The Building Blocks of Opera

Dates: January 18 - February 15, 2022
Meets: Tu from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
 Location: Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
Cost:  $65.00

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Date Day Time
01/18/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM
01/25/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM
02/01/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM
02/08/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM
02/15/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM

Please note: This course program requires membership in a 2021 - 2022 OLLI at MSU Membership or 2021 - 2022 OLLI at MSU Membership

Opera is a magical, dramatic, and musical art form that consists of many elements. This course will examine them individually and in the combinations that make up the finished work. Classes will be devoted to the following:

  • The story, the lyrics, the libretto
  • The musical structures of different types of opera
  • The voice in opera: solos, ensembles, choruses
  • The orchestra in opera
  • Varieties of staging opera

The presentations will involve lectures, extensive video and audio examples, and discussion.

Apply for a needs-based scholarship to take this offering.


Fee:  $65.00

Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church

2152 Graf St
Bozeman, MT 59718
View the location on a map.

Stephen Guggenheim

Stephen Guggenheim is a retired physician and professor of medicine. He has presented several previous courses and discussions about opera for OLLI and Wonderlust. He is also an amateur musician and former member of the Bozeman Symphony and Intermountain Opera Orchestra. While he has no academic credentials in music, he has pursued a lifelong interest in music, especially opera, since age 12.
Date Day Time Location
01/18/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
01/25/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
02/01/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
02/08/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
02/15/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church

The structure of this course makes it suitable as an introduction to those unfamiliar with opera. Still, it will also allow confirmed opera lovers to appreciate further what makes its magic work. Students learn how opera has changed over the last 400 years. Attendees will be disabused, if necessary, of the idea that opera is a stuffy art form whose appeal is limited to the elite.