September Seminars at Bjorklunden

Lawrence University’s Bjorklunden is offering the following seminars for the week of Sunday, September 20 through Friday, September 25:  “Richard Halliburton’s ‘Glorious Adventures:’ Roads, Royal Roads, and Road Narratives” with Gerry Max and Carolyn R. Treanor, and “Music for the Masses” with Jim Grine and Bill Urbrock.

Once a synonym for romantic travel, Richard Halliburton is best known for his 50-mile swim of the Panama Canal and for his disappearance attempting to sail a Chinese junk, The Sea Dragon, from Hong Kong to the San Francisco World’s Fair. His exploits, done with panache, were headline news.

The seminar will showcase Halliburton’s life, and many other writers in the “road narrative” tradition, from Herodotus to Paul Theroux, from the commentators of the Grand Tour to Jack Kerouac.

The seminar will be lead by Gerry Max and Carolyn R. Treanor. Max is the author of Horizon Chasers, a biographical essay on Richard Halliburton. He teaches writing courses through the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a Consultant for Sunflower Circle Productions, which is doing a video series on Halliburton.

Joining him is Carolyn R. Treanor, who is making a documentary film on the life and travels of Halliburton through her film company, Sunflower Circle Productions. A successful entrepreneur, Carolyn has owned a pig farm in Tennessee, managed a wastewater facility, studied the lions of Tsavo in Kenya, and taught school on a Navajo reservation in Arizona.

The “Music for the Masses” seminar will expose participants to the sacred text and music of Masses. Masses by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, and Bernstein will be listened to and discussed. Also included in the discussion will be Luther’s Deutsche Messe, and music and chants from the Eastern Orthodox liturgy of St. John Chrysoston.

In a reprise of their collaboration at Björklunden two years ago, Jim Grine will lead this course with assistance from Bill Urbrock, as both share their love and enthusiasm for this genre of sacred music. Jim Grine is the professor emeritus of music at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and has taught courses in music history and literature for over 40 years. Urbrock is professor emeritus of religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He has taught seminars for the National Endowment for the Humanities and has presented a variety of courses, seminars, and lecture series for educational and civic groups around Wisconsin and Door County.

Seminar classes meet weekday mornings and some evenings with remaining free time open for exploration of the area’s many cultural and recreational opportunities.

For more information about these seminars, call 920.839.2216.