Doors to Imagination

Storytelling, Music, History, and Culture

from Jim Weiss and Carol Reynolds

Favorite Fairy Tales

Jim and Carol bring you the stories of “The Sleeping Beauty” (aka: Briar Rose) and “The Shoemaker & the Elves.” What makes a fairy tale compelling and ripe for being transformed into a musical masterpiece full of magic and color?

Fairy Tale Scholarship

Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index (1910/1928/1961/2004)

An index of common motifs and archetypal plots

Excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty

Imperial Russia — A Cultural Odyssey

From its Christianization in 988 to the Bolshevik Revolution – travel with Professor Carol through Russian history and culture and discover the intrigue of its tsars, the strengths of its culture, and the astonishing beauty of its art, music, and architecture.

Fairytale Favorites in Story and Song

Classics of imagination and wonder.

Stone Soup (includes song: Stone Soup)
Puss in Boots (includes song: The Pussycat Rag)
Shoemaker & the Elves
Rapunzel