CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Chautauqua Institution today announced the investment of $1 million in research initiatives to support the continuing development of scientific knowledge of Chautauqua Lake ecology to inform the region’s comprehensive, science-based plan for lake conservation. The investment will fund the 2021 work of The Jefferson Project, which launched a partnership with the region last year that resulted in new data and information about how lake water exchanges between the north and south basin. The next phase of work began in May, with researchers spending a week on the lake to collect samples that will be analyzed by Jefferson...
Dear Chautauquans, We deeply appreciate your kindness and patience over these past few months as we have navigated changing COVID-19 regulations as well as the implementation of new website and ticketing systems. We sincerely regret the inconveniences and frustrations you may have experienced during this time. As an expression of gratitude for your loyal support, and with new knowledge of reduced state and federal regulations related to the pandemic, there will no longer be an extra ticket fee to Traditional Gate Pass (TGP) holders for the shows listed below. A base-price seat at these events is now included with the...
Amphitheater to Operate at 80–100% Capacity; Tickets Available Now for Most Shows CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Chautauqua Institution today announced its 2021 Amphitheater popular concert lineup, including appearances by Wynonna Judd (July 16), Harry Connick, Jr. (Aug. 13) and comedians Lewis Black (July 25) Bill Engvall (July 29), plus a one-of-a-kind double-bill performance by The Roots and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (Aug. 21). The season begins with a solo show by popular mandolinist Chris Thile (June 26) and closes with Old Crow Medicine Show (Aug. 26), Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit (Aug. 27) and the legendary Smokey Robinson (Aug. 28). The outdoor Chautauqua Amphitheater will operate at approximately 80% capacity for most shows, with most seating reserved...
Author Will Give Online Lecture and Reading as Part of Chautauqua Institution Summer Assembly Chautauqua Institution is delighted to announce “After School Hours” by Enyeribe Ibegwam as the 2021 winner of the Chautauqua Janus Prize. As the author selected from nine finalists by judge Rion Amilcar Scott, Ibegwam receives $5,000 and will present a public lecture and reading at a celebratory event at 3:30 p.m. EDT Friday, July 30, as part of the online portion of Chautauqua Institution’s 2021 Summer Assembly. Raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Ibegwam has been awarded a PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize, was a finalist for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, and was a 2020 finalist for...
CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — With programs that date back nearly to the founding of Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua’s Literary Arts program will be sustained in part over the next five years by its first endowed chair. The Michael I. Rudell Director of the Literary Arts is an endowed chair established in memory of a beloved Chautauquan who, among other things, inspired Chautauqua’s first literary award, The Chautauqua Prize, which annually celebrates a book of fiction or literary/narrative nonfiction that provides a richly rewarding reading experience and honors the author for a significant contribution to the literary arts. The endowment will support the...
Author Will Give Reading as Part of the Digital CHQ Assembly Platform CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Chautauqua Institution today proudly announces Having and Being Had (Riverhead Books) by Eula Biss as the 2021 winner of The Chautauqua Prize. As author of the winning book, Biss receives $7,500, and will be presented with the Prize — and give a public reading — during a celebratory event set for 1 p.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, on the digital CHQ Assembly platform. Having just purchased her first home, in Having and Being Had the poet and essayist Eula Biss embarks on a provocative and delightful exploration of the value system she has bought into. Examining our assumptions about...
Chautauqua Institution President Michael E. Hill released the following statement regarding the passing of Bill Clinger, former U.S. congressman from Warren, longtime Chautauquan and 2000–06 chair of the Institution’s Board of Trustees: “Bill Clinger was a towering figure in the life of our nation and of Chautauqua Institution. As an elected official, he served our neighbors in Warren County with tenacity and grace. Current and future public servants would do well to look to his example of moral leadership. At Chautauqua, Bill’s steady hand as chair guided the Institution through some difficult days and prepared it for the heights of...
We’re just a few weeks away from the opening of our 2021 Summer Assembly as we send this, our seventh weekly “What to Expect” communication. As a reminder, the protocols below represent our best effort to create a safe environment that works for our entire community — inevitably some will feel they are too loose and others will feel they are too tight. It is our sincere hope that the protocols in place this summer are in fact just right for a community that values inclusivity and includes people of all ages, immune systems, experiences and needs. June 1...
This is the sixth of our weekly “What to Expect” communications as opening day of the 2021 Summer Assembly approaches in about a month. We look forward to welcoming you back and are excited about the many and varied experiences we will be able to offer this summer. We ask that all who come to the Institution do so with a spirit of flexibility and “big picture” thinking. In a “normal” summer, it takes nine months to prepare a summer season, with much programming work having started two years prior. This year, we are still getting new information by the...
Unique Repertoire Showcases Resident Musicians; Partnership-driven Initiatives Highlight Importance of Diversity in Art CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Chautauqua Institution today announced the 2021 season repertoire of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Music Director and Principal Conductor Rossen Milanov. The CSO in 2021 will offer 14 performances between July 10 and Aug. 14, with concerts in Weeks Three through Eight of the Chautauqua Summer Assembly, and members will also provide support to the Chautauqua Opera Company’s production of Scalia/Ginsburg. The season will also feature some important adjustments that provide for flexibility and creativity in planning. “We’re beyond excited to welcome...
