Located in the Academy Village (un)- retirement community, at the foot of the Rincon Mountains, the non-profit ASA supports lifelong engagement with learning, creativity and public service.
The non-profit Arizona Senior Academy exists to support lifelong engagement with extended learning, creativity and public service for adults in or near retirement. We are located in the Academy Village/Altura active 55+ adult community in the Rincon Valley of eastern Tucson. Founded by a former UA president, our affiliation with the University of Arizona helps the ASA provide a rich year-round menu of public concerts, lectures, and activities. Each week we enjoy a range of talented artists, experts, scholars, and musicians as well as classes and activities for members, all of which provide active engagement in learning.
TANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
To our Members and Friends:
ASA live lectures and concerts are open to ASA members and the public.
A number of past webinars are available as Video Lectures: Click here.
Recorded Concerts by our presenters are also available via our Video Concerts. Click here
Current Presentations
LECTURES
Monday Lecture, December 12, 2:30pm – 4:30pm, ASA Koffler Great Room “¡Buen provecho! A Multicultural History of Mexico through Food and Taste” Michael Brescia returns to ASA with treats! Expanding on his lecture on Mexican food from early 2020, he will address the role of Native American diet and nutrition under Spanish colonialism, with specific attention to mole poblano, chiles en nogada, and tamales. Read More . . .
Wednesday Lecture, December 14, 2:30pm – 3:30pm, ASA Koffler Great Room “Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions” Professor Kimberly Ogden will report on recent USDA-supported research on a desert-dwelling crop called guayule, a source of natural rubber and resin as well as lignocellulosic biomass. Because it is drought and heat-tolerant and grows on marginal lands, it holds great promise for our water-limited future. Read More . . .
LIVE CONCERTS
SATURDAY DECEMBER 10th 3:00pm – 4:00pm, ASA Great Room
The Vail Chorale returns to the ASA for a holiday concert, celebrating the season with a mix of traditional Christmas carols, jazzy arrangements of pop tunes, a Hanukkah song, a Charlie Brown Christmas medley, and modern settings of Renaissance texts. Director Melissa Hale is joined by multi-talented accompanist Michael Melton.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 13th 11:30am – 12:30pm, ASA Great Room
In a solo performance, Tucson’s “Official Troubadour” Teodoro Ted Ramirez, recipient of the Arizona Culture Keeper Award, sings music rooted in the classic Mexican styles of huapango and corrido fused with American cowboy-era ballads and poetry.
CURRENT ACTIVITIES
DIGITIZED EVENTS
ART. The Arizona Senior Academy and the AV Home Owners Association held a one day event with art produced by 
Academy villagers. Here is a slideshow that focuses on this art: click photo or here
POETRY: This Chapbook presents the poetry written during a class led by the well-known poet, Nancy Fitzgerald. The poems were were recently presented to an audience in the ASA
Great Room. For view of the Chapbook, click photo or here
PLAYS: “The Sunshine Boys”, a play by Neil Simon that premiered in 1972, was recently presented by the the Village Theater Group in the Arizona Senior Academy Great Room. This play-reading version involved a number of Academy Village residents, and was directed by resident Mary Mitchell. Photograph by Deon Holt. Click photo or here for video
About Us
Samples of past events: Classical cello and piano by Sanda Schuldmann and Harry Clark; concert from Vail Chorale led by Academy member, Fritz Reinagel; lectures on topics in science and art; ASA concert by steel drum band from Empire High; concert by Ronstadt Generations; pre-season Downton Abbey preview at ASA via PBS and KUAT
The ASA mission supports extended learning, creative engagement, mentoring and public service over the entire span of retirement. It is located within Academy Village, a 55-plus retirement community in Southeast Tucson, Arizona.
All residents of Academy Village become full dues-paying Senior Academy members at age 60, providing support for the ASA. In addition to the concerts and lectures each week, the resident members have a number of amenities available to them.
The ASA support organization, Academy Services Corporation, runs the Academy Villas, an assisted living residence.
Live lectures and musical programs are available to ASA members and the public; and videos of lectures and recorded concerts on videos are available on this website.
From time to time, our members and friends also make direct donations to sponsor the appearance of an artist or expert of special interest.
This mosaic depicts a sampler of past events, including a concert by the Vail Chorale founded and led by an Academy member, plus an early preview of the the final season of Downton Abbey which was co-hosted by ASA and our local PBS station KUAT.
