This Saturday (November 23) the Ann Arbor Symphony will present their Winter Dreams concert at the Michigan Theater featuring Tchaikovsky’s seldom heard masterpiece Symphony No. 1 Winter Dreams as well as his Violin Concerto and Pärt’s Fratres for Strings and Percussion. Conducted by Ann Arbor Symphony Conductor Arie Lipsky the concert will feature Ann Arbor Symphony Concertmaster and nationally-known violinist Aaron Berofsky.

Join Arie and Aaron for this pre-concert lecture and learn why Tchaikovsky said that Winter Dreams surpassed his other mature works. What makes this work such a masterpiece? Aaron and Arie will also provide an in-depth look at these famous musical works that will be especially useful to anyone attending the November concert, as well as anyone interested in learning more about classical music.

For more information on the Ann Arbor Symphony and this upcoming concert, visit their website at a2so.com.

Many women suffer in silence as they get older with problems that are labeled normal. Prolapse of the pelvic organs and incontinence are common problems women experience that may cause withdrawal from exercise, social activities and family interactions out of fear of embarrassment.

During this session, experts from the University of Michigan Health System in UroGynecology, Physical Therapy and Sexual Health will review modern treatments for problems of the pelvic floor, which can be tailored to each patient’s needs. Surgery is not the only option, and this session will review the full range of other treatments.

Learn how to get back into your life with the U-M Health System experts! This event is co-sponsored by the Women’s Health Program, University of Michigan Health System.

Join us as former Michigan Representative Lynn Rivers returns to AADL to continue the discussion of The End Of The Constitution?

Last May and again in November, in events co-sponsored by the Ann Arbor District Library and the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area, Lynn Rivers held a lively, interactive discussion targeting many diverse issues. For this third session, Lynn will tackle Federalism, National Supremacy, State Nullification and Secession. Previous attendees should bring their copy of the Constitution. Lynn will have copies for new attendees and for anyone needing a copy.

Lynn Rivers was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representative from 1995 – 2003. She represented Michigan’s 13th Congressional district (Eastern Washtenaw and Western Wayne counties). Prior to serving in Congress, she was a Michigan State Rep. She has an undergraduate degree from UM and a Law degree from Wayne State. She currently teaches Political Science at Washtenaw Community College and the University of Michigan.

Many beginning writers are confused about plot and how to put all of their thoughts into a coherent novel. Many writing classes ignore plot altogether. But it is actually the plot—what happens next?—that keeps the pages turning.

Local science fiction writer Margaret Yang discusses how to structure a novel or shorter work; how to see the “big picture” story arc; how to start and end a story in the right place; and how to avoid common writing traps like infodumps and other dull spots.

Participants will make a five-sentence outline that will provide a blueprint for a story. Once writers understand the fundamentals of story structure, they will never again be stuck or wonder “what happens next?”

Food grade essential oils are a great way to add flavor to pastry and chocolate creations. A few drops are all you need to make memorable desserts.

Flavor and fragrance expert Michelle Krell Kydd will teach you how to use food grade essential oils to make exquisite tea cakes and cookies without a mixer. You’ll learn how to work with a “master dough” and use your sense of smell and taste to create unique and interesting flavor combinations.

Michelle blogs at Glass Petal Smoke, an award-winning blog that explores the connections between scent, food and science.

David Trotter has been involved in searching, diving, exploring and documenting new discoveries in Great Lakes Shipwrecks for over 35 years.

His discoveries have been featured on the Discovery Channel, PBS, and NBC and in The New York Times, Detroit Free Press, and more. His articles on Great Lakes Shipwrecks have been published in historical journals and national scuba diving publications. He has searched and discovered shipwrecks in all of the Great Lakes (except Lake Ontario). I

David’s company, Undersea Research Associates, was founded to present the Great Lakes community with an electronically sophisticated means of underwater search and survey for archaeological and commercial purposes. Utilizing state-of-the-art side scan sonar, with outstanding skilled operators, David offers high resolution bottom profiling at depths to 1,000 feet, underwater site survey and underwater photographic documentation.

Do not miss this fascinating evening as David shares his enjoyment of the discovery and exploration of long missing ships…where no one has gone before.

Face the SAT and ACT with confidence. A top Kaplan tutor presents test-taking strategies.

For decades, family, twin and adoption studies have pointed to the involvement of heritable factors in psychiatric disorders. Research has shown, however, that the genetic basis of autism, depression, schizophrenia, and manic depression (bipolar disorder) is quite complex. Genetic changes can be found in cases with autism, schizophrenia and other developmental disorders that were not present in the parents

This complicated genetic architecture poses many challenges both for individuals and families who are struggling to understand and manage their disease, and for their clinicians. To provide greater understanding of our current state of knowledge on the links between genetics, autism and psychiatric disorders, the U-M Depression Center and AADL present this Bright Nights community forum.

Margit Burmeister, Ph.D., Research Professor in Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, Professor of Human Genetics and Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School and Beverly M. Yashar, MS, CGC, PhD, Director, Genetic Counseling Graduate Training Program, and Associate Clinical Professor, Human Genetics, University of Michigan Medical School, will provide an overview presentation to explore scenarios in which this testing is “prime time,” and those where it has limited utility. This will be followed by questions from the audience and a discussion with expert panelists, including Mohammad Ghaziuddin, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Director, Autism Spectrum Disorders Clinic, U-M Medical School, and Donna M. Martin, M.D., Ph.D., the Donita B. Sullivan Research Professor in Pediatrics, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Human Genetics, U-M Medical School.

For more information on the Depression Center, visit their website at www.depressioncenter.org, or contact Trish Meyer, 763-7495, or meyerpa@umich.edu.

Libraries today have transformed themselves into community centers of conversation, innovation, and literacy – both face-to-face and virtual! But, what does the future hold for libraries of the 21st Century?

Join us for a special National Library Week event as American Library Association President Barbara Stripling discusses the current state and future of libraries. This event is cosponsored by AADL and the U-M University Library.

Barbara Stripling is the 2013-2014 President of the American Library Association and is the Assistant Professor of Practice at Syracuse University, preparing the next generation of librarians for the communities of the future.

She has served as a classroom teacher and school librarian in Colorado, North Carolina, and Arkansas; the Director of Library Power in Chattanooga, where she developed the local Library Power Initiative of Library Revitalization/Reform; and the Director of Instructional Services for Fayetteville Public Schools. In 2002, she moved to New York City to develop and direct the library program at New Visions for Public Schools and in 2005 became the Director of School Library Services for New York City's 1700 public schools.

Barbara has written or edited numerous books and articles on inquiry, assessment, instructional design, 21st century skills, empathy, and primary sources. Her Stripling Model of Inquiry has been adopted widely as a framework for teaching and learning. She holds a doctorate from the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University.

In the first 18 months after Pearl Harbor, 350,000 people came to the city of Detroit to work in defense plants. The Willow Run Bomber Plant played a key role in what became known as the “Arsenal of Democracy” by producing 8,685 B-24 bombers before it closed in 1945.

Join us the week before Veterans Day, as Yankee Air Museum's Randy Hotton shares his extensive research on the Willow Run Bomber Plant.

Randy is a retired US Navy Captain who began his aviation career as a pilot in P-3 Orion aircraft flying Anti-Submarine Patrols during the Cold War. He now flies with the Yankee Air Museum in C-47 and B-17 bombers. Randy will cover the world and national events leading up to the decision to involve the auto industry in the construction of airplanes for WWII and ultimately to build the Willow Run Bomber Plant. He will also discuss the history and future of the Yankee Air Museum.