with Ash Lawn Opera’s Artist in Residence

Sunday, April 15 from 3-4:30pm

$20 per child (space is limited!)

Register here!

Mary Ann Archer and Patrizia Johnson aka "Opera's Odd Couple"

Our most popular course at Speak! in Charlottesville is NOW AVAILABLE IN DOWNTOWN LYNCHBURG at Opera on the James!

Thanks to the generosity of Opera on the James, Speak! will be offering Italiano all’Opera to Italian language and opera fans in the Lynchburg area this Spring (March 27-May 1st)!

Course Description: Could there be a more inspiring way to learn Italian than this special course devoted to the history, plots, passions and, of course, language of Italian opera? Newcomers and extreme beginners – as well as anyone eager for a refresher – are welcome to join!  Italian native and teacher Patrizia Prevosto Johnson and MET Opera Orchestra veteran Mary Ann Archer will take beginners through arias from Verdi’s “La Traviata,” in anticipation of the MET HD live streaming of that opera on April 14, and arias from another Verdi favorite, “Rigoletto”. Using a textbook written in English and Italian, with lessons prepared by both teachers, students will learn the stories of the operas, practice simple Italian grammar exercises, work a crossword puzzle, watch scenes
from the operas,and perhaps even SING (at a slow speed) each aria’s words with the included CD. If you’ve wished to learn more about the stories,
the music, and the language of Italian opera, here is your golden opportunity!

• Instructors: Mary Ann Archer and Patrizia Johnson
• Lesson times: Tuesdays 1:00am – 2:30pm
• Course Dates: March 27- May 1
• Tuition: $175
• Please note: this class takes place in Lynchburg at Opera on The James: 710 Main Street, Lynchburg VA 24504

Opera and Travel lover?

We still have a few spots left in our July Opera Trip to Italy! Click here for more info!

What would  you like to see Speak! offer in Richmond: Italian, French, Spanish (etc) language classes? Please leave a comment below with your requests. We hope to offer more programs in Lynchburg starting in Fall 2012.

An Evening in France: Passport Series Networking Event #3

Wednesday, Feb 22 from 5:30-7:30pm

Register Here!

In case you missed our popular Italian debut in August 2011, followed by our Germany event in November, you’re still in time to hop aboard the third in the series!! 

CBIC andSPEAK! Language Center have, once again, partnered to bring the world to Charlottesville’s innovative tech and entrepreneurial crowd – a “staycation” of sorts for the with food, wine, music, travel-related tips and trivia and prizes all while mingling with a globally-savvy professional networking crowd!

In addition to enjoying French food from Restaurant Pomme and a variety of French wines from the Market Street Wine Shop, participants will take in sights and sounds and learn about the French business culture and language, advancing their international relation skills!

To whet you’re appetites, here’s the menu from Pomme:

Toasts of smoked salmon
- Toasts of goat cheese with apples
- Mini lamb chops
- Boeuf bourguignon
- Poulet in tarragon sauce
- Chocolate mousse

You won’t need to pack your bags for this mini-vacation, but you will want to RSVP in advance as there are a limited number of seats aboard this party cruise, so to SPEAK!

Thanks to CBIC’s Passport Series Sponsor: Gardner L. Bloemers, Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch: http://fa.ml.com/gardner.bloemers

Please park in the WATER STREET PARKING GARAGE. 2-hr validation will be available at the event, compliments of SPEAK!

For questions about this event or to get involved as a sponsor or volunteer, please contact Tracey Danner, CBIC’s Interim Executive Director, at executive@cvillebic.org or (434) 242-5886.

Bonjour!

*  The Passport Afterhours is a series of three networking socials hosted by CBIC and SPEAK!, each to feature the sounds, tastes, and sights of a different culture.

Details:

• Instructor: Sara Moses (Spanish Instructor at the International School of Charlottesville)
• Lesson times: 8:30am-2:30pm
• Course dates: April 2-6, 2012
• Ages: 5-9 (if your child a slightly older or younger sibling – 4 or 10 – , they are welcome to participate!).
• Tuition: $275 (additional siblings $250); 1/2-day option $150 (8:30 to 12:00); Single day option: $50/day (max 2 days)
• Extra Charge for early dropoff/late pickup: $10 per day per student (30 min. maximum for early dropoff or late pickup)

To REGISTER, click here!

p.s. SUMMER CAMPS WILL BE ANNOUNCED THIS MONTH!

J. Emerson Fine Wine and Cheese of Richmond presents:

   A TASTE OF ITALY

   Umbria and the Veneto

with Special Guest Christina Ball of

Speak! Language Center

Wednesday, February 1st

  5:30 to 7:00pm

at J. Emerson Fine Wine and Cheese

5716 Grove Avenue

Richmond, Va 23226

J. Emerson, Richmond’s premier purveyor of fine wine and cheese, invites you to sample Italian wines from Umbria and the Veneto and meet Speak! Language Center Director, Christina Ball to learn more about the rich culture of these sumptuous regions of Italy and the 2012 Listen, Learn, Live! summer travel seriesfor writers, opera lovers or those who wish to be immersed in Italian language and culture. 

This event is free! Registration kindly requested:

REGISTER HERE!

http://speaktravel2012.eventbrite.com

Enrico's precious cargo: pecorino di Crotone (Calabria), Biscotti di Prato, olive paste

My husband, Enrico, returned home from two weeks in Tuscany last night.  Each January he leads a group of university students to Prato for a crash course in a region celebrated for centuries by writers and artists. I guess you could say it’s the college counterpart to the course I lead in Umbria each spring and fall: Two Weeks in Todi,. When I return from Umbria, exhausted from the journey, the first thing I do upon walking into our bungalow is unzip my suitcase and pull out my precious cargo: pecorino cheese (shrink-wrapped) and dried lentils from Castelluccio di Norcia, award-winning olive oil (in a tin can, for obvious reasons) from Marcello’s specialty shop in Todi, salt flavored with black truffles, maybe a bottle of sweet Sagrantino passito wine and usually 3 or 4 rustic, terra-cotta colored ceramic cups from Bevagna. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, sure, but bringing Italy home in our suitcases certainly makes for a delicious reunion.

This morning, Enrico handed me a bright blue bag of biscotti to enjoy with my coffee. Not just any biscotti, but the Platonic ideal of biscotti, the holy grail of almond biscuits. You see, the baked confection that has become synonymous with the word ‘biscotto’ in the States is actually a mutated (i.e. “on steroids”) version of a very specific cookie from Tuscany: the biscotto di Prato, also called the cantuccio (lit. “little corner”) di Prato. Why Prato? Because it was in this lovely and lively city located only only 17 kilometers from Florence, that a baker named Antonio Mattei (nicknamed “Mattonella”) perfected the recipe for his family’s traditional Tuscan almond cookies – 150 years ago this year. The cookies – tiny, golden, perfectly crunchy -  are still sold in Mattei’s original bakery at 22 Via Ricasoli (Prato’s elegant shopping street), which boasts original wood and marble counters, many framed awards from the 19th century and the original painted wooded sign on the exterior. I would’ve loved a January visit to Prato myself, but all I needed to do was open the bright blue paper sack and taste almond perfection to experience Tuscany from the comfort of my own kitchen.  As far as travel gifts go, regional, portable, edible Italian specialties make much better gifts than T-shirts…although Enrico did also bring me some clingy, basic black cotton tops from my favorite intimate apparel shop: Intimissimi – for my benefit, or his?

What precious cargo do you always bring home from Italy?

Shrink-wrapped pecorino stagionato, olive oil in a tin: open them and taste Umbria

Travel Tip:  Avoid crowds of tourists and get a better value for your euro by staying in Prato instead of Florence on your next trip to Tuscany. A lovely city in its own right, Prato boasts an elegant centro storico with lovely shops, a first class contemporary art museum, the celebrated textile museum and, of course, biscotti heaven. There are many lodging options, but my husband and his students found the bed and breakfast Accanto al Centro, to be very clean, friendly and central. Frequent trains zip you over to Firenze in a matter of minutes.

Piazza Duomo in Prato: Tuscany without the tourists

]]> http://speaklanguagecenter.com/bringing-italy-home/feed/ 2 http://speaklanguagecenter.com/travel-to-italy-with-speak-travel-event-jan-28/ http://speaklanguagecenter.com/travel-to-italy-with-speak-travel-event-jan-28/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:25:20 +0000 christina http://speaklanguagecenter.com/?p=2954 Speak!  Travel presents:

DREAMING OF ITALY

2012 Travel Programs for Opera, Italian Language and Creative Writing Lovers!

Discover Speak!’s 2012 Travel Programs in ITALY

Reception and Informative Presentation

Saturday, January 28 from 5:30-7pm

at Speak! Language Center

Event Hosts:

Christina Ball, owner of Speak! and leader of Dreaming in Umbria and Two Weeks in Todi

Mary Ann Archer and Patrizia Johnson: Leaders of Opera in Italia

RSVP by leaving a reply below or leaving a message at: (434) 245-8255

Hosted by Speak!’s German instructor, Felicia Winograd

Friday, January 27

5:30-7:30pm at Speak!

Bring a dish to share!

A message from Felicia:

Nun hat sich die Mehrheit fuer den 27. Januar um 17:30 ausgesprochen und ich freue mich bereits Euch alle etwas naeher kennen zu lernen. Wenn die aelteren Kinder mitkommen moechten waere dass toll und jeder wie er meint an Speisen. Wir lassen uns Ueberraschen! …..oh, und wenn Ihr Freunde habt, die Interesse am Deutsch lernen haben, oder sich nur etwas unterhalten wollen…dann bringt Sie doch einfach mit!

Felicia  

German instructor Felicia Winograd landed in Charlottesville just a few months ago from the snowy peaks of Aspen, Colorado. A native of Munich, Felicia has taught German to adults as well as children (at a Waldorf School) for many years. New to town, she quickly discovered the language +culture hub of Charlottesville -  Speak! -  and we are thrilled to announce her new role as our lead “German for Kids and Families” instructor! Felicia will also join Carol Del Vitto in developing our German program for adults. With the holidays fast approaching and many of our holiday camps at or approaching maximum numbers, I wasted no time in scheduling not just one, but two GERMAN CHRISTMAS WORKSHOPS with Felicia for different age groups. My 10 year-old daughter – a budding singer preparing for an audition for Mozart’s Magic Flute – was the first to sign up for the Sunday session. Here are the details:

Christmas in Germany: Language+Craft Workshop
Saturday, December 17 from 9am-Noon (4-8 year-olds)
Sunday, December 18 from 2-5pm (9-12 year-olds)
$35 per child REGISTER TODAY!!!

Come and make traditional German tree ornaments and crafts, create fragrant, clove-spiked oranges and tangerines and explore the culture and music of Germany. While immersed in crafts learn the songs, rhymes and taste some delicious sweets. You will hear about the “Christkindlmarkets” and learn to understand and improve your German language skills. German is taught in an expressive and informal way that makes learning fun. Felicia is a native speaker from Munich and a former Waldorf School German teacher.

More info on our other holiday camps here!