White Lake Winter Lecture Series
 
The White Lake Music Society’s Winter 2020 Lecture Series will feature engaging and stimulating presentations! The last Tuesday of the month, from January through March, will showcase a wide variety of expertise and talent. 

All presentations will take place at 7 PM at the Book Nook & Java Shop, 8744 Ferry St. in Montague. Admission is $7 at the door. 

January 28, 2020
Jack Ridl  
“Saint Peter and the Goldfinch: A Reading with Commentary and Invited Questions”
An early reader of Saint Peter and the Goldfinch said it best: "Ridl’s books are all treasures, as is he, and his poetry has always been trout-quick, alternately funny and wondrous, instantly intimate, and free of pretense. All these characteristics can be found in this book, and there is something else, something extraordinary: at an age where most poets are content to roll out an imagined posterity, he’s decided to push and refine the art, to see out the day and live it fully, because art and life settle for no less."
​
Jack Ridl taught at Hope from 1971 until retiring in 2006. He is the author of several collections of poetry, and has also published more than 300 poems in journals and has work included in numerous anthologies. He has given readings of his work and led workshops at colleges, universities, art colonies and other venues around the country.

February 25, 2020
Lazaro Vega
“Music of the Swing Era”
Blue Lake Radio Host Lazaro Vega will share recordings of Swing Era American music by a variety of large and small ensembles, led by Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson as well as a variety of the era’s great instrumental improvisers including tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. Lazaro Vega is your host welcoming you to question everything he says with your own experiences, perceptions and insights.

Lazaro Vega is a voice on radio in West Michigan. As jazz director at Blue Lake Public Radio and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, MI, he's programmed and hosted 30 hours of jazz radio per week since 1983. Since 1986, Vega has contributed articles, reviews, and features on jazz to The Grand Rapids Press, including interviews with Dizzy Gillespie, Jackie McLean, Ornette Coleman, Dave Brubeck, Billy Eckstine, Joe Williams, Mel Tormé, Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, and producer Chuck Nessa, among others.
.
March 31, 2020  This unfortunately has been canceled in light of the closure of the Book Nook and Java Shop, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This will be rescheduled!
George Maniates
"Beethoven's Vienna"
Muskegon Community College History Professor, will speak about Beethoven’s Vienna” He will cover the culture, times, and influences taking place during the life of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827). This year marks Beethoven's 250th birthday. 

Professor George Maniates is a history instructor and the Co-Director of the Center for Experiential Learning at Muskegon Community College.  Since joining Muskegon Community College in 2006, he has been in many different roles at the college as the Associate Vice President of Student Services and an adjunct instructor.  In 2011, he joined the full-time faculty, teaching courses in Western Civilization and World History. 
Born and raised in the city of Chicago, Maniates attended Lane Technical High School, where his passion was sparked by a high school history teacher who advocated for students to supplement their understanding by visiting historical sites are around the Chicago area.  After high school, Maniates went on to attend the University of Wisconsin where he earned a Bachelors of Arts in History and Political Science. He possesses a Masters of Arts from DePaul University in history.  He also attended Colorado State University’s Ph.D Program in Community College Leadership.

With 39 years of higher education experience at six different colleges around the United States, he has been a successful college administrator in the areas of Student Services and Enrollment Management.  During this period, he also taught as an adjunct instructor in the areas of history and political science. When an opportunity to become a full-time history instructor became available, the lure of the classroom loomed large. He has taught full-time since 2011.

In 2009, he partnered with Kurt Troutman, an instructor in Political Science, to develop the Center for Experiential Learning (CEL) at the college.  The CEL is known for its innovative programs in military, social and economic history and political science.  Couple with trips to various historic venues, the CEL is known for its famous lecture partnership with the USS Silversides Submarine Museum on World War II.  This series ran for three consecutive years at the Museum. These lectures were spotlighted by the New York Times newspaper as “an excellent cooperative partnership between a higher education institution and a community museum.”

George Maniates is married to Margaret “Peggy” Hennelly-Maniates, the Director of the USS Silversides Submarine Museum.  They have three adult daughters, Brigid, Katherine and Rose.  All three children live out of state where they are pursuing careers at various universities or attending law school.
His hobbies include woodworking, listening to classical music and raising two large Newfoundland dogs. 

The 2020 Swan Series

The White Lake Music Society is pleased to offer two upcoming lectures featuring retired Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s violist Robert Swan.

These 4PM lectures will take place on Sunday, February 9 and March 8. These 4 PM events will take place at the Praise Center of the United Methodist Church, 117 S. Division St., Whitehall. Admission is $7 at the door.
 
Sunday, February 9, 2020
"Dvorak, The Great Melodist”
Antonin Dvorak, the late nineteenth century Czech composer, wrote some of the most beloved music known to concert goers. Dvořák frequently used aspects of folk music. Join Bob as he shares with you examples from Dvorak’s symphonies, concertos, operas, and chamber music. Prepare to be delighted by the grace and intimacy of this master’s work!

Sunday, March 8, 2020
BEETHOVEN - the Revolutionary. Marking 250 Years of Great Music”
The year 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of the birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven. The White Lake Music Society will celebrate this milestone by offering this special lecture by Robert Swan. Let us honor together the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of western civilization’s greatest geniuses! Listen to examples of some of his most profound and important music. Reflect on his life, difficult and misunderstood, and see how it expressed itself through his art in a way not seen before. Beethoven is Bob’s hero and he will explain why.