The African American Heritage House (AAHH) at Chautauqua today announced the appointment of New York Times bestselling author, Emmy®-winning producer and founder of the literary nonprofit One Word at a Time, Kwame Alexander, as its 2026 inaugural Distinguished Fellow. AAHH is a nonprofit committed to strengthening Chautauqua Institution by encouraging and welcoming diversity, fostering honest conversations and adding new voices to the programmatic mix. Sean Hawkins was also named director of the AAHH. “Erroll Davis’ vision is for the AAHH to become a cultural center for building a community accessible to all through the eyes of the African American experience,”...
Many people wonder what goes on at Chautauqua during the winter and how our team stays busy. You might be surprised by how much happens in preparation for your return each summer. Here’s a brief look at what’s happening while you’re away from your home away from home. During the winter months, capital projects across the grounds have continued despite snow and cold temperatures. The most visible progress has been at the Greene Family Commons project (formerly Bellinger Hall), where the steel frame was recently assembled, revealing the form of the new entry hall and dining center. The addition will...
For Robert Wilson-Black, Chautauqua has long been a home away from home — and now he returns to step into one of the Institution’s most historic roles. Chautauqua Institution is pleased to announce the appointment of Wilson‑Black as its new Director of Religion. With a deep personal connection to Chautauqua and a proven voice in religion, public life and institutional leadership, he is poised to drive transformative change. Wilson‑Black joins the Institution following decades of leadership at the intersection of faith, higher education, public discourse and social change. A religion scholar, public speaker, administrator, and convener, he has served as...
Chautauqua Institution has been awarded four grants totaling $70,000 through the 2026 New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Awards. The funding reinforces the Institution’s commitment to advancing artistic excellence and supporting artists across disciplines. Through NYSCA’s Support for Organizations category, Chautauqua Institution received a $40,000 general operating grant to support the work of the arts across the 2026 season. This funding helps sustain performances, exhibitions and creative development that engage artists and audiences from across New York State and beyond. Three additional NYSCA grants, each totaling $10,000, support visiting artists whose work will be developed and presented at Chautauqua Institution in...
Dear Chautauquans, Happy New Year! It’s 2026, and my colleagues and I are counting down to the Summer Assembly; I hope that you are too. I wanted to share a bit about our planning process and some of the exciting programming already set for the summer. The Performing and Visual Arts team (PAVA) consists of dedicated administrators and visionary artistic directors who dream and plan year-round to ensure that you, our students, and the Western New York community have enriching and unforgettable encounters with the arts at Chautauqua. This time of year, we have applications streaming in for our school of music, opera company young artists program, school of dance, theatre conservatory and school of visual arts. Across all programs, we receive over 2,400 applications! I am so...
For its 2026 season, Chautauqua Opera Company deepens its commitment to developing new operas while bringing fully staged productions to Chautauqua Institution’s Amphitheater. The company’s mainstage production will be an eclectic triple-bill of operas which have a historic connection to Chautauqua: Richard Wargo’s The Music Shop, Kamala Sankaram and Jerre Dye’s A.E. Reverie, and the world premiere of Jeremy Gill and Jerre Dye’s Ida by Lamplight. In the weeks surrounding this production, the company will conduct workshops of three new operas, ranging from chamber operas to large-scale pieces. In these workshops, Chautauqua Opera Company’s 16 Young Artists will collaborate with celebrated composers, librettists and singers, and Chautauqua audiences will have the exclusive opportunity to experience these...
At Chautauqua, every gate pass represents a meaningful investment in the full experience of the season. To ensure fairness for all patrons, improve ease of entry, and align with best practices across peer cultural institutions, we are introducing several updates for 2026. These changes also help us maintain accurate attendance information, which supports staffing, safety and program planning. Below is a summary of what’s changing and what it means for you. Digital Tickets and Passes Beginning in 2026, Chautauqua will no longer issue PDF gate passes or tickets. This change helps reduce duplication and unauthorized sharing and supports faster, more reliable entry. Available formats will include: Please note that...
Chautauqua Institution welcomed five new trustees during the August Board of Trustees meeting. Each brings a unique perspective and a wealth of experience in areas that are vital to the Institution — including philanthropy, finance, education, marketing and organizational development. Among the new appointees is Ronn Richard, recently retired CEO of the Cleveland Foundation, where he led transformative growth over two decades. Under his leadership, annual philanthropic giving increased tenfold, from $14 million to more than $145 million and endowed funds more than doubled to $3.2 billion. Richard’s strategic relocation of the Foundation’s headquarters to Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood catalyzed economic...
Dear Chautauquans, Next week is Thanksgiving, and I owe you all a big thank you. Not only do you gather every weekday morning each summer as the most engaged and thoughtful audience around, you are uncommonly generous in sharing your ideas, suggestions and connections with us as we move through our yearly planning cycles. Planning and executing a 45-lecture series is truly a community effort, and it is an honor and a privilege to steward that process and shape our storied Chautauqua Lecture Series platform. We of course are right in the thick of that work for 2026, with much...
Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC) today announced its dynamic 2026 mainstage season, featuring two standout productions: the world premiere of Best for Baby, a larger-than-life comedy by Sharyn Rothstein directed by Oliver Butler, and August Wilson’s acclaimed theatrical memoir How I Learned What I Learned, directed by CTC’s Producing Artistic Director Jade King Carroll. The season will also mark the grand opening of the Roe Green Theater Center, a state-of-the-art home for theater at Chautauqua, and the introduction of CTC’s new playwrighting fellowship in partnership with the Drama League. Best for Baby is a CTC commission and was presented as a...
