Note: Event times for May 2 have changed; the Annual Business Meeting will now be from 11:00-12:00, and the Tallwood Garden Party and Picnic will now be from 12:30–2:30
The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, May 2; the regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, April 29, at 6:00.
The History Club will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, May 7, at 4:00. Bull Run Civil War Roundtable members Jim Lewis and Brian McEnany will repeat the "Beyond the Battlefield" lecture that they have previously presented to OLLI classes.
The Tallwood Book Club meets on Zoom on the second Friday of each month from 2:30 to 4:00.
Books to be discussed at upcoming meetings are as follows:
May Gilead by Marilynne Robinson;
June Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel;
July River of the Gods by Candice Millard.
By Darden Purcell, D.M.A., Mason Director of Jazz Studies, Jazz Voice
Mason’s Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music is hosting several jazz concerts this spring, and we hope OLLI members will attend and enjoy them. Listed below are two upcoming events at the end of April. Please join us!
Mason Jazz Ensemble at Blues Alley: Tuesday, Apr 29, 7:00
Washington DC historic Jazz club, Blues Alley
Tickets: $27 plus $7 fee; for more details, click this link.
The Mason Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jim Carroll, performs at Blues Alley as part of the Big Band Jam educational week!
International Jazz Day: Wednesday, Apr 30, 8:00
Hylton Performing Arts Center
Tickets: $19 each; click this link.
Share the vibrancy and vitality of jazz music with Mason Jazz students and faculty on April 30! George Mason University, Jazz Studies, celebrates International Jazz Day with performances by the Mason Jazz Ensemble (Jim Carroll) and The Jazz Workshop (John Kocur).
By Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch, Co‑Moderators
As there was a wide-spread Zoom outage during our previous Wednesday Conversations with Team Bloch, we are repeating the topic for our next session on April 30.
Team Bloch (Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch) conducts a casual, drop-in conversation on Zoom every second week on Wednesday's at 4:00. Each session is on a different topic.
The topic for Team Bloch's Wednesday afternoon chat on April 30 is "What are Your Fears?" This could be a very personal subject and may differ for everyone; on the other hand, there are certain universal fears we probably all encounter as we age. Team Bloch suggests a few: running out of money, being alone, losing independence, just to start the discussion ball rolling. A related topic (possibly more productive) is "How Do You Face Your Fears?" We all have different ways of coping with difficulty—and each situation likely requires a different approach.
You may listen in as a lurker or add to the discussion – up to you – but we encourage you to voice your thoughts; that way we all benefit and learn from each other.
The zoom link is always found in the Daily Schedule on the relevant morning. Log on and join us on April 30 or any future session.
Outside my window the towering maple tree
Holds a profusion of gold leaves –
The final step
Before releasing them
And leaving behind
Naked limbs
Like brown bones.
But now, the magnificent glowing leaves
Thrash wildly in the warm, smoky wind --
Without pause --
Like dancers in a final frenzy
Of abandon.
Shutting my eyes,
I raise my hands to join this celebration
And dissolve into roiling waves of an unseen ocean;
The energy of the atmosphere
Expressed in an unexpected October occurrence.
I am a child again
In instinctive, resplendent harmony
With raging nature.
–Nancy Coffey
For tickets for either Center for the Arts Concert Hall (CFA) or Hylton Center, call 1-888-945-2468. You can also buy tickets online through the event calendar (see the CFA ticket page link below) or visit the venue's box office. For more information, see theCFA ticket pageor theHylton Center ticket purchase page.
Dr. Linda Apple Monson produces a periodic “Notes from the Director.” This email is full of information on interesting online performances by the students and faculty of the School of Music. If you would like to receive these bulletins, just sign up atthis link to stay in touch. Also, the Center for the Arts has a websiteMason Arts at Home, which has a calendar of online events and access to many past performances.
Center for the Arts, Concert Hall Pre-performance discussions will take place in Monson Grand Tier, which is located on the third level of the Concert Hall, 45 minutes prior to curtain. As seating is limited, a livestream will also be available on screens in the main lobby.
Virginia Opera: Loving v. Virginia
Sat, May 3, 7:30
Sun, May 4, 2:00
Pre-performance discussion
Concert Hall
Admission: $110, $70, $40.
George Mason School of Theater: 12 Angry Jurors
Thu, May 1, 8:00
Fri, May 2, 8:00
Sat, May 3, 2:00 and 8:00
Sun, May 4, 2:00
deLaski Performing Arts Building, A105, TheaterSpace
Admission: $20 Adult, $10 Senior.
George Mason School of Dance: Dance Innovations
Fri, May 2, 2:00 and 7:00
Sat, May 3, 7:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: $20 Adult, $12 Senior.
Mason Symphony Orchestra Concert: Concerto Competition Winners
Mon, May 5, 8:00
Center for the Arts, Concert Hall
Admission: $15 Adult, $10 Senior.
Hylton Performing Arts Center 15th Anniversary Gala
Sat, Apr 26, 6:00
Hylton Performing Arts Center Admission: Individual Tickets $350 ($210 Benefit).
For more HyltonCenter.org/galas information, Click here.
Virginia National Ballet: Bohemian Rhapsody
Sun, Apr 27, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $50.
International Jazz Day 2025
Wed, Apr 30, 8:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $15 Adult, $10 Senior.
Manassas Symphony Orchestra: Fantasies
Sat, May 3, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: $30.
Please note: OLLI Meetings and Clubs may currently take place in several formats: some are in person only, some are online only, and some are hybrid, meaning that they take place in person and are accessible online simultaneously. OLLI events and activities meeting online bear the identification "Z" in their course or event number (except clubs; you may need to check the OLLI calendar and daily schedule email for location and other event information). Refer to the university's coronavirus website for official university updates.
The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office. The list is accurate as of mid-week. Note: All OLLI members are welcome at, and encouraged to attend, meetings of the Board of Directors, committees and resource groups, kick-off coffees, etc., bolded below. The OLLI office has sent (or will send) emails with links and meeting passwords to club members; you may also log in at the member portal and click on ZOOM CLASS LINKS.
Sat Apr 26
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club – online
Mon Apr 28
9:30 am
4:00 pm
What’s in the Daily News? – online
Chair Yoga and More – online
Tue Apr 29
2:00 pm
3:45 pm
4:30 pm
Chair Yoga and More – online
Caregivers Support Group – online
Tai Chi Club – online
Investment Forum
Chair Yoga and More – online
Board Game Club
Bridge Club
Dabbling Artists Club
Memoir and More Writers Group – online
Conversation with Team Bloch
Thu May 1
11:50 am
3:00 pm
4:30 pm
6:00 pm
All the News
Chair Yoga and More – online
Tai Chi Club – online
Ethnic Eats – online
Fri May 2
11:00 am
12:00 noon
12:30 pm
Annual Business Meeting (Note Time)
Chair Yoga and More – online
Garden Party & Picnic
Sat May 3
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club – online
Mon May 5
9:30 am
4:00 pm
4:00 pm
What’s in the Daily News? – online
Family History/Genealogy Club – online
Chair Yoga and More – online
Tue May 6
2:00 pm
4:00 pm
4:30 pm
Chair Yoga and More – online
Mah Jongg Club – online
Tai Chi Club – online
Investment Forum
Chair Yoga and More – online
Board Games Club – online
Bridge Club
History Club – online
Spanish Club – online
Thu May 8
11:50 am
3:00 pm
4:00 pm
4:30 pm
All the News
Chair Yoga and More – online
Literary Fiction Book Club – online
Tai Chi Club – online
Fri May 9
9:30 am
9:30 am
10:30 am
11:00 am
11:30 am
12:00 noon
1:00 pm
2:00 pm
2:30 pm
Photography Club
Crafts and Conversation
Dance Club
Homer, etc. – online
Cooking Club
Chair Yoga and More – online
Theater Lovers’ Group
Classic Literature Club – online
Tallwood Book Club – online
OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.
Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Associate Editor: David Gundry
Weekly Editor Team: David Gundry, John Nash, Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Thomas Appich, Martha Kossoff, Anne Hartshorn, Bonnie Becker, Carol McManus
Submissions: Members are encouraged to submit letters to the editor, letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit (on etiquette matters), OLLI-related news items, articles, and photos. Submit material to: [email protected]. Deadline: Tuesday, 6:00, for that week's issue (Monday, 6:00, for letters to the editor); early submissions are greatly appreciated. Please limit articles to about 250 words. Note: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News on the DocStore. To search the content of issues, use Search Our Site or put your search term in Google followed by "site:olli.gmu.edu/" without the quotes.
