The Mineral Point Opera House is pleased to present Opera House Sessions – a lecture series focused on gaining a better understanding of how music shapes our lives. Each lecture has been organized through Badger Talks, the speakers bureau for UW-Madison, which aims to spark conversations on important topics, engage residents on critical issues, and share the latest UW research. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, plus taxes and fees. Seating is general admission.

Jamie Henke, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Division of Continuing Studies and a member of the UW-Madison Teaching Academy. She teaches music theory and composition courses, and also teaches the Music Major for the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Grandparents’ University Program. She also created and teaches the Literally Arts curriculum, which pairs an art, music, and movement activity with a variety of children’s books, to preschool children whose parents are involved in the Odyssey program at UW-Madison. Her teaching awards include the Alliant Energy / Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award 2019, the Joyce J. and Gerald A. Bartell Award in the Arts 2018, the Chancellor’s Hilldale Award for Excellence in Teaching 2006, and three Honored Instructor Awards.

Jamie’s talk will give you a deeper understanding of music, helping you enjoy your next live performance on a whole new level! You don’t need to read sheet music or play an instrument to understand what makes music move you. Dig into the science and craft behind music’s most powerful effects, drawing on the basics of music theory and musicology, and leave with practical tools to take to your next live performance, transforming the experience from passive listening into an active, rewarding conversation with the music.

Join us for more Opera House Sessions on Sunday, September 13, for Music and the Human Spirit with Dan Cavanagh, and Sunday, January 24, for So You Don’t Like Opera… with David Ronis.