Music and Composition

Very informative

Never realized there were so many beautiful mosaics in Rome. Livia did an excellent and thorough job describing these treasures!

This was so interesting! I have been doing research on my family who came with William the Conqueror and Alexander's present was phenomenal!

We are planning on traveling to this region in October and welcomed the information and the visual experience of the area. Great introduction.

If you have ever attended a lecture with Dr. Bell, you know he is always thoroughly prepared with well researched material and a cogent presentation. In this talk, he considered two questions: Is "Hamilton" historically accurate and does it matter. Giving Lin-Manuel Miranda full credit for creating a wonderful show (which he has seen four times on two continents), Dr. Bell discussed the historical inaccuracies/omissions largely having to do with racial issues. He discussed the use of Black actors playing the roles of White historical figures, possibly as a way of making up for those inaccuracies and omissions. The question of whether this matters provided an opportunity for attendees to weigh in. Resources were given for further individual exploration. I recommend this program for history and theater buffs as well as for those who enjoy considering "existential dilemmas".

This is part 2 and boy is Russia and those eastern countries war like! Vadim has kept the time line clear but we humans are fascinated by conquering! and that complicates the history!

The questions Dr. Bell poses are essentially, "Is Hamilton, The Musical historically correct and does it matter." He uses the time to discuss the play, its historical truths and inaccuracies (most significantly having to do with the issue of slavery being largely ignored), and the use of Black actors to play White roles as possibly a way to make up formatting important racial issues. He gives clear examples and reference sources. The question of whether it matters became the meat for participant discussion. If you've attended programs with Dr. Bell before, you know that everything he has to say is well thought out, researched, and informative. If you are a history or theater buff, or if you just enjoy exploring "existential dilemmas", I recommend this program.

If you haven't enrolled for one of Francine's seminars you really should-they blend literature with art and paint a fascinating portrayal of life and food-I am really looking forward to the second session of this course, on the Renaissance

Very well done - learned a lot. Loved the beautiful photos. Excellent description of history.

Great discussion of the background of each and explanations of their works.

Wow, I learned so much from this seminar about Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Ever since reading "Kon-Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl as an adolescent, have been fascinated by the exploration of the remote Pacific islands and later, curiosity about Easter Island.

This seminar answered many of my questions about the island: e.g., who may have settled there, how they got there, how moai statues were made and moved plus what they may signify, theories about the "collapse", current status of the island, etc. The speaker answered these plus more -- current island situation in modern times. I found the information about COVID's impact recently on a very remote island quite enlightening. This has enticed me to register for Mr Grant-Peterkin's next lecture about the Kon-Tiki journey, of course!!

Entertaining and informative review of Russian history, the first in the series. Encompassing academic history, legend, art, geography, and points of popular understanding of the subject like the Borodin opera.

Another excellent survey of a complex topic by Dr. Galante. I love the way she constructs these seminars to provide both a detailed view of the art and historical context. Thank you!

I'm planning a trip to Scotland in Spring 2023. This presentation will be helpful in planning my itinerary.

What an informative seminar for those with limited knowledge about film-making in general and related to unique sites in the films. The experience of Ms. Orloff came through in her discussion of the background work that has to be done to film on location and mock the locations in inaccessible sites. Very interesting!! I will enjoy "Roman Holiday" and "Three Coins in the Fountain" with different eyes if I ever re-watch them. Enjoyed this presentation very much.