PHILOSOPHY Man’s Search for Meaning (Dr. David Chandross)
Victor Frankl endured the hardships of the holocaust, losing his mother, his wife and his sister. His best selling book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ showed how he found the will to survive and how we can triumph over adversity. Join Dr. David Chandross as he looks at the stories of heroism and humanity that emerged from a time of madness.
HISTORY Blessed Be the Peace Makers: Martin Luther King Jr. (Paul Dias)
A Baptist minister, activist, political philosopher and the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The man who at the age of 15 had his first anti-racist speech, who led the American civil rights movement – Martin Luther King’s leadership was key to ending legal segregation in the United States. Join Paul Dias to learn about the man who had a dream.
CINEMA Romantic Comedies – The Recipe (Ryan Uytdewilligen)
Hollywood loves love. Romantic comedies have been a staple since the creation of film – continuously topping the box office and melting our hearts. Join Ryan as he breaks down the formula on what goes into a good romcom from the “meet cute” to the setting. Watch excerpts from classics “like It Happened One Night”, “Roman Holiday”, “Moonstruck” and “When Harry Met Sally”, while highlighting some of Hollywood’s most beloved couples from Tracy and Hepburn to Newman and Woodward.
CULINARY ARTS For the Love of Food (Kate Compton)
“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate” (Alan D. Wolfelt) Sometimes delicious food says it all! Join chef Kate to find out what food is sure to impress on Valentine’s day. Learn some food history, tasty ideas and easy tips for including more ‘feel good foods’ into your life and relationships. See what miracles can ingredients like avocado, oysters, bananas, and asparagus work (And no, we haven’t forgotten about chocolate!)
LITERATURE Love Stories for Young Hearts (Paul Dias)
Through classic myth and folklore, poem and legend, we will explore the passion, the tragedy and the triumph of love.
LITERATURE Shakespeare in Love (Paul Dias)
Explore Shakespeare’s insights into the theme of love through some of his most dynamic characters: The submissive Ophelia, the domineering Lady Macbeth, the jealous Othello and the hilarious love triangles of midsummer night dream, that have thrilled and chilled audiences for generations!
MUSIC Romance in the Musical (Daniel Aonso)
From West Side Story to My Fair Lady, from the Phantom of the Opera to Singin’ in the Rain. Exploring the theme of romance in classic musicals.
MUSIC Operatic Love Arias and duets – The romantic, the tragic and the weird
From the seductive Don Juan, to the grave duet of Radames and Aida, to Serse’s love aria to a tree (!!!) – Explore the many shades of love – the lifeblood of the opera.
PHILOSOPHY The Abridged History of Love (Dr. Christopher DiCarlo)
How was the concept of ‘love’ defined, used, and celebrated throughout recorded time (and potentially, pre-recorded time). During the festive season of St. Valentine’s – when “love is in the air” – let’s consider the nature of this most perplexing, yet wondrous of human emotions.
MUSIC Women Composers
It’s a men’s world – certainly when it comes to creating music. Yet, through history we encounter talented females who dared challenge this belief and create music. In this presentation we will meet not just “wife of…” or “sister of…” but great artists in their own right.
FASHION Coco Chanel (Dr. David Chandross)
xplore the fascinating world of Coco Chanel, the greatest fashion influencer of all times. Beginning in her humble start as an abandoned 8 year old girl in France and rising to become a fashion empire, Coco Gabrielle Chanel redefined beauty and changed the role of women in society! Dior, Yves St Laurent and even Estee Lauder owe their success to this trailblazing woman from the roaring 20s!
MUSIC Female Writers and Directors in Cinema (Jake Horwitz)
Learn about the early female trailblazers in cinema who paved the way for future generations: Groundbreaking filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché, one of the first directors in film history, and screenwriting legend Nora Ephron who redefined the romantic comedy genre with her sharp wit and nuanced characters. See their pioneering work, the cultural impact of their films, and the challenges they faced while carving their paths in cinema.
HISTORY Queen Victoria (Dr. Gordon Bannerman)
After Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria is the longest-reigning monarch in British history. As Queen from 1837 to 1901, her reign was marked by great political, social, and economic change. Victoria was made “Empress of India”, reflective of Britain’s imperial power and prestige. Explore Victoria’s personal and political life and legacy.
HISTORY The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) (Dr. Gordon Bannerman)
From grocer’s daughter to Downing Street – This talk examines the life, career, and legacy of Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female Prime Minister. The Thatcher governments made many fundamental and controversial changes to the British economy and British society. Even today, after her death, she remains a highly influential, controversial, and divisive figure.
HISTORY Irish Immigrants in the New World (Dr. Andrew Lindsay)
In the late 1840’s both Canada and the United States became the destination of tens of thousands of Irish, victims of a catastrophy- The potato famine – which was one of the most intense and tragic natural disasters in history, reducing the nation to a state of terror and desperation. But Ireland’s loss was our gain, as multitudes risked the Atlantic voyage and faced the unknown to start new lives for themselves.
MUSIC The Fierce Genius of Irish Music and Song (Michael O’Brien)
From fierce Irish humor to heart-melting Irish beauty to good old rousing Irish fun – Join Irish-Canadian playwright Michael O’Brien as he walks you through the central role Irish music and song have played in his own life and career. From Brendan Behan, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, to The Chieftains and The Dubliners, to Shane McGowan and The Pogues right up to Enya and Sinead O’Connor. Iconic melodies, laughs, good times, and a few tears.
CINEMA Epic Hollywood (Ryan Uytdewilligen)
Around Easter, TCM shows a lot of giant films – particularly biblical epics that have become synonymous with Easter. This genre – massively popular in 1950s, were some of the most expensive movies ever made. Join Ryan as he takes a look at the production and legacy of epic films like The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), Spartacus (1960), and Cleopatra (1963), and how they nearly destroyed the entire film industry in the mid-1960s.
ART Three Outstanding Mexican Women (Mariana Arámburu)
Explore the art of Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo, and Leonora Carrington and learn how life in Mexico in the mid 20th century inspired these artists to create feminist art with a whimsical touch of surrealism.
TRAVEL The Markets of Mexico City (Mariana Arámburu)
Join Mariana in a journey to discover her native town, Mexico City, through its markets – from the most touristy to its rarest. Learn where to eat the best street food and shop for the most original crafts, But also find the hidden markets where to get insect tacos, exotic flowers, bizarre antiques, and black magic items.
HISTORY Queen Victoria (Dr. Gordon Bannerman)
After Elizabeth II, Queen Victoria is the longest-reigning monarch in British history. As Queen from 1837 to 1901, her reign was marked by great political, social, and economic change. Victoria was made “Empress of India”, reflective of Britain’s imperial power and prestige. Explores Victoria’s personal and political life and legacy.
CINEMA Queen Victoria in the Movies (Ryan Uytdewilligen)
Queen Victoria (1819 – 1901) has been a subject in film throughout multiple decades, portrayed at different ages in the movies Victoria The Great(1937), Mrs. Brown (1997) and Victoria and Abdul(2017). Join Ryan as he discusses her life through clips and talking points from these movies.
HISTORY The Invasion to Normandy (Paul Dias)
The Invasion to Normandy, codenamed “Operation Neptune”, was rife with uncertainty and could have easily spelled doom for the allies and victory for the Nazis. Join Paul as he examines this battle: The planning, the decisions, the bravery and sacrifices of one of the most pivotal turning points of history.
CINEMA – Chief Dan George: Actor and Activist (Ryan Uytdewilligen)
Chief Dan George – a Canadian indigenous Oscar-nominated actor, who appeared in classic 1970s movies like Little Big Man, Harry and Tonto, and The Outlaw Josie Wales. He was also a political activist, and his speech Lament for Confederation from 1967 is a milestone in the dialogue between first nations people and non-natives.
HISTORY The Founding Fathers: John A. Macdonald and Wilfrid Laurier (Dr. Andrew Lindsay)
After almost three centuries of European settlement, Canadians ventured tentatively into the status of their own nationhood in 1867. Today, more than 150 years later, our status as one of the most livable and stable nations speaks to the contributions of our two greatest early prime ministers, Conservative John A. Mcdonald and Liberal Wilfrid Laurier. Who were these two historical giants of the Great White North and what did they contribute to our nation’s heritage?
CINEMA Going to the (Canadian) Movies (Ryan Uytdewilligen)
Celebrating the Canadian motion picture industry, cinema expert Ryan Uytdewilligen explores the early years of film production in the Great White North, how the National Film Board came to be, and why the industry ebbed and flowed during the Hollywood Golden Age. Ryan discusses how eager Canadians like Mary Pickford and Louis B Mayer ended up creating Hollywood, why canucks like Donald Sutherland and Christopher Plummer found success down south, and looks at some of the most important Canadian films, including Goin’ Down the Road (1970), The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), and One Week (2008).
HISTORY O Canada! The Land, the Moments, the people (Paul Dias)
From a remote settlement to a nation: Come celebrate Canada and discover the events that shaped our nation and the people who have made it shine.
ART The Group of Seven: The Mystery, Majesty and Magic of Canada’s Landscape (Paul Dias)
At the turn of the 20th Century, a bold group of artists set out to capture the wild and natural landscapes of Canada as never before. Explore the paintings that changed the world of art and shaped a nation in the process.
MUSIC Icons of Canadian Popular Music (Daniel Aonso)
Explore how popular music has been shaped by Canada. Hear the sounds of Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and many more great Canadian musicians.
HISTORY The French Revolution: Don’t Lose Your Head (Paul Dias)
Discover how the richest, most powerful country in Europe disintegrated almost overnight. Discover how the noble ideas of Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood fed the every-hungry guillotine. Discover the French Revolution.
HISTORY Napoleon: Tyrant, Dictator, Genius (Paul Dias)
From the ashes and chaos of revolution, From Italy to Egypt to Spain to Russia, follow one of Europe’s greatest generals as he blazed a trail across the pages of history. Join us as we trace Napoleon’s path – from victory to defeat to legend.
MUSIC Sous Le Ciel de Paris – The Great French Channsonieres (Daniel Aonso)
The romantic sounds of the French chanson with Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, Édith Piaf, and more.
CINEMA – Chief Dan George: Actor and Activist (Ryan Uytdewilligen) – See June 21st
HISTORY Canada – Skeletons from the Closet (Paul Dias)
Though Canada is regarded as a tolerant country that champions freedom and human rights, there is also a darker side to our history that needs to be explored. This lecture removes the rose-colored glasses to examine the stains on our national reputation – from residential schools, to ethnic head taxes, to war profiteering, and affirms the belief that “the line separating good and evil passes through every human heart.”
CINEMA Horror Comedies: Laughing the Fear Away (Ryan Uytdewilligen)
Having a good laugh is the perfect way to let off steam when you’re scared! Gene Wilder’s Haunted Honeymoon and Young Frankenstein, the nervous and bumbling Don Knotts in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and of course Abbott and Costello Meet…Watch some silly clips from horror comedy classics and see why those two genres mix so well together.
HISTORY London Fog: Jack the Ripper (Paul Dias)
Amid the fog and darkness, a mysterious killer stalks the streets of Victorian London – unleashing a series of bloody murders that terrorized the public. Join Paul as he combines a historical police investigation with spine-tingling story-telling, and sheds light on a mystery that has baffled law-enforcement for over a century: Who was Jack the Ripper?
LITERATURE Bram Stoker’s Classic Novel “Dracula” (Paul Dias)
Prince Dracula, a creature of the night, armed with immense supernatural powers and rapacious blood lust is menacing the very heart of Victorian London. A spine-tingling Gothic tale of evil, corruption, lust and the redemptive power of love that lasts from beyond the grave…
TRAVEL Haunted Places (Jennifer Merrick)
From a haunted coal mine in Wales to the historic site of Fort Henry at Kingston, to the ghost who wanders the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, join me as we learn the spine-tingling, otherworldly tales of famous attractions around the world.
TRAVEL Monsters and Myths (Jennifer Merrick)
Everyone has heard of the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch, but what about Ogopogo, a lake creature in British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake, or the Michigan Dogman? Join Jennifer as she travels to destinations in Canada and around the world, where some famous and not-so-famous creatures and monsters are reported to inhabit and explore some of the folklore surrounding them.
HISTORY Canada in World War One (Dr. Andrew Lindsay)
In 1914, Canada went to war, but it did so still seen by much of the world as an appendage of it’s mother country, Britain. Even 47 years after Confederation, Canadians chafed at the perception of being a junior partner following the lead of London, a small player on a big stage. Burning with a desire to announce its place among nations, Canada would blaze a path on the battlefield, emerging from the crucible of war as a real country with its own identity in four short years.
CINEMA Hollywood Goes to War (Ryan Uytdewilligen)
Five Came Back is a documentary which explores the experiences of five American film directors who went to film in the frontlines in Europe during WWII. Join Ryan as he discusses this film, as well as clips of their documentaries and old propaganda reels. This talk also features Canadian soldier turned Oscar winner Harold Russell, and actors turned army vets like Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart.
PHILOSOPHY Code of Honour: The Philosophy and Psychology of Courage (Dr. David Chandross)
What is honour and what is valor? This lecture explores the history of “honour”: Great incidents of courage and determination in the battlefield and outside it, of setting aside one’s own desires and uplift the lives of others.
MUSIC Highway of Heroes (Daniel Aonso)
Explore the various shades of popular war songs – From the patriotic tone of Johnny Cash, through the mourning of Pete Seeger, to the pacifism of Simon and Garfunkel.
MUSIC In the Music Halls of World War One (Daniel Aonso)
With WWI came a change in the music halls of Europe. No longer just a form of entertainment, this dominating style of music evolved to reflect society’s concerns with songs such as “When the Boys Come Home” and “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier”.
MUSIC Benjamin Britten – A War requiem
Lt. Wilfred Owen was a soldier and a poet who lived the horrors of WWI. His apocalyptic poems are set to music in this beautiful outcry against the inhumanity of war.
HISTORY The Evolution of Memory: 100 Years of Remembrance Day (Dr. Gordon Bannerman)
With the mass casualties of the two World Wars of the twentieth century, the consequences of ‘total war’ affected large sections of the population in the combatant countries. The loss of so many people prompted moves to officially recognize and commemorate The Fallen. Remembrance is now a vital part of our mental landscape and plays a role in teaching the present and future generations of the nature of sacrifice and loss, as well as the horrors of war.
HISTORY Yuletide, Christmas and Mistletoe! (Dr. David Chandross)
An ancient Roman holiday, a Celtic mistletoe tradition, the different St. Nicks who were combined to create the original Santa Claus, the Norse reindeer – See how all that came together to form the holiday we all celebrate this time of the year around the world and have for over 2000 years. And of course, we will sing a carol or two to bring in the cheer.
CINEMA How Hollywood changed the Holidays (Ryan Uytdewilligen)
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Hollywood. Movies have become an integral part of the holiday experience – even more than most think. Ryan will explain how stories like A Christmas Carol (1951) marked a lot of firsts movie-making, how the portrayal on Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) lead to how we view the jolly gift giver today, how some like White Christmas and Meet Me in St. Louis spawned some of the most popular Christmas tunes of all time, and how some films like It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Sound of Music (1965) became holiday traditions themselves.
LITERATURE A Christmas Carol (Paul Dias)
Come listen to Charles Dickens’ timeless classic – featuring the Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, the loveable Tiny Tim and those ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas or even Boxing Day, this time-honored tale of heart and hearth is guaranteed to get you into the true spirit of the season.
PHILOSOPHY Redemption on the Silver Screen (Dr. Christopher DiCarlo)
Nowhere more creatively is the theme of redemption played out than in the movies. We shall look at this theme In Gran Torino, Good Will Hunting, the Pianist, the Shawshank Redemption and others and consider whether something akin to a redeeming spirit dwells within each of us.
MUSIC G.F.Handel: Messiah, an Oratorio
Although by far the best known work by Handel, Messiah is his most untypical oratorio – rather Than a drama with characters and plot it is a narration of the birth, passion, resurrection and second coming of Christ – a work with theological, philosophical and even political agenda.
MUSIC The Legend of “White Christmas” (Daniel Aonso)
Irving Berlin’s classic is the most covered Christmas song of all times. Traditional pop, early rock and roll, blues and jazz – Bing Crosby’s “original” version, compared that of Michael Buble, Elvis, Oscar Peterson and more!
MUSIC A winter Wonderland of Yuletide Favorites (Daniel Aonso)
It’s the holiday season! The classic sounds of Bing Crosby, the jazz of Vince Guaraldi, and the flair of Elvis Presley!