Ely Previous Courses

Course Description: This course offers an introduction to Japanese culture and history, focussing on the influence on Japanese art and cinema, literature and haiku. It also examines the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima disaster, the recovery and what this says about modern Japan. There will also be the opportunity to visit the Dojima sake brewery at Fordham.

Course Description: The lives of famous artists have long been considered ideal subjects for film biopics. Many great artists live tortured lives, which makes for good drama, but the best of these films can teach us something about the art itself as well as the people who create it. They explore the relationship between art and the viewer and the historical and political context in which artists work. The course will look at a number of films depicting the life and work of artists from different perspectives.

Course Description: This eight week course offered by Ely Lifelong Learners (ELLs) takes us on a journey with celebrated Russian composers who faced the challenge of linking European musical language with Russian tradition. It helps us engage with Russia and the Russian soul through great music masterpieces and demonstrates how Tchaikovsky struggled with fate; how Rachmaninov’s ‘four weeping notes’ revealed Russianness; and how Glinka and the Mighty Five transformed the perception of Russian music in the world. This course is taught by popular tutor and native Russian speaker Marina Burrell

Course Description: Join writer and composer Christopher Budd to explore the development of music in film, and enjoy clips spanning a century of cinema, as we examine the work of composers both familiar and lesser-known. No prior knowledge is required.

Course Description: Popular tutor and native Russian, Marina Burrell, is the tutor for this day school. The aim is to discuss the life and works of the great Russian composer Rachmaninov. We will make musical connections between Rachmaninov’s works and relate his compositions to his personal life. We will also explore the magic of the ‘four silver weeping notes’, the mysteries behind ‘The White Lilac’ and the composer’s long silence.