Chautauqua Institution today announced its School of Music will present a four-week intensive online program for the summer of 2020.

The Chautauqua Online School of Music will present valued aspects of the traditional School of Music program alongside new programming designed to explore and take advantage of the virtual learning environment. The online experience is aligned with Chautauqua Institution’s decision to move its programming online in 2020 in lieu of in-person gatherings, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Chautauqua Online School of Music is structured to provide key elements of musical development along with innovative approaches to community-building to inspire student growth as artists this summer and beyond.  Each week will feature themes relevant to artist development, including “Innovation and the 21st Century Musician,” “Artistic Development and Personal Wellness,” “Arts Career Development and Enhancement” and “Conversations with CHQ Distinguished Alumni.”  

The program also seeks to maintain some of the unique elements of study at Chautauqua, including developing peer support, cross-disciplinary work, and the mindset of civil dialogue and intellectual curiosity for which the Institution is nationally and internationally known. 

“In this program we have harnessed the extraordinary assets of the Chautauqua Institution and its Music School faculty to bring world-class professional training right to students’ homes,” said Artistic Director Timothy Muffitt. “This online learning environment allows us to connect students with many of the top professionals in the music world, address important and timely issues, and build an online version of Chautauqua’s unique community, all while guiding musicians’ personal artistic growth through the summer.” 

In addition to the renowned School of Music faculty, internationally acclaimed experts in the theme areas of each week will present keynote presentations. These experiences were developed in direct response to content requested from students in the face of the current world and national crises. 

“I am proud that our School of Music staff and faculty have pivoted to reinvent our school quickly, agreeing that serving students is our priority,” said Vice President of Performing and Visual Arts Deborah Sunya Moore. “The Chautauqua Online School of Music has been designed and will be nimble enough to continually evolve, with the specific input from our incoming class of young artists. I hope that one day these artists all look back to this as a time when we simply kept making music in the best ways possible.”   

The Chautauqua Online School of Music will begin on Monday, July 13, and continue until Friday, August 7. Information on public master classes and recitals will be made available as the program develops, to be presented online.