Of Additional Interest:
Visit our Past Presenters and Performers page for updates on previous presenters and performers plus links to recorded programs by the Illinois Humanities Council.
The public and guests are welcome to join us by the fireplace before lunch and, of course, for tea after the program
Insightful, Educational, Fun, Musical, Thought Provoking
Art, Literature, Music, and Social Science Programs
are all part of our 2009-10 Season
You are invited to join us at one of our unique blend of
interesting events right here in your neighborhood
Be sure to join us for our successful fundraisers from the past few years—the Mardi Gras Benevolence Fundraiser will be February 13, 2010 and the Spring Scholarship Luncheon. Members, friends, relatives and neighbors all join in the fun every year and to help us send an Oak Park-River Forest student to college as well as support several local non-for-profit organizations.
Nineteenth Century History
Since 1891 programs have started on the first Monday of October
because the first meeting was held on Monday, October 5, 1891.
October 5, 2009 / Social Science Department Special starting time is 1:00 p.m. (NO lunch)
President's Tea follows program
Jacqueline Kennedy, First Lady
Performer and historian Leslie Goddard will bring the First Lady to life through her childhood memories, marriage to handsome senator John F. Kennedy, and conflicted reaction to John’s election to the U.S. Presidency in 1961. She talks about restoring the White House, showcasing the arts and her international travel. Goddard sets her portrayal in 1964, a time Jackie must now begin a new life for herself and her children.
October 12 / Special Jesse White Tumblers Family Show (Columbus Day) - 1:15 p.m.
Jesse White Tumblers- Join the Fun!!!
Be there when the gravity switch is turned off as the internationally renowed Jesse White Tumblers enter our auditorium in this rare opportunity to see the tumblers up close and indoors. Since 1959 this internationally famous, high-flying team, founded by Jesse White (Illinois Secretary of State), has made thousands of appearances.
They have fans around the world from Chicago to Tokyo and from Washington to Hong Kong. They have performed on national television, at last two White House inaugural events and have appeared in several movies and television series.
All ages welcome. Plan to invite your neighbors, friends, children and grandchildren!
October 19 / Music Department
Drew Duncan,Tenor
Drew, a rising young tenor, will bring us a concert of well-known tenor arias and art songs by Lehar, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Originally from Milford, Iowa, Mr. Duncan will be returning to Opera for the Young for their 2010 tour of Rusulka, previously playing Nemorino in their 2009 tour of The Elixer of Love. This past summer Mr. Duncan was involved in the inaugural season of Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, cover Peter Quint and Prologue in The Turn of the Screw and playing Harry Paddington in The Beggars Opera. In 2009 Mr. Duncan covered the roles of Tito in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito and Sir Philip Wingrave in Benjamin Britten's Owen Wingrave with Chicago Opera Theater's Young Artist Program.
Previously with Chicago Opera Theater, Mr. Duncan has been seen in the chorus of Don Giovanni and the mid-west premiere of John Adam's A Flowering Tree both in 2008, and Béatrice et Bénédict while a young artist in 2007. Other performance credits include: Camille in The Merry Widow and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, both with DePaul Opera Theater, featured soloist in Orland Parks Sing-along Messiah, Chicago Cultural Center's production of Handel’s Acis and Galatea covering Acis and Damon, and Bruschino figlio in Rossini's Il Signor Bruschino , El Remendado in Carmen with Quad Cities Opera Company, covered Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Music by the Lake, and covering King Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Chamber Opera Chicago and Des Moines Metro Opera. His oratorio credits include Schubert Mass, Elijah, and The Messiah.
He received his bachelor's degree from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa where he sang numerous roles such as Gabriel VonEisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Judge Danforth in The Crucible, Mr. Snow in Carousel, Dr. Dorn in The Seagull and Tamino in The Magic Flute.
October 26 / Literature Department
How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music
Greg Kot, Tribune Music Critic and co-host of Chicago Public Radio’s Sound Opinions, talks about the advances in Internet and digital technology in the 1990s which made it easy to store, play, and share music and leveled the playing field between major-label bands and smaller independent artists. Instead of embracing new possibilities, the music industry sued their customers. Despite everything, on-line music sharing exploded, and a worldwide grassroots community that transformed music came into existence. Books: Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music; Wilco, Learning How to Die; Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Basketball.
November 2 / Art Department - New Member Luncheon
Bell Ringers collect for Shriners Hospital - Cash or Checks (payable to The Nineteenth Century Club)
Public Sculptures in and around the Chicago Loop
Question: What do the following have in common?
Frank Stella, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Lorado Taft, Albin Polasek, Hubertus von der Goltz, Ellen Lanyon, Milton Horn, Richard Serra, Franz Machtl, Dessa Kirk, Evan Mestrovic, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Frederick Cleveland Hibbard, Leonard Crunelle, Anish Kapoor, Frank Gehry, Jaume Plensa, Norman Tait, Bertel Thorvaldsen, Denise Milan, Ary Perez, David Nash, Virginio Ferrari, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Sol LeWitt, Yaacov Agam, Mary Brogger, and more and more....
Answer: All have produced public art for Chicago.
Jeff Mishur, owner of Art Excursions, Inc. returns with a slide presentation giving the historical context of sculptures by Picasso, Chagall, Taft, Oldenburg and others. Highlights of the program will be Millennium Park’s “Cloud Gate” and “The Crown Fountain.”
This year the Art Department offers exposure to some of the diverse media that comprises the visual arts, including textiles, film, painting, sculpture, photography and graphics. They hope you will enjoy these programs!
November 9 / Social Science Department (Veterans Day - No fee for program and tea for attending Veterans)
Bell Ringers collect for Shriners Hospital - Cash or Checks (payable to The Nineteenth Century Club)
The Korean War
Dr. Wally Burdick, Professor of History at Elmhurst College, places the Korean War in U.S. history, giving a historical perspective to a war that is often called “the forgotten war”.
This program will honor all Veterans - NO fee for program and tea for attending veterans
SOCIAL WELFARE SEWING GROUP DISPLAY during this meeting Members knit and crochet, as well as sew, for
newborns, infants, toddlers, teens and adults;
these items are then distributed to the community through local agencies and hospitals.
The Sewing Group needs you! Members and nonmembers are welcome to
join us knitting, crocheting and sewing for local agencies and hospitals. We have the yarn and fabric–we need you and your talents.
November 16 / Literature Department
Tribute to Sci-Fi Writers by Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear Troupe
Performance of radio dramas featuring Exploring Tomorrow: Isaac Asimov's The Liar, X-Minus One: Ray Bradbury's Mars is Heaven. This is a recreation of old time radio shows from the golden era, recreated live, on stage, with sound effects, music, and exciting drama and adventure. Isaac Asimov Lia r, a short story; Ray Bradbury, Mars is Heaven, a short story.
In response to popular demand after this most enjoyable program, here is a direct link to:
Sonoritees -- Chicago’s premiere duo for piano and harp, Lyrachorda Duo
Don't miss this program which will feature French masterpieces from 17th - 20th centuries. From the brisk and brilliant “La Joyeuse” by Jean-Phillipe Rameu to Carlos Salzedo’s seldom performed “Sonata for Harp and Piano”, harpist Faye Seeman and pianist Paul James Lewis skillfully embrace the similarities and diversities of their instruments into a one hour journey of musical delights.
More about Faye and Paul . . .
Faye, principal harpist of the Chicago Sinfonietta and Joffrey Ballet Orchestras since 1992, is adjunct professor of harp studies at both Wheaton College and Northern Illinois University. In 1980 she founded the “Kithara” flute, cello and harp trio and has led the group to notoriety with its broadcast work on WTTW”s “30 Good Minutes,” the recording of two CD’s, and performances of many recitals throughout the Midwest. Her newest group, the “ZigZag” Jazz Harp Quartet, recently recorded Caught, a CD featuring Seeman’s compositions, jazz standards and free improvisation. Ms Seeman has been on the faculty of the Birch Creek Music Festival in Door County, Wi, for the past 17 years, and was a guest lecturer in Tulsa,OK and Seattle, WA this past summer.
Paul (pianist) joined The Joffrey Ballet as Principal Pianist & Music Administrator in the fall of 2002 and is widely recognized as one of the leading ballet accompanists in America today. His concert career specializes in the works of contemporary composers including Sir Michael Tippet, Olivier Messiaen, and Leonard Bernstein. His performances have also been broadcast on PBS radio and television.
His forays into the world of musical theatre include composing dance music for the hit musical “Nunsense,” and on screen, Mr. Lewis portrays himself in Robert Altman’s film, “The Company.”
November 30 / Art Department
Pop-Up Books (and Prints) from the Renaissance to the Victorian Age
Join the Art Institute of Chicago's specialist in Renaissance Pop-Ups, Suzanne Karr Schmidt, for a look at the art and history of books and prints with movable parts, a genre originally intended for adults, not children. From the dissect-yourself anatomy models and humorous courtesans with liftable skirts of the sixteenth century to creative nineteenth-century valentines, interactive surprises abound!
December 7 / Literature Department
Chicago’s Greatest Mover and Shaker: The Chicago “L”
Greg Borzo will tell us about the city’s greatest legacy from the 19th century in all its grit and glory—why it was built and how it changed the city and suburbs. The “L” is a working antique, carrying half a million people a day and also one of Chicago’s most recognizable icons. Take a ride with the author through history and culture as we discover surprising facts about this still vital transportation system.
Book:The Chicago “L”
December 14 / Music Department NO Lunch - SPECIAL STARTING TIME IS 1:00 P.M. - Holiday Tea Follows
Ian de Jong
This up and coming violinist will give us his interpretation of unaccompanied Bach as well as sonatas by Beethoven and Debussy and other works. He has played with the Symphony of Oak Park/River Forest and has been a featured soloist with the DePaul Baroque Ensemble.
He began his violin studies at age 8 while living in the Netherlands. After returning to the US in the late 90’s, he began studies with Michael Hining in Oak Park, Illinois. From 2003 to 2006, Ian studied with Guillaume Combet.
Ian played a full season with the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest in 2002-2003 after winning their annual String Scholarship Award. In 2003, Ian participated in the New York City Youth Orchestra Festival at Carnegie Hall as a member of the Windy City String Ensemble. In fall of 2003, Ian began attending the Merit School of Music Saturday Conservatory in Chicago, where he has been both concertmaster of the Symphony Orchestra and violinist in the Honors Piano Trio. Ian participated in the Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) All-State honors orchestra in 2004 and 2005. He served as principle violinist of the DePaul Chamber Orchestra in 2007.
Ian de Jong has taken part in a wide array of chamber music endeavours. At the Merit School of Music, Ian participated in a violin-saxophone-piano trio in 2003-2004, ultimately performing at the Rembrandt Chamber Players 2004 family concert. The next two years Ian played in the Merit Honors Piano Trio. In the summers of 2005 and 2006, this trio shadowed the summer program at the Steans Institute for Young Artists Chamber Music Program at the Ravinia Festival, where he observed and was coached by Atar Arad, Paul Biss, Paula Frank, and Miriam Fried, among others. Ian attended the Green Lake Chamber Music Festival in 2004, and attended the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival in 2007, where he will return in 2008. As a student at DePaul University, Ian has taken part in a piano quartet, a baroque ensemble, and has made plans for a violin-cello-clarinet-piano quartet that will perform in 2008 and beyond.
In January of 2005, Ian was a featured soloist in the annual Unity Temple Young Artists Concert Series. Also in 2005, Ian appeared as soloist with the Merit Symphony Orchestra. In 2003 and again in 2005, Ian won the Director's Award at Oak Park River Forest High School (OPRFHS). Ian won the OPRFHS concerto competition with Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnol in September 2005 and performed the piece with the orchestra in May 2006. Ian will be a featured soloist with the DePaul Baroque Ensemble in 2008 for their performance of Vivaldi's the Four Seasons.
Since Fall of 2006, Ian has been pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Violin Performance, studying under Robert Waters at DePaul University.
December 21 / Scholarship Recipients Tea - NO Lunch - STARTING TIME IS 1:00 P.M.
Scholarship Recipients Tea
All members and guests are invited to this Scholarship Committee event. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet the talented students who currently receive assistance from our Founder’s Memorial Scholarship Fund and hear them report on their varied pursuits. This is one of the highlights of the year!
* * * 2010 Programs * * *
January 11 / Art Department
William the Conqueror and the Bayeux Tapestry
David Stark of the Art Institute will examine the Bayeux Tapestry, one of the most celebrated works of the early Middle Ages. This 230-foot long embroidery, which is not actually a tapestry, chronicles the events leading up to and including the Battle of Hastings in 1066 when William the Conqueror of France won the English crown. Themes will include techniques used to produce this masterpiece, the events and people depicted, and the mysteries that still surround its creation.
January 18 /Social Science Department
Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King
The Oak Park River Forest High School Gospel Choir and the winners of the Oak Park-River Forest Oratorical Contest will present this annual program. Students in the high school’s Spoken Word program will also perform inspiring original poetry
NO CHARGE for this program
January 18 -- MID-YEAR BUSINESS MEETING - MEMBERS ONLY, 10:30 a.m.
January 25 / Music Department
The American Folk Song
Mark Dvorak is a modern day troubadour who has never stopped performing, writing and recording. He has been called a folk singer’s folk singer who has an encyclopedic knowledge of traditional songs. His songwriting has been called “wondrous” and “profound.”
Since 1981, Mark has performed in nearly all of the United States. Though he often appears on festival stages and in theaters, he is also at home performing in more intimate settings. His concerts are a mix of the familiar and the new; traditional folk and standards from the American song book. He plays authentic country blues guitar and picks great old-time banjo. Mark enjoys involving his audience in sing along songs, just like The Weavers used to do, and he mixes in his own well-crafted and often poignant originals. Mark has a refreshing, down-to-earth stage presence, and is a very engaging performer. He likes to joke around with the folks who attend his shows and throughout the program he’ll add personal anecdotes, and a touch of history or social context.
Lori Andrews advises government agencies around the world about genetics policy issues and writes a mystery series with a female geneticist main character. On CSI, criminals are captured with the latest in genetic technologies. In our personal lives, genetics presents choices and challenges and people pursue genetic genealogy to find distant relatives or determine a relation to historic figures. The author will discuss the role of genetics in our lives and in her novels. Books: Immunity; The Silent Assassin; Sequence.
February 8 / Art Department - New Member Luncheon
Bell Ringers collect for Oak Park Food Pantry - Cash or Checks (payable to The Nineteenth Century Club)
The Camera and Abraham Lincoln
Our own Club member, Mark Pohlad, a specialist in photo history and Associate Professor of Art History at DePaul, will present the nature and challenges of photography in the mid-nineteenth century using vivid, large scale projected images of Lincoln and his circle. Mark quotes Lincoln as describing his most frequent photographer, Mathew Brady (1823-96) as “the man who put me in the White House.” We will learn how photographic images have shaped society
Mardi Gras !!!
Mardi Gras is coming to Oak Park
Saturday, February 13, 2010
6:30 - 11:00 p.m.
Click on our mascot for more information
Dance the night away with New Orleans Mudcats
Enjoy a Louisiana-style Buffet &
Southern Desserts
Bell Ringers collect for Oak Park Food Pantry - Cash or Checks (payable to The Nineteenth Century Club)
First Ladies as Activists
History and Political Science Professor Sharon Alter compares and contrasts the roles, trials and tribulations and accomplishments of Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton as First Ladies. First Ladies in modern times have never been a homogenous group.
*This Road Scholar Program is free and open to the public. It is made possible in part by an award from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.
February 22 / Music Department
Mountains to Canyon: A Musical Journey through America
The Avanti Duo, classical guitarist James Baur and flutist Kim Sopata have performed together for over 10 years and will bring us their interpretation of works evoking the sounds of America (mountain songs of Appalachia to haunting canyon flute sounds of the Apaches). hese two talented musicians will bring a broad palette of expression to this performance.
Kim Sopata (Flute and Egyptian Nay) holds a Bachelor of music from Northwestern University and a masters degree in Ethnomusicology from Bethel University in St. Paul, MN. She has performed with the Charlotte, Milwaukee, Elgin, and Elmhurst Symphony Orchestras, the South Carolina and Illinois Philharmonic Orchestras, the Lincolnwood Chamber Orchestra, the CUBE contemporary music ensemble and the ICE contemporary music ensemble. In addition, she has appeared as soloist with the South Carolina Philharmonic and the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony, and performs traditional Arabic music throughout the U.S. with the Mosaic Ensemble and the Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble.
James Baur (Classical Guitar) earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees in music from Northwestern University, under the direction of Anne Waller. He is currently finishing his Doctorate of Music in Guitar Performance also at Northwestern. He has been awarded numerous prizes and honors for his performance, and has been heard on WFMT and at venues throughout Chicago, and recently released his second solo guitar album. Also active as a teacher, he is on the faculty of Lake Forest College, The Suzuki-Orff School for Young Musicians, The Lake Forest Symphony Music School, and the Music Institute of Chicago.
March 1 / Special Family Program (Casimir Pulaski Day)
Special Family Program with Kevin McMullin
Kevin McMullin, talented musician, singer, songwriter, and storyteller returns to his native Oak Park to perform a foot-flapping, hand-clapping, knee-slapping presentation of music made by hand, mouth, stomach and just about every other part of the anatomy you can think of.
Come and discover the many ways you can use your body, head to toes, to make music. Plan to invite your neighbors, friends and family with children for an afternoon of musical fun.
$5.00 per person (children and adults) requested donation.
History and Film: Cinematic Window on the Ancient and Modern Worlds
Lee Brice, Assistant Professor of History at Western Illinois University, will present, “Lights! Camera! Sand! Action! exploring the way we have learned about the ancient world through film which, though sometimes inaccurate, still has much to recommend it. He will show a selection of clips highlighting the value of these films and the ways in which they inform us about our modern world.
*This Road Scholar Program is free and open to the public. It is made possible in part by an award from the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.
March 15 / Literature Department
The Chicago River History in Photos
Jonathan R. Genzen, physician, kayaker and author, discusses the continually evolving relationship between Chicago and its river. He brings us astonishing tales and stunning photographs as he guides us through the history of the Chicago River from 1600 to the present-day. Book: The Chicago River: A History in Photographs.
March 22 / Social Science Department
The History and International Trade of Coffee
Dr. David Johnson, Assistant History Professor at Elmhurst College, will examine coffee’s importance to the global economy and the social fabric around the globe. Coffee has been globalized since the mid-1600’s. At the turn of both the 20th and 21st centuries, coffee was the second most valuable legally traded commodity originating from the Tropics. If the Empire State Building were a giant coffee cup, Americans would need twenty-five refills a year to quench their thirst.
March 29 / Music Department
Fifth House Ensemble - Romantic Program
These talented musicians will present a romantic program including the “Brahms Horn Trio” for piano, violin and horn, the Glazunov “Romance for Horn and Piano” and other romantic pieces for your enjoyment.
OPEN FORUM at10:30 p.m. - MEMBERS ONLY
April 5 / Art Department
The Social Utility of Portraiture: Practice, Performance & Propriety
Amy M. Mooney, Associate Professor of Art History at Columbia College of Chicago, will examine the central role played by portraiture in fostering social mobility in the US during an era of class, ethnic and racial tension. Dr. Mooney, a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian, has arranged her schedule to illuminate for us this aspect of the immigrant and minority experience during the 1880’s to the 1950’s. Her most recent book is entitled: Portraits of Noteworthy Character.
April 12 / Social Science Department
Alicia, My Story
Performer Betsy Means adapted and performs this true story of the Holocaust. There have been many accounts of survival during the Holocaust, but very few of a woman’s active heroism, particularly if that woman was a young girl when she began saving lives of people she did not know. Alicia faced a terrifying and violent world and managed to retain her faith in humanity, in God and in her people.
April 19 / Barbara Rinella Scholarship Benefit Luncheon - Lunch at 11:30 p.m. / Program at 1:00 p.m.
Back by Popular Demand: Barbara Rinella performs for our Annual Scholarship Benefit Luncheon
Check back here for update on her new performance.
Call (or email, or twitter) your friends, family and favorite neighbors for an enjoyble lunch and then relax and enjoy Barbara.
This is a SCHOLARSHIP BENEFIT Program: Donation is requested for luncheon and program
Our sincere thanks to everyone who supported our 2009 Scholarship Fundraiser.
Gary Moore shares the riveting story of his father, a depression-era youth and his brush with destiny. His remarkable odyssey through World War II and the hardships of minor league baseball were only shared with the author the day before his father died when he broke decades of silence and relieved himself of the heavy burden he had carried. The stunning news sent the author on his own odyssey as he researched his father’s life. Book: Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, WWII and the Long Road Home.
ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING AT 10:30 A.M. - MEMBERS ONLY
May 3 / Scholarship Awards Luncheon - Special time: 12:00 p.m. Lunch - NO TEA
All members should plan to attend this luncheon/program to meet the new scholarship recipients and their families. Come hear about their amazing accomplishments and ambitious plans. This is always one of the most inspiring events of the year.
(Permanent lunch reservations must be canceled if you are unable to attend this event.)
Welcome!
We know you have found many interesting programs
as you scrolled down to here!
We invite you to join us and find out for yourself
how interesting they really are!
One of the charitable goals of our founders
was to promote life-long learning
through multicultural programs for
intergenerational, ethnically diverse audiences.
The fine print . . .
As a not-for-profit charitable organization working in our communities since 1891, we have no capital, capital stock, or shareholders. All persons connected with the Club, do so solely because of a desire to benefit the community as a whole and the individuals we serve under our programs. The primary purpose for the Club building is to support and enable our charitable and educational endeavors. Programs are open to the public and publicly advertised; some are free while for others a modest donation is suggested, but no one is denied admission. Membership is open to all who support our mission, both women and men. Confidential fee waivers are available to all upon request. The charitable and cultural activities promoted by us exist solely due to our volunteers. Please consider joining us and donating your time, talents and resources, as our members enable our multiple charitable efforts for community betterment.
