Vice President of Performing and Visual Arts Deborah Sunya Moore today announced changes in her areas of responsibility that will further highlight chamber music and arts education at Chautauqua Institution. Through the generosity of Sarah Hagen McWilliams, Chautauqua will present an expanded offering of chamber music under the moniker of Chautauqua Chamber Music, which will be composed of two series, doubling the professional chamber offerings at Chautauqua during its summer seasons: the Guest Artist Series on Monday afternoons and a new Resident Artist Series on Saturday afternoons, both in Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall. Additionally, Chautauqua Chamber Music will include more access...
Twelve sailors from many different locations flocked to Chautauqua Institution in late May for a four-day course to achieve their Level 1 Small Boat Instructor Certifications for on- and off-water instruction. Much like schoolteachers have to go through extensive training in order to receive all of their proper certifications, so must sailing instructors. During these courses, it is crucial that the students not only learn proper on-water safety techniques, get vital hands-on time with small boats and understand important procedures, but also find new efficient, creative ways to teach this knowledge to others. According to the course directors, some of...
The Chautauqua Lakers of Special Olympics New York’s Western Region visited Chautauqua Golf Club Tuesday to sharpen their skills, learn golf etiquette, play a few holes, and — most importantly — connect with friends while having fun. Every Tuesday, the Chautauqua Lakers bring approximately 40 athletes and 25 volunteers to Chautauqua Golf Club, setting up skill games all over the practice facilities in an attempt to simulate what an actual Special Olympics event would look like. Athletes practice putting, chip shots, pitch shots, iron shots, wood shots and then, after proving that they can play at a more advanced...
Chautauqua Golf Club and Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy joined forces Monday to host a golf tournament to benefit the Conservancy. Twenty-eight foursomes, each consisting of three amateurs and one PGA professional, took to the Lake Course to help raise nearly $45,000 for the local nonprofit. “The overarching goal (of the tournament) was to support the mission of the organization and raise funds so that we have the resources to work with landowners to deliver cleaner waters and a healthy watershed,” said John Jablonski III, executive director of Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy. Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy works with landowners around Chautauqua Lake to...
Chautauqua Institution to Grow Youth Programming Chautauqua Institution President Michael E. Hill today announced the appointment of David Griffith to the position of Vice President and Emily & Richard Smucker Chair for Education effective Sept. 1. Griffith is currently Director of Creative Writing for Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan. Griffith will replace longtime incumbent Sherra Babcock who will retire following the close of the 2017 Chautauqua season. He will manage and provide administrative leadership for Youth Programs, Special Studies, the Smith Memorial Library, Chautauqua Archives, the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (CLSC), the Writers’ Center, and...
Chautauqua Institution today announced the appointment of Emily F. Morris, Ph.D., as vice president of marketing and communications and chief brand officer. Morris is an experienced leader and executive in higher education, having previously served in similar roles at nearby universities St. Bonaventure and Edinboro. She is currently executive communications director at Kent State University. “I’m elated that Emily has agreed to join our team and help us continue to raise Chautauqua’s profile as a national leader in curating conversation on matters that shape our world,” said Michael E. Hill, president of Chautauqua Institution. “Her extensive experience in communications,...
Chautauqua Institution today announced that Sherra Babcock, longtime vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker Chair for Education, will retire from her post in October 2017. A familiar figure on the Chautauqua grounds, Babcock is probably best known for her frequent appearances onstage as moderator at lecture and literary arts programming throughout each summer season. Over more than a decade of visionary leadership, she has shepherded Chautauqua’s signature and historic lecture and literary arts platforms to new levels of excellence and renown. She joined the Institution in 2007 as director of education and was appointed to her current position, the...
Chautauqua Institution today announced that the Rev. Robert M. Franklin Jr., director of religion, will step down from his post following the 2017 season.Franklin has served Chautauqua in his current capacity since 2014. He has been an active participant in the Institution’s religious programming since 2001, serving as lecturer, chaplain, theologian-in-residence, adviser to the Institution’s Abrahamic program, and as a member of the Institution’s board of trustees. His decision coincides with continued expansion of his responsibilities at Emory University, where he serves as a senior advisor to the president and James T. and Berta R. Laney Chair in Moral Leadership...
Patricia McBride is one of five to receive Kennedy Center Honors in 2014, joining Al Green, Tom Hanks, Lily Tomlin and Sting. Continuing a career that spans more than six decades, McBride now serves as associate artistic director of the Charlotte Ballet and as master teacher at Chautauqua Institution’s School of Dance.
