, each working to educate and unify the world. In this thought-provoking class, explore a brilliantly diverse range of new work in painting, photography, collage, and beyond. Reflect on social issues and connect with your classmates as you discover personal solutions to the question, “How can art serve to heal?”

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  Taking Music Humor Seriously

  Online Class

  Wednesdays, March 10–April 7, 1:00–2:30 pm (PT)

  $125 General; $100 Members

  For hundreds of years, music has been used to satirize culture, politics, and human behavior. Through curated videos and lively discussions, discover the many facets of musical humor from crass tastelessness to high culture. Laugh and sing along to the works of Mozart, Tom Lehrer, Anna Russell, Danny Kaye, and more. Plus, engage in a bit of schadenfreude with candid musical mishaps and the music of operatic wannabe Florence Foster Jenkins. Lift your spirits, tickle your funny bone, and never leave class with a straight face!

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