Virtual presentationTuesday, January 30, at 7:00 about a member trip to Japan next fall (trip start September 7). The link will also be in the Daily Schedule email.
Virtual presentation on Friday, February 2, at 10:00 about a member trip to New Mexico next fall (trip start October 4). The link will also be in the Daily Schedule email.
The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, February 2; the regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, January 30, at 6:00.
Due to inclement weather on Friday, January 19, President Lillian Brooks opened the Board of Directors meeting on Zoom. Online were all 15 directors, Executive Director Jennifer Disano, and 18 OLLI members/staff.
Lillian and Jennifer attended two of the five Fairfax County Office on Aging committees and learned that the county is attempting to provide financial training for seniors. Our directors described OLLI and our support for the senior communities. Lillian has located a past leader of a 501(c)(3) non-profit company who can suggest ways to function more efficiently to meet our 501(c)(3) requirements.
Over the last year OLLI changed its business model of operation to offer classes at cost to retirement communities, resulting in Treasurer Debbie Engleson reporting a $50,000 positive position entering 2024. The Board also approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Silverstone Retirement Community to provide 10 classes during 2024-2025 for $30,000. A second MOU was approved with The Mather retirement community for the next year to advertise OLLI and assist its residents in registering to become OLLI members. We are working with AARP to develop a method for AARP to procure classes as well.
Jennifer reported that we have six well‑qualified site assistants to support our classes for our 917 members. The OLLI spring catalog has been completed and the Reston (Lake Anne) and Loudoun facilities are being prepared for ZOOM Hybrid classes. Jennifer has also attended a briefing by OX Development Company on a proposed new Fairfax entertainment complex. The company has bought land and is applying for building permits. OX Development has proposed how OLLI might utilize some space in the complex.
Marilyn Harriman was approved as chair of the Election Committee; she will be seeking interested members who have the needed skill sets to become nominees for our May 2024 Board election. The Board needs a CPA and someone who can engage with one or more ethnic groups in Fairfax County for potential members. We now have a Diversity Committee with six members; they are seeking more members and a chairperson.
The Board meeting was very engaging in many areas. We hope that more people will tune in to Board meetings every third Friday of the month at 10:00. All members are welcome either in person or on Zoom.
By Camille Hodges, OLLI Humanities and Social Sciences/Current Events Committee
Co-Chair
Forbes Health Advisory Board has four top resolutions for 2024. Make OLLI part of your list.
Improve fitness: Join OLLI Walk and Talk and Tai Chi clubs and enjoy friendships too!
Improve finances: Sign up for OLLI courses on financial literacy which offer information in a comfortable environment.
Improve mental health: Enjoy interactive OLLI courses and/or join an OLLI book club; both feature lively discussions.
Lose weight: Join the OLLI Walk and Talk and Tai Chi clubs.
Here’s number five to consider for your list: Increase your OLLI involvement by teaching a class at OLLI that supports the Humanities and Social Sciences/Current Events (HSS/CE) program—e.g., analysis of How to Know a Person by David Brooks, or more information on guardrails for artificial intelligence. Chances are you are not alone in wanting to hear more in-depth information about a particular topic or a topic not yet covered. If you know, or can suggest, someone to teach an HSS/CE course, please contact any of the OLLI program committee chairs or send the course proposal form (see link in the paragraph below) to the potential speaker. It could be you!
The HSS/CE Program Planning Group is now accepting course proposals for fall 2024. The deadline for submission is April 8. See the OLLI Mason course proposal form at this link.
Thank you!
Editor’s note: This article has appeared in a previous edition of E‑News. It is repeated here to encourage member participation in OLLI program planning, especially for the HSS/CE program.
Theater Lovers' Group Goes from Shakespeare to Rock Opera to Broadway
By Norma Jean Reck, Coordinator, Theater Lovers' Group
Shakespeare in Hollywood on Sunday, February 4 at 2:00
Lovable mayhem breaks out on a Hollywood movie set when Shakespeare's Oberon and Puck come to life in today's Hollywood and are asked to join in making a movie playing themselves. The Vienna Community Theater Company performs this hilarious comedy at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry Street SE, Vienna, VA 22180 on Sunday, February 4 at a 2:00 matinee. Purchase your $16 tickets online by going to this link.
We will meet at the Bear Branch Tavern at 133 Maple Avenue E, Vienna, VA 22180 at 12:00 noon for a pre-show lunch. Please email me (njreck@cs.com) if you will be joining us for lunch and/or the show.
The Who's Tommy on Sunday, February 11 at 2:00
The groundbreaking rock opera, The Who's Tommy, will be performed at the Workhouse Arts Center, 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, VA 22079 on Sunday, February 18 at a 2:00 matinee. This inspirational story of hope and healing is about how a traumatized, pinball-loving young boy triumphs over his adversities and becomes an international star. To purchase a group-rate ticket for $27, click here.
A pre-show lunch TBD. Email Norma if you would like to join us.
Theater Lovers’ Group (TLG) is Broadway Bound or NYC Your Way! Have you been wanting to see a Broadway show? Or, maybe wishing you could visit the Met or MOMA or The Museum of Broadway? Then this overnight bus trip to NYC is for you! We will leave Fairfax about 9:00 on Tuesday, November 19 and arrive in NYC about 3:00, just in time for dinner and a show. We will overnight at the Marriott Marquis on 45th Street. On Wednesday, November 20, you have until 4:00 to do your own thing when the bus picks us up to get back home about 11:00. Cost is $525pp/Double. If interested, please email me so we can start planning. For more details, please email me at njreck@cs.com.
Nunsense A-Men In an earlier outing, Nunsense A-Men was a laugh-a-minute. The TLG and our guests had a really fun afternoon, including the January 21 matinee at NextStop Theatre Company and a pre-show lunch at Carrabba’s Italian Grill.
By Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch, Co‑Moderators
Continuing our Wednesday Conversations series, Team Bloch (Brenda Bloch-Young and Doris Bloch) will moderate a Zoom discussion on January 31 at 4:00.
The topic for January 31: A cold (and recently snowy) January may have been a good time to catch up on your reading. We recently talked about when to give up on a book. Are there books you have read recently that you might not recommend? Or specific authors that you won't read in the future? Help us avoid wasting time on those books you would not recommend. Share your thoughts on why we should pass on a specific book. Let's hear your thoughts and negative reviews.
Check your Daily Schedule for the Zoom link on Wednesday January 31 and participate in a conversation with Team Bloch.
Last night I heard an amazing violinist
Whose name is Rachel Barton Pine.
Her violin technique was divine
Every note was in tune and refined.
She played a concerto long lost to us
Found in ’09 in an Illinois farm house
Unknown manuscript left in a box
Now being performed—a real paradox.
The composer’s name was Florence Price, a child prodigy
An African American woman with great ability.
Because of racism and her sex, Price and her music would no longer be
Played after her death in 1953.
But the large collection of her scores and compositions
And a social change about her position
Enriched the world with “new” music for Ms. Pine to play
We are all happier for this wonderful day!
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 links below) or visit the venue's box office. For more information, see the CFA ticket pageor the Hylton 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 at this linkto stay in touch. Also, the Center for the Arts has a website,Mason Arts at Home, which has a calendar of online events and access to many past performances.
Hamid Rahmanian’s Song of the North
Saturday, Jan 27 at 4:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Isata Kanneh-Mason
Sunday, Jan 28 at 2:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $85, $65, $50.
Virginia Opera: Sanctuary Road
Sat, Feb 3, 7:30
Sun, Feb 4, 2:00
A pre-performance discussion with Mason Professor Spencer Crew, who served as president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for six years and worked at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History for 20 years (nine as the director of NMAH), will take place in Monson Grand Tier in the Center for the Arts Lobby, 45 minutes prior to curtain. Seating is limited, and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Following the Sun, February 4 matinee, a post-performance discussion will be held with the artists in the Center for the Arts main lobby.
Concert Hall
Admission: $110, $70, $40.
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra: The Four Seasons
Sat, Feb 3, 8:00
Harris Theater
Admission: $65, $55, $40.
Mason Cabaret: Over the Rainbow: The Music of Judy, Ella, and Barbra
Friday, Jan 26 at 8:00
Saturday, Jan 27 at 2:00
Saturday, Jan 27 at 8:00 Harris Theatre
Admission: Adults $30, seniors $15.
Faculty Artist Series
Sun, Jan 28, 7:00 – Julianna Nickel (flute)
Sun, Feb 4, 7:00 – David Porter (tuba) A Cincea Usa
Sun, Feb 18, 3:00 – Jennifer Cabot (soprano)
Sun, Jan 28, 7:00 – June Huang: The Spheres Project (strings)
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.
12th Annual Prince William County Public Schools Student Exhibition
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Jan 9 through Feb 17
Admission: Free.
Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra
Saturday, Jan 27 at 8:00
A pre-performance discussion begins one hour prior to the performance.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $48, $41, $29.
Cirque Mechanics
Sat, Feb 3, 8:00
Sun, Feb 4, 2:00
A pre-performance discussion begins one hour prior to the performance.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $55, $47, $33.
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, but for the most up-to-date information, please view the latest forecast of coming events on our website (News/OLLI Calendar). 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. 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 Jan 27
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Tue Jan 30
1:00 pm
4:30 pm
7:00 pm
Stay Active and Independent for Life
Tai Chi Club
Trivia Club
Wed Jan 31
1:45 pm
4:00 pm
Bridge Club
Conversation with Team Bloch
Thu Feb 1
4:30 pm
Tai Chi Club
Fri Feb 2
9:30 am
9:30 am
11:00 am
11:00 am
1:00 pm
Mah Jongg Club
Crafts and Conversation
Classic Literature Club
Homer, etc.
Stay Active and Independent for Life
Sat Feb 3
10:30 am
Tai Chi Club
Tue Feb 6
1:00 pm
4:30 pm
7:00 pm
Stay Active and Independent for Life
Tai Chi Club
Trivia Club
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, Sheri Siesseger,Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Tom 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: ollienewseditor@gmail.com. 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.
Have you been wanting to see a Broadway show? Or, maybe wishing you could visit the Met or MOMA or The Museum of Broadway? Then this overnight bus trip to NYC is for you! We will leave Fairfax about 9:00 on Tuesday, November 19 and arrive in NYC about 3:00, just in time for dinner and a show. We will overnight at the Marriott Marquis on 45th Street. On Wednesday, November 20, you have until 4:00 to do your own thing when the bus picks us up to get back home about 11:00. Cost is $525pp/Double. If interested, please email me so we can start planning. For more details, please email me at 
In an earlier outing, Nunsense A-Men was a laugh-a-minute. The TLG and our guests had a really fun afternoon, including the January 21 matinee at NextStop Theatre Company and a pre-show lunch at Carrabba’s Italian Grill.
