Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

ENews January 30, 2026

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OLLI E-News January 30, 2026
Print a condensed pdf copy of this newsletter, two web pages per sheet of paper.

Heather Dudley Class on Samuel Adams, Father of the Revolution, Winter 2026.

January 30, 2026


Editor of the Week: Paul Van Hemel 
Table of Contents

Alerts & Notices

  • OLLI Mason guest passes are now available in the main office. Grab a stack to hand out in your local communities. Help us encourage others to try our fantastic program!
  • Remember to check the catalog updates list on the OLLI website.
  • The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, February 6; the regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, February 3, at 6:00.

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 OLLI President's Message January 30 

2026 OLLI Membership Survey



By Deborah Engleson, President

 

As you know, the mission of OLLI Mason is to provide quality educational, social and cultural opportunities for those 50 and over.  To deliver on that mission, the OLLI Board wants to make sure we’re responsive to you, our OLLI members.  To that end, we’ve designed a survey on a wide range of topics directly related to your participation with OLLI – everything from class and event content to timing and delivery. It’s completely anonymous (although we hope you’ll consider providing your contact info, so we can follow up as needed), and should take no more than 15-20 minutes to complete.

You’ll be receiving this questionnaire via email soon. We hope that each of you will take the time to let us know your thoughts and ideas about OLLI Mason and how we can improve your OLLI experience. We look forward to sharing your feedback at the OLLI Annual Meeting on May 1st.  Thank you!

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George Mason Jazz Festival
- Saturday, February 14 (Harris Theatre)


By Darden Purcell, D.M.A., Mason Director of Jazz Studies, Jazz Voice



In 2026, the George Mason Jazz Festival headlining act will be The Airmen of Note.

The festival includes:
  • Scholarships to the George Mason Jazz Camp, summer 2026
  • 3 “Outstanding Soloist” (cash prizes) and
  • 4 “Best Section” certificates
  • Live performance recordings for band directors
  • Written feedback from adjudicators
2026 Adjudicators:
  • Taylor Barnett - trumpeter with the No BS! Brass, director of Jazz Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) 
  • Jim Carroll – saxophonist with Woody Herman Orchestra, founder of Mason Jazz and director of the Mason Jazz Ensemble
  • Stephen Philip Harvey - saxophonist, composer, bandleader, professor at Salisbury University and Youngstown State University
2026 George Mason Jazz Faculty Clinicians:
  • Aaron Eckert, trombone, U.S. Army Blues
  • Shawn Purcell – guitar, retired U.S. Navy Commodores
  • Ben Thomas – bass, U.S.A.F. Airmen of Note
  • Kevin McDonald – drums, U.S. Navy Commodores
MASON JAZZ FESTIVAL
February 14
10:00 – 9:00 (pm)
Harris Theatre 
All concerts are free and open to the public; no tickets are required. FREE parking in LOT K.  
Website:  go.gmu.edu/georgemasonjazzfest

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Call for Photos for OLLI Ink 2026


By Margie Wildblood, OLLI Ink Co-Editor

 
  1. Call for Photos: OLLI Ink, the literary magazine published each spring, will be accepting black and white photos for the interior magazine and color photos for the inside back cover for the 2026 edition beginning now.
  2. Deadline for Submissions: The submission deadline will be 11:59 (pm) on Friday, February 20. NO SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE DEADLINE!
  3. Participants: OLLI Photo Club (OPC) photographers may submit up to 5 color photos for the inside back cover, and up to 10 black and white photos for inside pages of the OLLI Ink publication. The placement of each inside photo is determined by the layout editor, depending on space, and cannot be expected to relate to any specific piece of writing.
  4. Photo Orientation and Watermark Restriction: Color photos for the front or inside back covers must be in a portrait orientation. Black and white photos for the interior pages can be in either a portrait or landscape orientation. No watermarks are permitted on any photo submissions.
    1. Selection Process: This year, due to time constraints, OLLI volunteers will select the black and white photos. The OLLI Ink editorial staff will select the front cover from color photos submitted for the front cover. The candidate photos will not display the photographers’ names to avoid favoritism.
 
***FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMITTING PHOTOS, PLEASE CONTACT ONE of the following:    Margie Wildblood     George Bradshaw    or    Sophia Elberti. Thank you.

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Spotlight on NOVA Course Series in 2026


By Camille Hodges, OLLI HSS/CE Committee Chair


The Humanities and Social Sciences/Current Events (HSS/CE) Program Planning Group plans to continue featuring various communities in NOVA in its upcoming selections of courses. We have previously featured A Place Called Ilda (a community in the Annandale/Canterbury Woods area) as well as other notable communities in Fairfax by the authors of Black Communities of Fairfax: A History. Courses anticipated are: Falls Church/Tinner Hill, Arlington (Green Valley (Nauck), Arlington View (Johnson’s Hill), Alexandria), and a history of the Fairfax County Courthouse.

If you have the desire to share expertise on historic regions in NOVA, please submit your course proposal using the link https://olli.gmu.edu/olli-course-proposal-form/. Ensure that you click 'submit' at the bottom of the form. You may also download and print the form and submit it to the OLLI Mason office, ATTN: Program Associates.

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History Club


By Doug Snoeyenbos, History Club Coordinator


The History Club will meet on Zoom next Wednesday, February 4, at 4:00.  The link will be in the morning daily schedule email.

Our presenter will be author Chuck Mauro, and his presentation will be titled A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia: The Civil War Album of Laura Ratcliffe. Laura lived in Herndon and provided information to the Confederates. The album, also used as a guestbook, was given to her by the dashing Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart. Stuart also wrote four poems for Laura to help cement her allegiance to the Confederate cause. Chuck will show how Laura’s story illustrates the competing considerations that were felt by many Southern sympathizers living in contested or Union-controlled territory.

Chuck is a retired federal employee who has published 15 books, most related to the Civil War. He is a fine storyteller, and this should be an excellent presentation.

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Poet's Corner
Courtesy of the Poetry Workshop

       It’s Complicated

After enough time for me
      to fall out of lust and into love
      you said my dark eyes turned
                smoky.
 
I imagined you would be
    water in my desert, manna,
          potentially shelter in my storms.

      After 40 years, living together
                in the same house, or oceans apart,
I’ve been both right        
                       and wrong.
 
                                      –Carolyn Wyatt

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Enjoy a Little Sunshine and a Quick Trip to the Caribbean with Theater Lovers Group
 


By Norma Jean Reck, Coordinator, Theater Lovers' Group


February is special in that it is packed with celebrations from major holidays like Valentine's Day to quirky national days like National Love Your Pet Day to notable events like Super Bowl Sunday. In keeping with the 'special' theme, OLLI's Theater Lovers' Group (TLG) is planning to attend two plays - Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys and Once on this Island - both of which address what is special to the human experience. You are invited to join us.


On Sunday, February 8, TLG will attend the 2pm matinee performance of The Sunshine Boys, performed by The Vienna Theatre Company in The Vienna Community Center, located at 120 Cherry Street in Vienna. Tickets are $16 and can be purchased online at viennatheatrecompany.org. The story is based on real life comedians who became estranged after a successful vaudeville career together. The story of their reuniting is told with lots of humor and hilarious one-liners. We will meet for an optional lunch at Carnegie Diner, located at 507 Maple Avenue West at 11:30am. (You will be back home in time for the Super Bowl.)
 

On Sunday, February 15, TLG will attend the 3pm matinee performance of Once on this Island, performed by the City of Fairfax Theater Community at Katherine Johnson Middle School, located at 3801 Jermantown Road in Fairfax. Tickets are $31.60 and can be purchased online at fairfaxcitytheatre.org. This Caribbean inspired musical is about the unbreakable human spirit and the power of love. We will meet at Luciano's on Chain Bridge Road and Hunter Mill Road in Oakton for an optional lunch at 11:30am.    
 
Feel free to bring a guest or two. We will have separate checks, and there is plenty of free parking at each venue. Just remember to email me Norma at [email protected] to let me know you will be joining us. Everyone is welcome.

Editor’s Note: At the author's request, all words are published unedited, exactly as submitted.
TLG Lunch Bunch at Auld Shebeen

  
Arts & Music at George Mason
Performances January 30 through February 8


By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff Writer


The College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) has several web sites of performances, talks etc.
CFA ticket purchase page
Center for the Arts YouTube channel 
Hylton ticket purchase page
the new https://masonartsamplified.gmu.edu/
music.calendar.gmu.edu/
theater.calendar.gmu.edu/
dance.calendar.gmu.edu
masonexhibitions.org/
and if you miss a live performance, there is a pay-per-view for many: https://cfa.gmu.edu/events/paid-digital-performances. 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 above) or visit the venue's box office.

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 link to 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.

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At the Fairfax Campus Venues

Curious George: The Golden Meatball
Sat, Jan 31, 11:00 and 2:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $24.
 
Homecoming Comedy Headliner Josh Johnson
Thu, Feb 5, 9:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $65, $55, $45.
 
Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble
Sat, Feb 7, 8:00
A pre-performance discussion begins one hour prior to the performance.
Concert Hall
Admission: $81, $71, $55.
 
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra: The Soul of Tango with Berta Rojas, Guitar
Sat, Feb 7, 8:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: $75, $64, $54.
 
Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel: Poetic Tone Pictures
Sun, Feb 8, 7:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $60, $52, $38.
Fairfax Campus Visual Arts
(details can be found at https://www.masonexhibitions.org/)
 
The Mirage of Ancient Egypt: Exploring Ancient
Egypt’s Legacy in Popular Culture
Through February 13, 2026
Fenwick Gallery

The Prescription is Home
January 23 - April 18, 2026
Mason Exhibitions, Arlington Campus
Mason Student and Faculty Performances

(see music.gmu.edu for additional student recitals)

Mason Cabaret: Heart and Music, The Songs of William Finn
Fri, Jan 30, 7:30
Sat, Jan 31, 2:00 and 7:30
Sun, Feb 1, 2:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: $35 Adult, $19 Senior.

Guest Recital: Michael Burner, trombone
Mon, Feb 2, 6:30
Music Theater Building, 1023
Admission: Free.

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At the Hylton Center (Manassas Campus)

Mason Cabaret: Heart and Music, The Songs of William Finn
Fri, Feb 6, 7:30
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: $35 Adult, $19 Senior.
 
Cirque Mechanics
Sat, Feb 7, 2:00 and 8:00
A pre-performance discussion begins one hour prior to the performance.
Merchant Hall
Admission: $60, $52, $38.
 
American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras:
Harp Ensemble, Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Orchestra in Concert
Sun, Feb 8, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $14.

Visual Arts: OFFERINGS TO THE POTOMAC
ACKNOWLEDGING INDIGENOUS PLACE
February 24 - May 15, 2026
Buchanan Hall Atrium Gallery, Manassas Campus

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For further details on any of the above events, see the CFA Event Calendar and the Hylton Center event calendar.

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Meetings & Clubs

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).

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. The OLLI office has sent (or will send) emails with links and meeting passwords to club members.
 
Sat Jan 31 10:30 am Tai Chi Club – online
Mon Feb 2
 		  9:30 am
 4:00 pm		 What’s in the Daily News? – online
Chair Yoga and More – online
Tue Feb 3
 
 		  2:00 pm
 3:45 pm
 4:30 pm		 Chair Yoga and More – online
Caregivers Support Group – online
Tai Chi Club – online
Wed Feb 4
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 		 11:50 am
11:50 am
12:00 noon
 1:30 pm
 1:30 pm
 1:30 pm
 2:00 pm
 4:00 pm
 4:00 pm		 Investment Forum
Literary Roundtable – online
Chair Yoga and More – online
Board Game Club
Bridge Club
Dabbling Artists Club – online
Memoir and More Writing Group – online
History Club – online
Spanish Club – online
Thu Feb 5
 
 
 		 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 Club – online
Fri Feb 6
 
 
 
 		  9:30 am
10:00 am
11:00 am
12:00 noon
 2:00 pm		 Crafts and Conversation
Mah Jongg Club
Homer, etc. – online
Chair Yoga and More – online
Classic Literature Club – online
Sat Feb 7 10:30 am Tai Chi Club – online
Mon Feb 9
 
 		  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 Feb 10
 
 		  2:00 pm
 4:00 pm
 4:30 pm		 Chair Yoga and More – online
Mah Jongg Club – online
Tai Chi Club – online
Wed Feb 11
 
 
 
 
 		 11:50 am
11:50 am
12:00 noon
 1:30 pm
 1:30 pm
 4:00 pm		 Investment Forum
Literary Roundtable – online
Chair Yoga and More – online
Board Game Club
Bridge Club
Spanish Page Turner Club – online
Thu Feb 12
 
 		 11:50 am
 3:00 pm
 4:30 pm		 All the News
Chair Yoga and More – online
Tai Chi Club – online
Fri Feb 13
 
 
 
 
 
 
 		  9:30 am
 9:30 am
11:00 am
11:30 am
12:00 noon
 2:00 pm
 2:30 pm
 4:00 pm		 Photography Club
Crafts and Conversation
Homer, etc.
Cooking Club
Chair Yoga and More – online
Classic Literature Club – online
Tallwood Book Club – online
French Conversation and Happy Hour – online
Sat Feb 14 10:30 am Tai Chi Club – online

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About OLLI E-News

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 Editors: David Gundry, Deborah Kruesi

Weekly Editor Team: David Gundry, Chitra Mohla, 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.

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AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

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Email: [email protected]

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