To Swing Through the Sky: Innovation, Freedom, Risk, and Discovery

Location: Jacquemin Family Foundation Hall Speakers : Paul Glenshaw, Rick Davis, and Jim Carroll Presented by the Lifelong Learning Institute, Manassas This event is open to the public. For more information about the Lifelong Learning Institute, Manassas, visit lli-manassas.org What do jazz and flight have in common? More than you might imagine. Join Paul Glenshaw, Rick Davis, and Jim Carroll for a behind-the-scenes conversation exploring To Swing Through the Sky , a multimedia presentation connecting the invention of jazz and the invention of human flight. Through music, storytelling, projected imagery, and live performance, the work traces how curiosity, courage, teamwork, and creativity transformed both American music and aviation at the dawn of the twentieth century. This special Lifelong Learning class will feature excerpts, discussion, and reflections from the creators behind the Saturday, November 14 Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra performance. Topics include the origins of jazz in New Orleans; the Wright Brothers and early aviation pioneers; Louis Armstrong and Charles Lindbergh; improvisation; risk-taking; and how innovation emerges when people dare to imagine something entirely new. The presentation will also explore larger questions for lifelong learners: how does creativity change society? What role does curiosity play in a meaningful life? Why do art, discovery, and collaboration matter across generations? Paul Glenshaw is an artist, writer, filmmaker, and aviation historian whose work frequently explores the intersection of technology, history, and human imagination. He is the creator and writer of To Swing Through the Sky , bringing together his passions for jazz, innovation, and aviation history into a unique theatrical experience. It’s a story of the joy of curiosity and courage. Rick Davis is dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University and an acclaimed theater director, writer, educator, and arts leader. His career has…