Classical Music Courses in Tucson, Arizona!

Music for Listeners is a series of short courses for high school students and adults presenting the works of composers from a listening enjoyment rather than a music theory perspective. 

Each course presents the life and music of a composer chronologically and is taught by lifelong classical music enthusiast David Oesper.

Current/Upcoming

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Seven 90-minute sessions beginning June 6, 2026:

https://remarkablecomposers.info/Music_for_Listeners_Joseph_Haydn.pdf 

Joseph Haydn arose from humble beginnings to become one of the most important and influential composers in the history of Western classical music. He never forgot his rural roots, and examples of his love of folk music, his sense of humor, and his melodic inventiveness abound throughout his compositional oeuvre. He had a profound influence on Mozart and Beethoven and upon many later composers. Often called the “Father of the Symphony” (he composed 104 numbered symphonies) and the “Father of the String Quartet” (he composed 68 string quartets), Haydn also composed over 60 keyboard (piano/harpsichord) sonatas and many other works across a number of genres for a total of upwards of 750 works, thus earning him the distinction as one of the most prolific composers in history. Come join us as we listen to and discuss 36 of his most beautiful and inspiring works and explore the many facets of his life together!

Past

 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Seven 90-minute sessions available upon request

 Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904): Seven 90-minute sessions available upon request

 Gustav Holst (1874-1934): Six 90-minute sessions available upon request

 Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Seven 90-minute sessions available upon request

 Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975): Seven 90-minute sessions available upon request

 Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Seven 90-minute sessions available upon request