Mark Twain & Music presented by Dr. Lana Whited at the Phoebe Needles June Ctr for Lifelong Learning

Talk Description:
While Mark Twain is celebrated for his razor-sharp wit and literary realism, less well known is his life-long interest in music, spanning both American popular music and the European grand operatic tradition. Influences upon him and his writing included spirituals
and the Delta blues, the Presbyterian church, contemporary songwriters, classical composers such as Richard Wagner, and the habits of piano-playing and singing that filled his household in Hartford, Connecticut. Twain’s letters, personal journals, and novels such
as Huckleberry Finn and Pudd’nhead Wilson reflect how Twain used music as a tool for social commentary, character development, nostalgia, and humor. Throughout Twain’s public career, his writing about music illustrates the same key tension existing between
Samuel Langhorne Clemens and his famous persona, Mark Twain–between the serious writer/critic and the amateur, or “mucker” (as he termed it). For example, he both enjoyed opera and wrote, “I have attended operas, whenever I could not help it, for fourteen years
now; I am sure I know of no agony comparable to the listening to an unfamiliar opera.” The evolution of Twain’s tastes and attitudes concerning music explain how his biographer Albert Bigelow Paine, who had earlier found the author “wanting in artistic taste,” could
write that by age 70, Twain had “a passion for music.” The program will include musical selections performed by Fair and Austin Robey.

Presenter Bios:
Lana Whited is the longest-serving active member of the English faculty at Ferrum College who wrote her master’s thesis on Mark Twain and music.
Fair Robey enjoyed a long career teaching music in the Franklin County Public Schools and currently serves as music director at Saint Peter’s-in-the-Mountains Episcopal Church. She is a member of her family’s popular local band, The Robeys.
Austin Robey is Director of Admissions at Mountaintop Montessori School in Charlottesville and a member of his family’s popular local band, The Robeys.
Event Details
Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Location: 732 Turners Creek Road, Callaway, VA 24067
Doors Open: 9:30 AM
Program Begins: 10:00 AM
Lunch Served: Noon
For more info: 540.483.1518 or events@phoebeneedles.org or visit the Adult Programs tab at Click ticket link for this event to purchase tickets!