My love of music and my years in the music industry as a songwriter, producer and music executive have given me insights and personal stories that I love to share. My lectures include classes on Rock & Roll, Broadway, The Great American Songbook**, and much more.
Here are some of the lectures that we'll be doing in 2026. PLEASE NOTE: You can only register for classes through the venue, not through us and sign-ups will be available approximately 6-8 weeks before the start date of the course. We will include a registration link when it becomes available.
The Great American Songbook – Volume 4
In this, the final volume of “The Great American Songbook”, there will be a focus on the songs created in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s by some of the greatest songwriters of all time….Harry Warren, Al Dubin, Leo Robin, Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg, Paul Francis Webster, Henry Mancini, Jimmy McHugh and Duke Ellington, as well as some of the songwriters who wrote standards in the 1960s and 1970s, like Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, to name a few.
We will also look at the careers of some of the best interpreters of these songbook standards like Frank Sinartra, Barbra Streisand, The Mills Brothers, Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, Michael Feinstein and Michael Bublé. Volume 4 marks the final volume in this series but the music, America’s gift to the world, lives on forever.
(This will be a five-week course at Calabasas Senior Center, each Thursday, June 4th through July 9, 2026, with the exception of June 18th, when there will be NO CLASS,1:00PM to 3:00PM and will be in person only, not on Zoom)
The Roots of Rock & Roll - The ‘50s
From the American Songbook to “American Bandstand”, few could predict the revolution that was to explode in popular music during the decade of the ‘50s. Teenagers were coming of age with rebellious new attitudes, seeking their own music, music that was different from their parents. Across the country, late night radio stations were starting to play adventurous new records by black artists that would create a wave of music that would break through social and racial barriers.
From Fats Domino to Elvis, from R & B and Country to Rock-a-Billy and Doo Wop, from The Platters to The Everly Brothers, the focus will be on the pioneers and roots of Rock & Roll, as well as innovators like The Weavers, Mitch Miller, Les Paul and Johnny Ray, who prepared us for the day in 1955 when “Rock Around the Clock” became the number one record in the world...and music would change forever.
(This will be a six-week course at Calabasas Senior Center, each Thursday, July 23rd through August 27,2026, 1:00PM to 3:00PM and will be in person only, not on Zoom)
Musical Legends of Stage & Screen – Volume 2
“Curtain Up, Light the Lights” is a line from a song composed by the great Jule Styne for a show called “Gypsy”. Styne will be just one of the legends included in this course featuring a who’s who of brilliant talent. Also included are songwriters Comden & Green, Frank Loesser, Charles Strouse, and Tim Rice, who are responsible for some of the greatest musicals of all time, including “Funny Girl”, “On the Town”, “Guys and Dolls”, “Annie” and “Evita”, to name a few.
This class will also review the careers of some of the greatest entertainers of the past and present – Elaine Stritch, Bernadette Peters, Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, Audra MacDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and more. If you like great songs and great singing, it’s ‘Curtain Up! – Light the Lights’ for these legends of stage and screen.
(This will be a six-week course at Skirball Cultural Center, each Wednesday, September 16th through October 21st, 1:00PM to 3:00PM and will be in person only, not on Zoom)
Hope you can make it to some or all of these classes.
Best regards,
Steve Barri
**People have asked what songwriters and singers are featured in the four volumes of “The Great American Songbook”. Here’s a list:
Volume 1:
The Songwriters: Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Rodgers & Hart.
The Singers: Al Jolson, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Eddie Fisher, Bobby Darin and Andy Williams.
Volume 2:
The Songwriters: Cole Porter, George & Ira Gershwin, Gus Kahn, Howard Dietz & Arthur Schwartz, Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn.
The Singers: Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Mel Tormé, Tony Martin, Rosemary Clooney, The Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller and more.
Volume 3:
The Songwriters: Harold Arlen, Burton Lane, George M. Cohan, Dorothy Fields, Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh, DeSylva, Brown & Henderson, Mack Gordon, Alan & Marilyn Bergman.
The Singers: Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Sammy Davis, Jr., Perry Como, Dean Martin, Frankie Laine, Johnny Ray and a look at some big bands such as Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Count Basie and more.
Volume 4:
The Songwriters: Harry Warren, Duke Ellington, Leo Robin, Yip Harburg, Livingston & Evans, Paul Francis Webster, Henry Mancini, Vernon Duke, Bert Kalmar & Harry Ruby, Walter Donaldson, Ned Washington, Frank Loesser and Jules Styne.
The Singers: Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé, The Mills Brothers, Billie Holiday, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Peggy Lee and a wrap up of any songwriters or singers we’ve missed along the way.
All of the songwriters mentioned above have given us some of the best music the world has ever known.