Graham School SUMMER Saturday Seminar

The Great Pianists

Sat 10:00 am—04:00 pm, October 24, 2026
Deadline to register online:October 13, 2026
Location: IN PERSON at University of Chicago Gleacher Center
Download Syllabus (PDF)

This course is a survey of some of the great and notorious pianists of both before and after the invention of recording technologies. The course will feature simultaneous simulations of historical styles of the piano, as well as an examination of the recorded legacy of pianism and discussion of the essential elements that compose the art and technical craft of piano performance. Participants of the course may expect to acquire an overview of keyboard history, as well as an enriched appreciation of the fascinating world of the piano and its champions. ‍

Graham School FALL 8-Week Classes

Spiritual Masterpieces: Transcendence and Meaning in Great Music

Tuesdays 10:00 am—12:30 pm, September 29-November 17, 2026
Deadline to register online: September 22
Location: ONLINE

Spiritual masterworks offer some of the most powerful musical experiences. This course will examine such icons as the requiems of Mozart, Berlioz, and Verdi, and cantatas from Bach to Stravinsky.

Shostakovch

Thursdays 10:00 am—12:30 pm, October 30-November 19, 2026
Deadline to register online: June 9
Location: IN PERSON at the Gleacher Center, Downtown Chicago
Download Syllabus (PDF)

Increasingly, critics and audiences recognize Shostakovich as the greatest existential composer of the Twentieth Century. A remarkable prodigy who astonished the musical world with his First Symphony, he lived during dangerous political times in the Stalin era. He developed a paradoxical style characterized by searing emotional intensity coexisting with both overt and covert political content. This class will place the music in context, with analysis and listening, and survey relevant personal, literary, and journalistic sources.

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/.

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“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)

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Guest Blogger "Charley in the Box" Unveils the "Island of Misfit Scores"

“We so-called “unwanted toys” may not delight boys and girls as we would like, but we solace ourselves by looking at the majestic lights of the North, the Aurora Borealis. But how many bores can you fit in Borealis? Boring works should go to the Island of Misfit Scores!”

"Cardillac" Arrest: Hindemith's Work is the Operatic "Caligari"

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