Summer/Fall 2018 Special Presentations
*Free and Open to the Public*
If you plan to attend, please call the OLLI office at 434.923.3600 / toll-free 877.861.9207.
(L18) Songs of Greenwich Village
Friday, June 22, 2018 – 1:30-3:00 p.m. – Unity Church – 2825 Hydraulic Rd, Charlottesville
From the arrival of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger in 1940, through the 1960s and into the present, Greenwich Village has provided a strong and independent voice in America’s musical landscape. From the tradition-steeped singers of Washington Square to Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to Bette Midler’s “From a Distance” and more recent work, the Village’s singers and songwriters have chronicled our history in folk and popular song. Join Rod MacDonald for a special “performance lecture” with live music and information about the characters and music of this unique society.
Rod MacDonald (UVA ’70) began his singing career in the 1970s in Greenwich Village, where for twenty years he was one of the Village’s top club headliners, recording 21 songs for Smithsonian/Fast Folk records, and co-founding the Greenwich Village Folk Festival. The composer of songs recorded by such artists as Shawn Colvin, Jonathan Edwards, and many others, MacDonald has made 12 solo CDs and appears in major festivals throughout N. America, Europe, and Australia. He lives in Florida, where he is Music Americana lecturer at Florida Atlantic University’s OLLI Program, and was named Distinguished Faculty Member in 2012. Mr. MacDonald appears courtesy of The Songmaker Series at Charlottesville Coffee, where he is appearing in concert this same Friday evening in June.
(L13) Are the Political Parties Finding Their Identities?
Friday, September 7, 2018 – 1:30-3:00 p.m. – Unity Church – 2825 Hydraulic Rd, Charlottesville
In December 2017, Terry presented “Two Parties in Search of Their Identities.” His points then included that both parties’ failures to perform had led to revolutions in their ranks with which their leaders had thus far not come to grips, threatening further voter dissatisfaction. Please join us for this special presentation, which will provide Terry’s update almost a year later.
Terry Cooper, a native of Charlottesville and a graduate of Princeton and UVA Law, is a long-time Republican political consultant. For more than 30 years, he has done research for Republican political campaigns. He has worked in all 50 states, in campaigns ranging from local races to U.S. Senate and governor.
(L14) Information coming soon…
(L15) Poets of the Piano
Friday, November 30, 2018 – 1:30-3:00 p.m. – Westminster Canterbury (Rotunda Room) – 250 Pantops Mountain Rd, Charlottesville
Please join us for a special lecture-recital celebrating the magic and poetry of piano music that transcends the instrument. The music in this program explores the evolving art of piano music, as composers tried to express more moods, scenes and characters on the instrument. Behind each great piece, there is a story that will enrich your experience and open your ears to new possibilities. A thirty minute lecture is followed by a one hour concert.
Nathan Carterette is a classical pianist who trained at Yale University and in private study in Munich, Germany. He has performed around the world, and is known for his performances of Bach; his work with composers of today; and his educational initiative Poets of the Piano. For more information, please visit: http://www.nathancarterette.com
(L16) Transforming Adversity into Positive Action
Friday, December 7, 2018 – 1:30-3:00 p.m. – Unity Church – 2825 Hydraulic Rd, Charlottesville
Please join us for a special presentation in which Joe Giarratano will discuss his journey from death row to Charlottesville and the Innocence Project at UVA. He will explore the issue of capital punishment, the need for criminal justice & prison reform, peace studies, non-violence, and how as citizens we can make a difference.
Joe Giarratano was sentenced to death in 1979 for a double homicide. He was later granted a conditional pardon by then governor, Douglas Wilder, citing serious doubts concerning his guilt and strongly recommending he be given a new trial. Shortly thereafter, the Attorney General denied his appeal for a new trial–a decision that was widely condemned by those on the right and left.
During his almost 40 years in prison, Joe became a self-taught legal scholar, was published in the Yale Law Journal, and has written many articles about the death penalty and prison reform. He has had several successful cases determined by various courts on a range of issues, including a case that traveled to the U.S. Supreme Court. While in prison, Joe founded the non-profit, “Peace Studies/ATV,” a highly successful program designed to introduce prisoners to non-violence, conflict resolution, personal responsibility, job training, and victim-offender workshops. Since 1989, Joe has been on the Board of The Center for Teaching Peace, in D.C., and since his release on December 20, 2017, has been employed by the Innocence Project at UVA.
