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
Photo credit: Rosemary Brandt, University of Arizona
Monday Lecture, September 26 @ 2:30pm-3:30pm, ASA Koffler Great Room “Genomes, Genome Evolution, Genome Editing” Dr. Rebecca Mosher will introduce us to the rapidly moving field of genomics, exploring the impacts and ethical implications of a biotechnology setting employing artificial selection, genetic modification and genome editing. Read More . . .
Tuesday Lecture, September 27 @ 2:30pm-3:30pm, ASA Koffler Great Room “Young, Blue and Isolated: A New Class of Stellar Systems” UA’s Steward Observatory Associate Astronomer David Sand will introduce us to his recent discoveries pertaining to “blue blobs”—newly recognized star systems of young, blue stars that are neither galaxies nor ordinary clusters. Read More . . .
LIVE CONCERTS
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23rd 11:30am – 12:30pm, ASA Koffler Great Room
The Cochise County All-Stars make their debut at the Arizona Senior Academy with a mix of everything from Hank Williams to Latin rock instrumentals to tasty tunes from the 1960s. It all works with seasoned musicians from a variety of backgrounds, both geographically and experientially: dual lead vocalists Amy Langley (percussion) and Liz Fletcher (bass) and guitarists/vocalists Gene Holmes and Louie Levinson.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30th 11:30am – 12:30pm, ASA Koffler Great Room
“Liz & Pete” return to the Arizona Senior Academy! Peter Dalton Ronstadt teamed up with Liz Cerepanya when they clicked as a duo at Monterey Court in 2019 and joined musical forces to explore material old and new. With heartfelt vocals, haunting harmonies, and Petie’s rich guitar arrangements, they sing songs by Petie and his dad, the late Michael J. Ronstadt, plus Southwest Americana, Ronstadt family favorites from Mexico, and other collected favorites.
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.
