Located in eastern Tucson at the foot of the Rincon Mountains, the non-profit ASA supports lifelong engagement with learning, creativity and public service for adults in (un-) retirement.
The non-profit ASA 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 adult community in the Rincon Valley of eastern Tucson. Founded by a former UA president, our affiliation with the University of Arizona downtown helps the ASA provide a rich year-round menu of public concerts and lectures. Each week we enjoy a range of talented artists, experts and scholars, including faculty guests sharing encores and previews of headline events. This has made ASA an audience magnet for much of eastern Tucson and beyond.
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Upcoming Events · Attend an Event · Subscribe to Event List · Map and Contacts · About ASAORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
To our Members and Friends:
For the general public and with the cooperation of our presenters, our programs are available on a “virtual” basis with concerts presented on YouTube, and lectures delivered via Zoom Webinars and later on videos accessible from this website. The concerts, lectures and classes are available, live, in the ASA auditorium for our ASA members.
ASA LECTURE UPDATE: New Lectures from the Arizona Senior Academy
As in the past, our programs will be free and open to the public through the internet, with previews posted on this website (Event Schedule). (Directions for using Zoom can be obtained by accessing the Zoom website and/or found on YouTube. A Zoom account is NOT required to watch Zoom Webinars.) Lectures presented in the ASA auditorium are available, live, for ASA members.
VIDEOS OF THE WEBINARS: Some of the Webinars will be available 10 days after each presentation. Please click on this page for information on the available videos and how to access them.
ZOOM LINK to ALL WEBINARS:
Please click this link to join the webinars described below:
https://zoom.us/j/95456511620?pwd=OC9GcnJRNmJpMTdXdXFhaUpCUkx4QT09 PASSWORD: 85747
“Technology That Won the West”
Steve Renzi
2:30pm – 3:30pm, an ASA Zoom Webinar
Writer and historian Steve Renzi will speak about three key technologies that made European-American settlement of the Arizona Territory and the rest of the West possible: the windmill, barbed wire, and the railroad. Read More…
“What Really Happened at the Alamo”
Michael Brescia
2:30pm – 4:30pm,
an ASA Zoom Webinar
Dr. Michael Brescia returns to ASA with a double-length lecture (with intermission) on the historical and cultural background of the battle at the Alamo and the successful effort of Texas to secede from Mexico, in the context of the present controversy currently raging in Texas over its “true” history. Read More . . .
ASA CONCERT UPDATE:
Live concerts are now available for ASA members in the ASA Auditorium. The Arizona Senior Academy continues to make recorded concerts available for the general public as well as ASA members via ourVIDEO CONCERTS. These videos will remain available to view at your convenience unless otherwise indicated on the page. Below is the currently featured video.
“Cadillac Mountain Bluegrass Band” – posted 9/17/2021
Tucson-based Cadillac Mountain brings their high-energy bluegrass sound and low-key stylings to the Arizona Senior Academy. Band leader Joel Leland hails from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and took the name for the band from the highest point on the eastern seaboard, Cadillac Mountain, which is the first place the sun touches the continental U.S. Heather Hardy, an Arizona Blues Hall of Fame inductee, brings her acoustic violin for some honest bluegrass fiddling. Alvin Blaine, whose talents on most any instrument are well-known, adds banjo and dobro to the mix. Katy Carr’s upright bass keeps the whole band on time and smiling.
Click HERE to watch video.
“PINEROSS – Collage Folk” – posted 9/17/2021
Kevin Larkin, aka “Pineross” in solo performance, brings his unique blend of “collage folk” to the ASA. “Pineross” channels the musical ghosts of “old, weird America” into hypnotic lyrics, and the result is a collage of traditional music of the American West, Irish fiddle tunes, and Spanish-influenced rhythms. His neck rack harmonica, added to guitar or mandolin while he sings, hearkens back to the folk style of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Acknowledging additional influences of John Prine as well as Delta Blues roots picked up during years in Mississippi, Pineross mixes these influences to create a style all his own.
Click HERE to watch video.
**To access the complete set of ASA-sponsored video concerts, Click HERE
Postal Address: 13715 E. Langtry Lane, Tucson, AZ 85747
CONTRIBUTE TO ASA
The ASA is supported solely by membership dues from Villager residents and tax deductible donations from fans, families and friends. All contributions welcome with thanks!
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 non-profit Arizona Senior Academy was conceived by former UA president Henry Koffler before any homes were built in our community. Then and now, the ASA mission has been to support extended learning, creative engagement, mentoring and public service over the entire span of retirement.
The lectures and concerts each week are open to the public and cover a wide range of content from science and technology to health, humanities and creative arts. This diversity also complements the aims of those who are not yet fully retired but wish to explore new interests or prepare for “encore” careers.
Our village is an over-55 community and all residents become full dues-paying 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. For example, the ASA support organization, Academy Services Corporation, runs the Academy Health Care Program that supports the Academy Villas, an assisted living residence.
Many supporters from east Tucson and nearby Vail who attend our public events also make contributions to the ASA as “Friends” and “Fans” of the Academy. 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.
To learn more about the ASA and our activities, click any of the topics below.
Lifelong Learning
Expert speakers on topics from current events to ancient history, and everything in between plus frequent updates from UA scientists making headlines.
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Public Service
ASA members are encouraged to stay active and use their experience and energy to help the community at large.
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About ASA
Our members have different backgrounds, but share a commitment to making retirement a time of cultural enrichment and intellectual stimulation.
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