January

Come for coffee, pastries and conversation before our opening Spring term session.

Over time I came to know that the district program was unusually good, but until I became inspired to write this book, I had little understanding of how good it has become and is without question the most effective music program in the State of Oregon and has acquired, to to some degree, a national reputation. The book took over three and one half years to assemble and includes nearly 150 interviews with over 100 people, as well as attending countless concerts and rehearsals. I hope to explain how effective the program has become and why good music programs are so important for the development of our young students.

Frank Spragg grew up on a farm in southern Montana, but has lived the past 40 years in Salem, Oregon. My subject for the seminar is the Salem-Keizer music program, but I have never been employed by the district or been part of a community booster group. I have been a piano technician for all of the time I have been in Salem, and in that capacity tuned pianos for the school district and became acquainted with a fair number of music teachers. In that sense I became familiar with the district program to a small degree. I also watched my children and grandchildren perform many times over the years, which added to my knowledge of how effective certain music teachers can be. My wife is a gifted musician and because of her, I had more connection to the music scene in Salem.

In this program, Dr. Vargas will finish the discussion of World Religions and continue on to discuss "Folk Religions" that are unique to a specific culture or region

Stan has been a member of ICL since September 2018. He earned a Masters in Comparative Religion from Loma Linda University and a Doctorate in Comparative Theology. He is a retired high school teacher of 34 years.

Some very old trees and shrubs, 800 to maybe 80,000 years old and still growing, still survive in many places in the western U.S. and around the world. Their existence challenges some conventional ideas about just what constitutes life and the definitions of individuals and life spans. Mr. Voelker will discuss some of these trees and shrubs, how they got to be that old, what they tell us about the past and what may eventually limit their lives.

Bill Voelker has been a member of ICL since 2001. He is a retired forester and has provided lectures on Natural History and Ecological Science to our class.

Peter proposes to offer more political movement songs, but instead of the theme being historical, these songs will be chosen for their humorous content. As before, he will sing the songs, accompanying himself on guitar, and will ask his talented friend Mark Babson to join him on violin and vocals. Of course, the audience will be invited to join in, singing the words that will be projected on the screen.

Peter Bergel has made two previous "Sing Like a Movement" presentations to ICL. In them, he traced the history of music in social change movements of the 20th century, sharing and leading songs from these movements. He wove the songs together by telling some of the stories behind the music and the movements in the style of Pete Seeger, who has been a huge influence on Peter and his music.

ICL Board Meeting.

Mikhail Glinka, who we discussed in an earlier lecture, is today considered the messiah of Russian concert music.But even messiahs need apostles to spread the word. Glinka's apostle -- the man whose words and actions made Glinka the messiah of Russian music, the man who wrote the Glinka gospels by codifying and expanding Glinka's work, the man who framed Russian music as being part of the geopolitics of the 19th century -- was a composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher named Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev, who lived from 1837-1910. The big history behind this lecture is the emergence of Russian concert music in the 19th century and the degree to which that emergence was a reflection of contemporary geopolitics.

As Dr. Greenberg told us in this morning's lecture, during the 1860"s Balakirev gathered around, both of him a group of young amateur composers who became known as "The Five". One of these was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, whose music will be the focus of study on April 16. During this hour we will have a look at the lives and work of two others of The (Amateur) Five , both of whom displayed what was to become known as the distinctive character of Russian music that Balakirev had exemplified. One was Alexander Borodin, a medical man and a professor of chemistry, and who founded a School of Medicine for Women. We will sample both his "In the Steppes of Central Asia" and the opera "Prince Igor. Another amateur musician in the group was a civil servant named Modest Mussorgsky. In his determined nationalism he was the most typical member of "The Five". We'll enjoy his "Pictures at an Exhibition".

"Periods" in the history of Western art. How are they defined and by whom?

PhD. French and Francophone Studies.

Eunice Porter (2004) Cowboy Music; Maureen Caudill (2007) The Singing Revolution; Ann Shaffer (2014) Cecile McLoren Salvant, Jazz Artist; Alice Sorensen (2011) Mary Gauthier: Singer, Songwriter, Poet; Steve Gram (2019) will perform on the cello.

The complex history of the Middle East, borders drawn by others, religious and cultural differences, dysfunctional politics, environmental stresses, wars, invasions, non-state militants, dashed hopes following the "Arab Spring", in addition to other factors, all contribute to the confusion, instability and a tension in this volatile area. As the presidency of Donald Trump ends his third year, the Middle East remains a region in turmoil. The Trump administration has aligned itself with strongmen in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which along with Israel, have a common goal of frustrating Iranian expansion. What will be the fallout from policy reversals such as withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear accord, moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and declaring the Israeli settlements no longer illegal? Does the United States see a path forward in troubled states such as Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iraq? Is the United States headed toward war with Iran?

Jeanette Flaming has been a member of ICL since September 2000. She will be joined in these presentations by members of the ICL.