Stella Lackore

Stella Lackore was born and raised in Groningen, the Netherlands. She worked for 25 years in the Netherlands as a teacher of art and art history, and subsequently worked as an art therapist there. Her focus on Hildegard von Bingen is linked to her interest in art, philosophy, and religion as key factors informing the cultural history of civilization. She has written several published articles, and has served as a guide on many tours throughout Europe. Composer, conductor, theorist, and musicologist, Dr. Mark Nelson has over 30 years’ experience teaching music and directing music ensembles. He currently teaches a series of music appreciation seminars at the Upper Valley Music Center and directs several area ensembles. He is animated by the notion that a musician is an historian—that performance and understanding are enriched by careful consideration of the aesthetic, socio-political, and biographical contexts from which a composition emerges.

Introduction to Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) (Winter Term 2024)

Participant Testimonials:

I wanted an overview of Hildegard and I got a fabulous one. Clearly so much material that this could go on for years. 

The course was reasonably split between (a) Stella covering the biography, philosophy and theology of Hildegard and (b) Mark presenting some of Hildegards music and explanations on the forms and styles of the music.  Generally, the course pace was fine with the presenters showing flexibility to answer audience questions. The content for the course was immense from Stella who provided extensive, relevant and interesting reading materials. Mark had a growing Ppt presentation (provided after/before class) used in his lectures along with relevant musical examples via the internet.