Graham School SUMMER Saturday Seminar
Schubert: The Immortal Masterpieces
Sat 10:00 am—04:00 pm, July 18, 2026
Deadline to register online: June 9, 2026
Location: IN PERSON at University of Chicago Gleacher Center
Download Syllabus (PDF)
Although he lived only to the age of 31, Franz Schubert created in his greatest works a comprehensive musical vision of emotions and aspirations, delivered in a language of poignant, even piercing psychological subtlety. This course concentrates on his greatest works: the haunting “Unfinished” symphony, the Olympian Ninth, or “Great” symphony, the great chamber music, including the miraculous String Quintet, as well as the desolate “Winterreise.” The last quartets and sonatas are also included. CDs, DVDs, and analysis are presented, bringing this amazingly contemporary figure to life.
Graham School SUMMER 8-Week Classes
American Masters
Tuesdays 10:00 am—12:30 pm, June 16-August 4, 2026
Deadline to register online: June 9
Location: ONLINE
Download Syllabus (PDF)
American classical music has evolved its own heterogeneous identity, characterized by energy and optimism, from its Eurocentric beginnings, exemplified by composers such as MacDowell and Griffes, through the encounters of Americans abroad with such musicians as Boulanger and Stravinsky. We will trace this evolution from the New England School (especially Ives and his innovations) through populism (Copland, Harris) and Neoclassicism (Piston, Sessions, Schuman), into new horizons inspired by popular idioms (Joplin, Gershwin) and indigenous forms of musical theater (Bernstein). A look at highly divergent recent trends (the minimalists/neo-tonalists and academic/neo-expressionists) and a look at current directions will conclude the course. Music literacy is not necessary.
Wagner and Verdi: Parallel Careers
Thursdays 10:00 am—12:30 pm, June 18-August 6, 2026
Deadline to register online: June 9
Location: IN PERSON at the Gleacher Center, Downtown Chicago
Download Syllabus (PDF)
Essentially defining the culture of the nineteenth century, the operas of the Italian Giuseppe Verdi and the German Richard Wagner continue to form the most stable theatrical repertory of the present day. The radical Wagner and the culminating Verdi both offer acute psychological insights as well as cultural criticism delivered in memorably dramatic style. In this course, the 27 operas of Verdi and the 13 of Wagner are addressed with up-to-date videos and analysis, providing an illuminating study of operatic history and the evolution of current cultural sensibilities.
Too Late to Register Online? Please call 773-702-7249 to register. If space is available, you’ll be able to sign up!
Graham School COVID-19 policies:
For up-to-date guidance including vaccine requirements, please visit goforward.uchicago.edu/education-planning/.
Blog
“On December 22, 1808, Beethoven himself rented a hall in Vienna and promoted the concert to end all concerts: the debut, over four hours, of three of his greatest works .. And yes, it was a fiasco. But imagine: It was as if Orson Welles premiered Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, and Touch of Evil on the same night — with The Lady from Shanghai thrown in for good measure.” (Greg Mitchell)