On Sunday, July 11, 2021, the Schiller Institute NYC Chorus hosted the third Symposium of the year, this one entitled "The Life of Edgar Poe: America's Socrates".

Where does the musical scale come from? Is it merely a human invention? In 1619, the astronomer Johannes Kepler showed in his "The Harmony of the World" that not only are the ratios that form the major and minor scales coherent with the principles of constructive geometry, but they are built into the very stars themselves—that is, the motions of the planets of our solar system, as moved by their choral conductor, our Sun.

In Class 4 of the Summer Lecture Series, Fred Haight presented the second part of his exciting class, "Beethoven as an American Composer," looking more closely into his relationship to the ideas of "the poet of freedom," Friedrich Schiller. 

Many have asked, "Why does the Schiller Institute Chorus sing at a lower tuning?" On July 9, 2020, Liliana presented Class #3 of the Summer Lecture Series on the "Fight for the Verdi Tuning." Speaking from Milan via Zoom, Liliana described her role in the nearly successful efforts of the 1980s and 1990s to bring the standard pitch back to A=432 Hz or C= 256, and why this had such widespread support among the top musicians of the day.

On July 26, 2020, Matthew Ogden presented the second in the Summer Lecture Series on the genius of Wilhelm Furtwängler and the agapic nature of classical motivic thorough-composition.

July 12, 2020 lecture no. 1 in the Schiller Institute NYC Chorus Summer Lecture Series began with the first of a two part presentation on Beethoven as an American Composer by Fred Haight.

Why did Beethoven's monumental work, the Missa Solemnis, Opus 123, premiere in St. Petersburg and not in Vienna? 

Schiller Institute Chorus member Fred Haight has presented a useful 3 part series on Beethoven, shedding some light on one of the most creative and least understood geniuses in history. Stay tuned to this page for future contributions in this Beethoven 250th Year.

After retiring from a long and distinguished career as a conductor, Anthony Wentworth Morss became an active member of the bass/ baritone section of the Schiller Institute NYC Chorus. During this annual celebration of Friedrich Schiller's birthday, Tony spoke on the life of Schiller.