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The Window Seat
I haven’t been on a plane since before the pandemic, but I’ll be taking off for Colorado for the Osher National Conference in a few days. I’m one of those travelers who begins mentally packing my suitcase and thinking about the quart-sized Ziploc bag of TSA approved liquids days and days in advance. I start looking for the weather forecast for my destination way too soon. I enjoy the being there far more than the getting there. Despite my pre-flight jitters in which I push out of my mind the thoroughly illogical premise of being contained in a rather large, heavy vessel with wings making its way through the sky at high rates of speed and at unimaginable altitudes, I get aboard and take my seat, appearing cool as a cucumber. Unlike the others who immediately pull out their phones and laptops, I pay attention to the flight attendant giving instructions about what to do in the event of an emergency. Just in case. Once we’re up in the air, I can’t wait to look out the window. From lift off to landing, I want to see everything that’s happening down below. I am fascinated by the tiny cars moving along the roads. Soon they are like ants crawling along a series of strings. I think about how we are so small, just dots, us people—and this gives me calm. I try to reconcile how large the tennis courts look in contrast to the nearby houses. Soaring higher, I’m mesmerized as we hover above the clouds and I am lulled into deep philosophical thinking as one is when suspended above the clouds. Then there are the long cloudless stretches where the earth below is divided up into geometrical patches in varying shades of golds, browns, and greens. Every once in a while there is a pattern that had to have been created by extraterrestrial visitors. Nearing the destination, the ants on strings start to appear again, then the houses and the glittering swimming pools. We land and this small, insignificant dot unfurls her legs and waits patiently to get off the plane without a care in the world.
Stay safe and healthy,
Tracy Jacobs
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Please welcome Osher at Towson Univerity's new membership coordinator, Jessica Tye. Jessica comes to Osher with a variety of experiences over her career. She began her studies at Towson University and graduated from American University with a degree in international affairs. She started her career at The Atlantic Council in Washington and subsequently held positions at the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs and The Brookings Institution where she worked for 10 years. Jessica took several years to raise her two children and gradually eased back into the workforce with different organizations including the Conventual Franciscan Friars, Isaacson Miller, and The George Washington University School of Business. Most recently, she worked at The Arc Carroll County as a job developer and educational instructor for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The common thread throughout her career is her love of people from all walks of life and a desire to learn and grow. She is looking forward to working and engaging with her colleagues and the members of Osher. Jessica will be starting on Wednesday, April 27.
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Join TU Music for the Stage for
Michael Ching's A Midsummer Night's Dream
April 22–24
Stephens Hall Theatre, Towson Univeristy
"The course of true love never did run smooth”... Lovers lost in the woods, feuding fairies and much more - A Midsummer Night's Dream is a spectacular romp through fantasy and reality. Now, The Music for the Stage Ensemble directed by Courtney Kalbacker, is proud to present the regional premiere of an operatic version of this classic, created by composer Michael Ching. The opera combines classic Shakespearean language and stunning visuals with the talents of dozens of the outstanding classical, choral, instrumental, and a cappella group performers. The TU Department of Music has commissioned a new orchestration specifically for our forces. By adding this writing for wind ensemble, the entire opera will be breath-based, with all sound coming from the human body through singing, wind instruments, or vocal percussion. Towson University COFAC Innovator-in-Residence, Shodekeh, will be leading the vocal percussionists and creating ambient sound design for the production as well. Come join us as we celebrate breath-as-music in playful and surprising ways - in a truly unforgettable show.
Read more about the making of ‘Midsummer’
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Join Osher instructor Seth Kibel for
Baltimore Musicians' Benefit Concert for Ukraine
Saturday, April 23, 7 p.m.
In-person or streamed live options available
Musicians from every corner of Baltimore stand with the people of Ukraine and are coming together to get help to those fleeing the conflict. Performers include a fabulous lineup of the best jazz, classical and folk soloists in the city (or the region, honestly): Classical piano virtuoso Lisa Weiss, klezmer and jazz woodwind wizard Seth Kibel, and wide-ranging mandolin master Joel-Michael-Schwartz, and hammered dulcimer player and old-time fiddler Ken Kolodner. All proceeds are going to the International Rescue Committee.
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Join Baltimore Hebrew Institute for
An Evening with Etgar Keret
Sunday, April 24, 5 p.m.
Gordon Center for Performing Arts,
3506 Gwynnbrook Ave, Owings Mills, MD 21117
Educators' and communal professionals' tickets are complimentary, but tickets must be reserved. Regular admission tickets are $10.
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