TSO/OLLI Adult Education

The TSO is thrilled to have formed a partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).   OLLI is an affiliate of FSU’s Pepper Institute on Aging & Public Policy and is typically geared toward mature learners.  Classes offered through the TSO/OLLI partnership are open any adult who wishes to learn more about symphonic music and the programs of the TSO.  In 2011-12, two classes will be offered:

Fall, 2011:  Beethoven and His Legacy: A Look at Beethoven's Ninth and Brahms; First

Beethoven’s towering Symphony No. 9, the “Choral,” is his most beloved and widely performed.  This iconic work, present at historically significant events such as fall of the Berlin Wall and the several Olympic ceremonies, represents the apotheosis of symphonic achievement and the transcendent euphoria of brotherly love.  The influence Beethoven’s masterpiece cast on 19th century composers— Schubert, Berlioz, Wagner, Bruckner, Mahler and Brahms, to name a few—is immeasurable.  “How,” these composers wondered, “should one write a symphony after Beethoven’s Ninth?” They all dealt with this question in fascinating ways that fundamentally affected the course of 19th-century music.                         

            This 3-week course will devote 2 class periods to Beethoven’s Ninth in order to prepare attendees for the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra’s performance of the work on October 22, 2011.  A 3rd class period the week after the performance will look ahead to the TSO’s March 17, 2012, concert when Brahms’ First Symphony will be performed.  In the class, we will look at how Brahms dealt with the “Beethoven problem”—how he paid homage to his predecessor—while writing with a commanding, original voice.

To learn more about the Fall, 2011 OLLI schedule and for registration information, please download the fall newsletter.

Spring, 2012: Course Title TBD

Information on the Spring OLLI course will be made available in the near future.