Latest Posts

May 20, 2020 |

Joseph Earl Thomas Wins Third Annual Chautauqua Janus Prize

Author Will Give Lecture, Reading as Part of Chautauqua’s 2020 Online Assembly Chautauqua Institution is delighted to announce “Reality Marble” by Joseph Earl Thomas as the 2020 winner of the Chautauqua Janus Prize. As the author selected from 16 finalists by judge Hilary Plum, Thomas receives $5,000 and will present a public lecture and reading at a celebratory event at a date to be determined as part of Chautauqua Institution’s online assembly season this summer. His writing will also appear in a future issue of the literary journal Chautauqua. Hailing from Philadelphia, Thomas is a doctoral student in English at...

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May 8, 2020 |

Seven Finalists Named for 2020 Chautauqua Prize

Chautauqua Institution is pleased to announce seven exceptional books as the 2020 finalists for The Chautauqua Prize, now in its ninth year: Tehran Children: A Holocaust Refugee Odyssey, by Mikhal Dekel (W.W. Norton) What You Have Heard is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance, by Carolyn Forché (Penguin Press) Out of Darkness, Shining Light, by Petina Gappah (Scribner) Feast Your Eyes, by Myla Goldberg (Scribner) The Parisian, by Isabella Hammad (Grove Press) Breathe: A Letter to My Sons, by Imani Perry (Beacon Press) Bangkok Wakes to Rain, by Pitchaya Sudbanthad (Riverhead Books) The winning book will be selected from...

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May 2, 2020 | ,

Chautauqua Theater Company Announces a Virtual 2020 Season

CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Andrew Borba and Managing Director Sarah Clare Corporandy, confirmed today that it will cancel its on-grounds programming for the summer 2020 season. “The coronavirus has affected every one of our lives in big and small ways. A year ago when we programmed our 2020 Season we had no idea how the world would change,” Corporandy said. “While we lament not being with our Chautauqua Institution community on grounds, or hiring back our entire staff, we are looking forward to the challenges and successes of presenting theater in...

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May 2, 2020 |

Chautauqua Opera Company Update on 2020 Season

To Our Chautauqua Opera Community— The Board of Trustees of the Chautauqua Institution met yesterday for its quarterly meeting with the primary agenda being to determine the Institution’s course of action for the 2020 Summer Assembly. Michael Hill, president of the Chautauqua Institution, has released a communication addressing the Board’s decision which includes the suspension of all in-person programming at the Institution this summer. Thus, it is with a heavy heart that I write to announce that the Chautauqua Opera Company’s 2020 season will be canceled. For 90 consecutive summers, Chautauquans have gathered in Norton Hall to celebrate opera’s rich...

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May 2, 2020 |

Chautauqua Institution to Offer Online Programs in Lieu of In-Person Programming

Chautauqua Institution’s Board of Trustees Friday voted unanimously to approve a resolution that calls for no in-person programming on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution for the summer of 2020. Depending on government and public health regulations and guidelines, the Institution may operate a limited range of facilities and services, such as dock installation and service, recreation facilities, and food service, targeted for property owners.  This decision follows two months of analysis and consultation with government, public health and public safety officials, as well as analysis of the Institution’s capacity to operate safely and responsibly amidst a continuing COVID-19 pandemic.  Alternatively,...

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May 2, 2020 | ,

From the President: Moving Our 2020 Assembly Online

May 2, 2020 Dear Chautauqua Family, I write today with a message I never conceived I would need to convey, but one that is necessary for the health, wellness and safety of our beloved community. Late yesterday our Board of Trustees decided unanimously and with moral clarity to suspend any in-person programs on our sacred Western New York grounds this summer. We will not be convening as we usually do, but rather in a new, online space, as a distributed but still tightly knit community of lifelong learners and lovers of the arts, education, interfaith and recreational programming. I invite...

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March 27, 2020 |

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra to Perform at Reg Lenna Center for the Arts on Aug. 22

Aretha Franklin Tribute Concert Marks First-ever Performance Outside Chautauqua Grounds for 91-year-old CSO Chautauqua Institution today announced that the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will bring its unmistakable sound and artistry to downtown Jamestown’s Reg Lenna Center for the Arts with a performance featuring the music of Aretha Franklin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. The concert is made possible by the Fund for Downtown Programming awarded through the Jamestown Local Development Corporation and made possible by the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). The concert, titled “Aretha: A Tribute,” under the baton of principal pops conductor Stuart Chafetz, will feature all-star singer...

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March 5, 2020 |

(UPDATED 4/30) Outcomes of Board of Trustees meeting to be shared Saturday, May 2

2020 Season Update On May 2, 2020, our Board of Trustees decided unanimously and with moral clarity to suspend any in-person programs on our sacred Western New York grounds this summer. We will not be convening as we usually do, but rather in a new, online space, as a distributed but still tightly knit community of lifelong learners and lovers of the arts, education, interfaith and recreational programming. View and read President Michael Hill’s message to our community at chq.org/update. Refunds The Institution is offering full refunds for services, gate passes, Athenaeum Hotel reservations, and single event tickets. The Chautauqua Ticket Office...

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February 27, 2020 |

Institution Offices and Operations Closed Thursday, Feb. 27

Due to inclement weather and the Blizzard Warning issued by the National Weather Service, most of Chautauqua’s offices and operations will be closed today, Thursday, Feb. 27. Afterwords Café is closed. The Chautauqua Bookstore is open but may close early. The Fitness Center is open but classes are canceled. The Ticket Office is closed.

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February 12, 2020 |

Update on Constable Status for Chautauqua Police

Dear Chautauquans, I am writing to provide an update on the status of our efforts to achieve Constable status for the officers of the Chautauqua Institution Police Department. This follows communications over the past couple months regarding a change in their “special deputy” status through the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office. It’s my pleasure to report that, at a meeting Monday night of the Town of Chautauqua Board, the Board voted to approve a new law establishing a town constabulary and authorized Supervisor Don Emhardt to sign our agreement making our police department personnel the Town of Chautauqua constables. The next...

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