Those of you in the Washington area will not want to miss Phil Raines's Meistersinger lecture this coming Thursday. We hope to see you there! Wagner Society of Washington, D.C. Announces Die Meistersinger Lecture by Phillip W. Raines The Wagner Society of Washington, D.C. will continue its Year of Die Meistersinger events with a presentation by opera reviewer, teacher, and member of the Wagner Society Board of Directors, Phillip W. Raines., titled Human Dramatic Elements and Events in Die Meistersinger. This event will be free to Wagner Society members and the public and will be at 7:30 P.M. on December 6th 2001, at the George Washington University, Funger Hall 103, 2201 G Street, N.W. near the Foggy Bottom/G.W.U. Metro stop. Mr. Raines, a Washington favorite, will offer a unique video-illustrated presentation that will concentrate on particular moments in Wagner?s monumental work, Die Meistersinger, when the composer?s words and music most expertly inform us about the great opera?s characters and their relationships. Die Meistersinger is Wagner?s only opera that is set in real historical time and that explores interesting social relationships among real people. Phillip W. Raines was born and raised in Germany and was privately trained there in music, conducting and stage production before coming to the United States. He is a speech and language pathologist and childrens? drama director the Montgomery County Public Schools. He has extensive experience in performing arts and is a serious and committed Wagnerian who grew up attending the Richard Wagner Festival at Bayreuth and the Munich productions of Wagner's works. He has attended most major Wagner events in the United States since 1989. This background has contributed to his love and knowledge of Wagner?s music. It has also given him an extensive knowledge of Wagnerian performing practices and performance history. On November 17th, Mr. Raines was also one of the distinguished panelists in an all-day Smithsonian Institution seminar on The Nibelungenlied: Majestic Saga of the Germanic People, a collaboration between the Smithsonian and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Wagner Society of Washington D.C. is a private, non-profit organization for the study and enjoyment of Wagner?s art. Its 2001-2002 season is continuing with monthly programs through June. Most programs are free and open to the public. Membership forms are available at www.wagner-dc.org. The Wagner Society of Washington, D.C. h P.O. Box 33051 h Washington, D.C. 20033 Tel 301.907.2600 h Fax 301.907.8671 www.wagner-dc.org Janice Rosen, [log in to unmask]