Across two lectures our guest speaker Dr John Snelson will present "I know it so well": Musicals and their Inescapable Hit Songs

This Special Interest event will explore how musicals have created so many popular songs that have become part of our shared cultural memory.   First, an overview charts 100 years of stage hits and the changes in the nature of musical theatre.  Next, John looks at examples of some famous numbers that illustrate the different ways in which songs from shows have spread beyond the stage.  Such classic creators as Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Noel Gay, Lionel Bart, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim feature in this celebration of musical theatre on stage and beyond.  The presentation is illustrated throughout with plenty of images, audio and video examples and live demonstration from the piano.  

John Snelson is an expert on musical theatre and has written a number of books on the genre while also regularly lecturing at Goldsmiths, University of London and presenting talks for organisations such as the ENO, BBC and the Royal Opera House.  

To view the flyer for this event and access the booking details please click HERE.

A PARADISE GARDEN: THE MEANING OF MEDIEVAL PLANTS IN ART &THE NATURE OF THE BEAST: ANIMALS IN MEDIEVAL ART

Dr. Jonathan Foyle
Friday 08 May 2026

LECTURE 1: A PARADISE GARDEN: THE MEANING OF MEDIEVAL PLANTS IN ART

Have you noticed how many medieval paintings are set in May? The language of plants evolved over the centuries to create a lexicon of creation that paved the way to Paradise, a perennial early summer where all the flowers and all the fruits emerge at the same time - but each tells us something different. We explore paintings, tapestry, manuscripts and sculpture to re-learn a lost language. 

LECTURE 2: THE NATURE OF THE BEAST: ANIMALS IN MEDIEVAL ART

Animals were central to medieval arts: we find birds, reptiles, mammals, insects and fabulous creatures in sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, paintings, tapestries and even wax seals. But what were the artists trying to tell us through the animals they portrayed? This talk explores a lost artistic language, to discover that the behaviours and legends of creatures enabled us to learn about ourselves.

LECTURER - DR. JONATHAN FOYLE

Dr Jonathan Foyle was Chief Executive of World Monuments Fund Britain for eight years and a Curator of Historic Buildings at Hampton Court for as long, during which time he took his 2002 PhD on reconstructing Wolsey's palace.

He is a frequent feature writer for the Financial Times on issues of architecture, history & craft, and is approaching his fourth published cathedral monograph: Canterbury, Lincoln, Lichfield - now Peterborough. 

Dr. Foyle is a presenter of numerous television series including BBC4's Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer? and BBC2's Climbing Great Buildings. He lectures frequently on a range of art-historical topics. He brings teaching experience as a former Course Director for the University of Cambridge Summer Schools and is an Honorary Professor in Conservation at the University of Lincoln.

Tickets £30.00 for the two talks.

10 am Arrive (coffee available)
10.30 First lecture
11.30 Break (coffee available)
12.00 Second lecture
1.00pm Finish
To book your tickets: https://buytickets.at/theartssociety2/1796429

Got any questions?

Please contact us at: info@theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk