Gilded Age Lecture Series

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Our virtual lectures are free and registration is open to the public. In order for us to continue these offerings, your support is critical. Please consider making a donation to the Preservation Society by clicking the donation button below. Any amount is greatly appreciated and we are thankful for your continued support.

To view past Virtual Lectures, click here

The Whole Gilded Age: Newport and Beyond
The David W. Dangremond Lecture
Thursday, July 14, at 6 p.m. EDT
Rosecliff and Zoom - To attend free, via Zoom, click this link. To attend free in person, register here.

The Gilded Age was a true cultural phenomenon. While the era did not begin in Newport, the city became a catalyst for major change that spread across the vast, developing American landscape. Advancements in architecture, ideas of leisure, and collecting of “things” fostered a new identity of what it meant to be successful in America. Join guest curator Ulysses Grant Dietz for an examination of how Newport typified the Gilded Age and how its influence spread across the nation. Don’t miss the first presentation in our Gilded Age Summer Lecture Series. To attend free, via Zoom, click this link. To attend free in person, register here.

Ulysses Grant Dietz, guest curator at the Preservation Society, was the mind behind Anything You Want: A Closer Look at Treasures from Newport’s Gilded Age, an exhibition on display at Rosecliff, now until October 30. Dietz grew up in Syracuse, New York. He received his BA in French at Yale University and his MA in American Material Culture at the University of Delaware's Winterthur Program. Dietz served as decorative arts curator at the Newark Museum for 37 years and has a passion for writing. He has authored books on Victorian furniture, studio ceramics, jewelry, the White House, and vampires. Dietz is a great-great grandson of Ulysses S. Grant, and every year gives a speech at Grant's Tomb in New York City. He is also on the board of the U.S. Grant Presidential Library and Museum at Mississippi State University.

Melodies of the Gilded Age
The Pamela and David B. Ford Lecture
Thursday, July 28, at 6 p.m. EDT
Rosecliff and Zoom
To attend free, via Zoom, click this link. To attend free in person, register here.

Did you know characters like Mamie Fish and Carrie Astor from the HBO hit series The Gilded Age were based on real women? They not only inspired Julian Fellowes when writing the show but occupied the pop-cultural spotlight in their day and would have glorious melodies composed in their honor. In this lecture, Dr. Mark Stickney will share some of these songs, as well as other musical works capturing the essence of Historic Newport, itself a central character in Julian Fellowes' script. He will be joined by Dr. Christopher Brellochs, music advisor for Episode 4 of The Gilded Age. Dr. Brellochs will explore some of the authentic musical works depicted in the series, including Dorothy Scott (Audra McDonald) playing a piano sonata by Beethoven and Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) dancing to the melodies of Johann Strauss at her coming-out ball. He will also discuss the scene in which Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) and Mrs. Russell (Carrie Coon) are invited to the Academy of Music to hear a symphony by composer John Knowles Paine, portrayed by Dr. Brellochs himself.

Dr. Mark A. Stickney was appointed the Artistic Director of the Seacoast Wind Ensemble in 2016. Throughout his 20-year college teaching career, he held conducting, brass teaching, and music education positions at the Community College of Rhode Island, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Plymouth State University, Salve Regina University, and Southern Utah University. An active clinic and guest conductor, Dr. Stickney has traveled throughout the country working with bands and orchestras of all levels. Currently Dr. Stickney lives in Portsmouth, R.I. and is the founder of Historic Music of Newport, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Newport’s rich musical heritage. He also works part-time for The Preservation Society of Newport County and serves on the board of Newport Live Presents. He received his BA in Music and Religion from Gettysburg College, his MA in Tuba Performance from Montclair State University (NJ), and his DMA in Wind Conducting from Rutgers University (NJ).

Dr. Christopher Brellochs portrayed composer/conductor John Knowles Paine in Episode 4 of Julian Fellowes’ HBO series The Gilded Age and assisted the production team with the historic accuracy of the scene. A preeminent scholar on music of the Gilded Age, Brellochs has lectured and performed internationally and in historic mansions including Lyndhurst, Olana, Montgomery Place, Crawford House, and Boscobel. He created a related documentary series with excerpts available at www.youtube.com/cbrellochs and maintains “Music of the Gilded Age” Facebook and Instagram pages where he shares his research. Brellochs is Dean of the School of Music at SUNY Schenectady and an Adjunct Artist in Music at Vassar College. He holds degrees in music from Rutgers University (DMA), New York University (MA), and Ithaca College (BM).

To attend free, via Zoom, click this link. To attend free in person, register here.

Behind The Scenes of The Gilded Age
The John G. Winslow Lecture
Thursday, August 11, at 6 p.m. EDT
Rosecliff and Zoom - To attend free, via Zoom, click this link. To attend free in person, register here.

Award-winning production designer, Bob Shaw, takes us behind the scenes to show what it means to bring nineteenth century splendor to life in HBO’s The Gilded Age. Mr. Shaw will speak about the process of recreating this period for film and television, as well as the many steps involved in turning an idea into a finished product. He will focus on the Brook and Russell family houses and discuss the process of collaboration with directors, producers, writers, and the HBO network which culminates in the show we watch. For the architectural enthusiasts who notice the occasions when the show ‘gets it wrong’ historically, Mr. Shaw will explain when a cinematically appropriate decision takes precedence in order to better bring the production to life for viewers.

Bob Shaw is an Academy Award-nominated art director and production designer well known for his work on The Irishman (2019), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and The Sopranos (2000-2007). His career in film, television, and theater spans thirty years and includes winning two Emmy’s for his work on Mad Men (2008) and Boardwalk Empire (2011). During the past two years he has worked in Newport as production designer for HBO’s The Gilded Age. To attend free, via Zoom, click this link. To attend free in person, register here.