We still have openings in these upcoming July classes. Please join us at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center for these Spring catalog classes. You can view our catalog and register online at www.liveandlearnbethesda.org call us at 301-740-6150, or email us at info@liveandlearnbethesda.org
 

It was during the decades from the 1860s to the 1890s that modern Italy was established. It was also during this period that Verdi came to be known as the sole creator of Italy's new, modern opera culture and this development paved the way for Italy's new generation of composers, which was to be led by Giacomo Puccini. Verdi's spectacular operas Don Carlos (1867) and Falstaff (1893) frame this period and they perfectly illustrate Verdi's pioneering developments in operatic composition and stagecraft. The works of this period most fully represent the concept of grand opera and what the world considers to be "operatic." Each of the operas of this period present characters suffering in the most intense of private situations, within a public framework. These masterpieces present some of the greatest examples of what the ancient Greek dramatists sought in their plays: the full panoply of the human condition. Ranging from an extraordinary setting of Schiller's play, Don Carlos, to the eternally popular Aida, to the final Shakespearean masterpieces, Otello and Falstaff, Verdi's operas of this period give birth to Italy's modern international voice. 

 

Dr. Harry N. Dunstan, Founding Artistic Director, American Center for Puccini Studies

Monday          10:30 AM to 12:00 PM   July 13      

1 Session       $20                                 Class 643

 

 

 

Between 1948 and 1952, a number of the most prominent Jews in Soviet Russia either died mysteriously or vanished.  They included leading exponents of the Yiddish language in the country.  There were also the veteran Communist activists.  The Treason Trials were followed by a series of trials of Refuseniks, the most famous of which was Anatoly Shcharansky.  Anatoly Shcharansky was a brilliant mathematician whose 1973 application for an exit visa caused his dismissal from the Oil and Gas Research Institute.  Shcharansky also aided the broader dissident movement.  His trial and eventual departure is one of the famous recent struggles for the right of dissent and departure.  

 

Arnold Leibowitz, Attorney, Author

Thursday        1:00 PM to 2:30 PM          July 16 

1 Session       $15                                     Class 636

 

Today's smartphones are truly changing the way we live our lives. Beyond the basics is the next step for those who are interested in learning more about their smartphone. This course will teach you great tips and tricks and some of the more advanced functions.  We will cover topics such as using the navigation to get directions or to find restaurants and shops, downloading new apps to expand your smartphone's capabilities, customizing your home screen to make it more user-friendly, and much more. Please bring your fully charged Smartphone to class.This class is NOT for iPhones.

 

Jason Vogel, Wireless Technology Expert

Thursday        4:00 PM to 5:30 PM          July 16 

1 Session       $15                                     Class 647