The Phoenix Club is a group of women with substantial life experience who meet monthly to find ways to use our time and skills to build new friendships and enrich the lives of those around us. We explore topics of cultural and practical interest, using our collective knowledge and experience as well as the expertise of invited speakers.
In July we will investigate “Modern Music: How and Why?” We will look at works of three composers: Claude Debussy, Arnold Schoenberg, and Igor Stravinsky, and examine how their influences played out over the 20th century. What was the state of music in the late 19th century that sparked these innovations and what difficulties did the new musical styles encounter and continue to encounter? We will listen to representative examples of these ground-breaking works and discuss approaches we can take when confronted with unfamiliar sounds. Alice Trimmer, editor and musician, will lead the discussion.