"West Side Story" is an icon of American popular culture. An update of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" with a plot that addresses issues of youth violence, racism and hatred, the show remains as topical today as when it opened in 1957. We'll first focus on the show's creation by four driven collaborators: Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim. Next, we'll consider the music, placing it in the context of American music of the time and how it helps with characterization and dramatic progress in the show. Finally, we'll look at the two films (1961, 2021) and the show's continuing international legacy.

Instructor bio: Paul Laird is professor emeritus of musicology at the University of Kansas, where two of his teaching specialties were Baroque music and music of the United States. He has published widely on such topics as Leonard Bernstein and American musical theater and won the 2021 KU Chancellor's Club Career Teaching Award. Paul has taught many Osher classes since the program's inception at KU.

Join us for a Christmas carol celebration, featuring stories behind the music and lyrics, inspiring video performances, and visual art to enhance your holiday season. As Sir David Willcocks said, "In our technological age, the simple pleasure of communal singing at Christmas has endured, and carol music, 'the ancient unalterable music of the people' still brings cheer.

Instructor Bio: Jean Hein recently moved to Kansas from South Carolina, where she was director and recorder performer with Columbia Baroque as well as a clarinetist. She currently teaches online recorder classes for seniors. Hein has served on the board of Early Music America. She holds music degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University.

Instructor bio: Karl Menninger is a retired government lawyer who seems to have found an avocation teaching courses on disability law, citizenship, comedy and James Bond, among other topics. 

For a significant majority of Americans, the '50s were good times. The Baby Boom, prosperity and rising homeownership fueled more fun than in previous and subsequent decades. Do you remember "Howdy Doody," poodle skirts, S&H Green Stamps, the McGuire Sisters and big cars with chrome and tail fins? We'll look back on these things and more when covering topics such as suburbanization, television, cars, movies, music, fads, fashions, foods, beverages, toys, games and print media. We'll also touch on social critiques and worries like polio. We'll compare our memories to documents, film clips and music.

Instructor bio: Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master's degree in U.S. history from the University of Kansas and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels and at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.

Long-time Osher instructor Marlene Katz once again brings history to life in her unique classes centering famouswomen throughout history. This semester, Marlene shares the story of legendary entertainer and philanthropist Sarah Cannon, better known as Minnie Pearl, through a combination of biographical facts and engaging storytelling.

Instructor bio: Marlene Katz, a University of Missouri graduate, was an adjunct professor at UMKC, where she taught English and literature. Marlene has a 28-year teaching career and has been involved in storytelling for 20 years. Women in history is her specialty and Marlene has performed in a five-state area and has lectured for various groups, often in costume and speech of the character she is portraying.

In the search for originality, some artists push the envelope too far and pay the price or use it for self-promotion. In Broadway and Hollywood today, political correctness and sensibilities on race, consent and sexuality have called for revisionism. Is it really a step forward? Should our cultural heritage be rewritten to avoid issues of domestic violence, gender roles, religion and prejudice? Buckle up for a course full of scandals, anecdotes and stories and the instructor's own experience in the music business!

Instructor bio: Emanuel Abramovits is a mechanical engineer with an MBA and has been a concert promoter since 2000, directly involved in many events by international artists, like Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Sarah Brightman, Roger Hodgson, ASIA, Journey, Kenny G and many more. He designed and staged many original orchestral events, including an Event of the Year winner and several world premieres.

Join us for a joyful exploration of three multi-talented musical geniuses!

In a career that has spanned more than seven decades and "in a galaxy far, far away," John Williams has written some of the most beloved film scores in history. He has delighted audiences as a world-renowned composer, conductor and pianist.

Next, we'll learn about Yo-Yo Ma's upbringing, his appreciation for the music of different cultures and the importance of preserving these musical traditions, as well as the music and artistry of the world's foremost cellist and music ambassador.

Lastly, British vocalist, songwriter, composer and bass player, Sir Paul McCartney's work with The Beatles elevated popular music into a commercially viable art form. His list of hit songs includes "Yesterday," "Something," "Hey Jude" and many more. McCartney is also one of the most popular solo performers of all time.

Instructor bio: Jean Hein recently moved to Kansas from South Carolina, where she was director and recorder performer with Columbia Baroque as well as a clarinetist. She currently teaches online recorder classes for seniors. Jean has served on the board of Early Music America. She holds music degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University.

"And God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the Earth and subdue it." This course examines our efforts to subdue the Earth in North America. From removing the forests east of the Mississippi River for giant monoculture farms to having perfect suburban lawns, which attract deer and geese, subduing the Earth has been a constant battle. In the West we will learn "water flows uphill to money." One in nine Americans depend on water from the Colorado River. But with the current 20+ year drought, significant changes in water usage will be necessary. 

Instructor Bio: Thomas Luellen recently retired after 31 years in hospital administration and 14 years as an adjunct instructor at Washburn University. He has a master's degree in geography from the University of Kansas. His personal interests have always been his native state and its history.

The Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio Rivers and the Great Lakes are rich in history, tall tales and music. Come learn how canal boats, steamboats, tugs, barges and Great Lakes freighters played a major role in U.S. territorial and economic expansion. We'll cover the Steamboat Arabia, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and more. The grandson of a Great Lakes sailor, our instructor has visited the Great Lakes and rivers covered in the class and will share his photos plus films of vessels and a wide range of exciting music and stories.

Instructor bio: Carl Graves, Ph.D., holds a master's degree in U.S. history from the University of Kansas and a doctorate from Harvard. He taught at the university and community college levels and at Kansas City's Pembroke Hill School.

Rock music during the 1967 - 1969 countercultural era started with the Summer of Love and ended tragically just two years later. We'll explore cultural and political events of the time from the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, through the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, and ending at the Altamont Speedway Festival. While Monterey introduced the world to many soon-to-be famous performers, Woodstock gave its name to a generation, and Altamont brought the era of love and trust to a sad end. Join the conversation as we recall this seminal time in American history.

Instructor bio: Steve Lopes, A.E., B.A., M.A., M. Ed., was an educator for 15 years prior to 30 years of advocating for teachers as a Kansas-NEA organizer. He enjoys researching rock 'n' roll history and sharing it with KU Osher participants.

Get ready to trace the history of the samurai class in Japan, its distinctive weapons, armor, code of behavior, and its part in Japanese history. We'll also look at the samurai in Japanese pop culture, from books to movies (including "The Seven Samurai" and other films), to manga and anime. We'll expand our discussion to non-Japanese books and films about samurai ("Shogun," "The Last Samurai"), re-makes of Japanese samurai films ("The Magnificent Seven," "A Fistful of Dollars") or modern-day people who live by the samurai code ("Ghost Dog," "Le Samourai"), video games with samurai, and how to tell the difference between a samurai and a ninja.

Instructor Bio: Karl Menninger is a retired government lawyer who seems to have found an avocation teaching courses on disability law, citizenship, comedy and James Bond, among other topics.

Since the 1890s, when Americans began to develop their own traditions in classical music, composers have recognized the dilemma of creating the "American" sound. We'll explore how not only classical musicians, but also Broadway and Hollywood composers, followed parallel paths in creating sounds that have been defined as evocative of these lands and its people. Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, William Grant Still, Florence Price, Alex North, Elmer Bernstein, Jon Batiste and others will be the protagonists in this lecture, supported with audiovisuals and anecdotes.

Instructor bio: Emanuel Abramovits is a mechanical engineer with an MBA and has been a concert promoter since 2000, directly involved in many events by international artists, like Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Sarah Brightman, Roger Hodgson, ASIA, Journey, Kenny G and many more. He designed and staged many original orchestral events, including an Event of the Year winner and several world premieres.