Children's School is open for free play! We would like to extend a special invitation to our families with children under 2 years old for this special afternoon play session but welcome all to join! Children are required to be accompanied by an adult or caregiver (16+) for this event. On Sundays from 1-2 p.m.,...
150th Anniversary StoryCorps Archive: The Cohen Multimedia Studio is available for recording your StoryCorps conversation for inclusion in Chautauqua's 150th Anniversary Archive. Book your recording time online here. Available times will be highlighted on each day’s schedule with a white box. Each recording session is designed for two people to be in conversation. Think of...
Nicola Melville, Chair Alexander Kobrin, 2024 Heintzelman Family Artistic Advisor Pianists from the Chautauqua School of Music present a scintillating program of works for one and two pianos, with repertoire drawn from virtuoso works of the great classical composers and arrangements of popular and familiar tunes. Don't miss your chance to see the next generation...
By Noah Haidle Ernestine Ashworth contemplates her cosmic insignificance on her 17th birthday, a feeling that follows her through the swift passage of time. In the blink of an eye, she reaches her 18th birthday, hurtles toward her 41st, accelerates into her 70th, and glides into her 101st. Birthday Candles is a heartfelt and humorous...
Join us for an operalogue to learn more about the music, with performances by young artists.
Seeking healing and comfort in the community, a dementia family caregiver road trips the U.S. to swap caregiver stories of love, humor, devotion, and death with other dementia caregivers who share this hilariously heartbreaking end-of-life journey. The documentary feature "Wine, Women, & Dementia" exposes the isolation, financial stress, and physical and emotional toll these family...
"Wonder & Awe: Ash Eliza Williams" exhibition Opening Reception July 21, 3-5pm. Exhibition runs July 21-August 20. Ash Eliza Williams, born in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Southwest Virginia, makes work about interspecies communication and alternative languages found in the natural world. Their work is “driven by a deep sense of wonder and curiosity about...
Kriss Miller
A trio of chamber operas performed on the lawn of the Athenaeum Hotel, including two world premieres from The Summer Place, a new opera inspired by oral histories and true accounts of life at Chautauqua Institution across the decades. Conceived to be performed outdoors on the grounds of Chautauqua, The Summer Place is a fitting...
"A Journey through the Holy Land in the times of Jesus" (weather permitting)
A Service of Remembrance
Weeks 1 to 9 | M, W, F | Turner Gym | Ages 18+ A high–intensity, total–body workout that includes cardio, strength and core movements using a variety of different training styles.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Heinz Fitness 1 | Ages 14+"Younger Tomorrow" is a movement-based class focusing on wellness through conditioning, strength and stretching techniques either seated or standing.
Week 1 to 9 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Hurlbut Marion Lawrance | Ages 16+Learn basic yoga breathing and stretching.
Weeks 2, 4, 5, and 7 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Heinz Fitness 2| Ages 16+ Materials fee • $10These two forms of Asian movement meditation offer many roads to good health.
Monte Thompson was a professional dancer, and also spent years as a restauranteur. His life was spent on his feet. Now retired, he is interested in continuing to be able to move easily and gracefully while using breathing and stretching techniques to help quiet his mind and prepare him to face each day with purpose...
Weeks 1 to 9 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Turner 204 | Ages 6-12 Get ready to create, and join us for fun and exciting projects!
Weeks 4, 5 | M, Tu, W, Th | Prose Room, Alumni Hall | Ages 14+An hour to pause, write, reflect and then share with others, WriteShop is 30 minutes of reflective writing and 20 minutes of group sharing.
Week 5 | MWF | Poetry Room, Alumni Hall | Ages 18+Utilizing memory, research, imagination, and empathy, this generative workshop will encourage and provide a brave space for participants to creatively explore difficult questions.
Weeks 1 to 6 | M, Tu, W, Th | CVA Arts Quad Print Studio| Ages 14+ Our printmaking courses focus on the exploration and development of students’ unique ideas and sensibilities inspired by the printmaking medium.
Weeks 2, 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Arts Quad Annex 1 | Ages 14+The still life, a subject with rich historical and contemporary significance, takes center stage in this daily drawing class.
Weeks 3 to 7 | M, W, F | Turner Gym | Ages 18+ Full body workout consisting of cardio strength and core movements.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Heinz Fitness 1 | Ages 14+Whether you are already active or just getting back to exercise, it is important to focus on joint mobility and stability.
Week 5 | M W, F | Turner 104 | Ages 16+Free yourself from busyness by discovering spiritual practices that arise from your daily activities.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Hultquist 201 A | Ages 18+This course will examine the role of individual peacemakers like Martin Luther King, Jr during the Vietnam War and Cindy Sheehan during the Iraq War, as well as many others.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Hultquist 201B | Ages 14+Preemptive reinvention is wiser than responding to a threat, but few people or industries embrace prevention.
Weeks 1 to 9 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | John R. Turney Sailing Center | Ages 7–12This course is for young sailors regardless of sailing experience. Instructional sights include on-the-water, classroom, and dockside.
Weeks 1 to 9 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | John R. Turney Sailing Center| Ages 13–18This course is for teen sailors regardless of sailing experience. Instructional sights include on-the-water, classroom, and dockside.
Weeks 1 to 7 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | CVA Arts Quad Ceramics Studio | Ages 14+Students are introduced to the fundamentals of working with clay as an art medium.
The daughter of a foreign correspondent, Kate Braestrup spent her childhood in Algiers, New York City, Paris, Bangkok, Washington, DC and Sabillasville, Maryland. Educated at the Parsons School of Design, the New School and Georgetown University, Kate has her master's degree from Bangor Theological Seminary and received an honorary doctorate from Unity College in 2010. Kate...
Weeks 3 to 6 | M, W, F | Sheldon Hall of Ed. 201 | Ages 9 mos–3 yrsJoin us for Toddler Time. Enjoy time with your toddler as we listen, learn, sing, move, and play together in a fun and educational environment that emphasizes early literacy skills.
Weeks 1 to 3 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Heinz Fitness 1 | Ages 10+ Weeks 4 & 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Heinz 2 | Ages 10+ Week 6 | M, T, W, Th, F | Hultquist 201A& B | Ages 10+Begin your day by connecting mind and body...
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Turner Room 208 | Ages 16+Experience the joy of playing the ukulele right away!
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Hurlbut Marion Lawrance | Ages 14+"Younger Tomorrow" is a movement-based class focusing on wellness through conditioning, strength and stretching techniques either seated or standing.
Enjoy watching master voice teachers at work as they mentor Opera Conservatory students.
Matthew Strauss has been applauded throughout the United States as an energetic percussionist and timpanist with a diverse musical background. In addition to his position as Associate Principal Timpanist / Section Percussionist with the Houston Symphony, Mr. Strauss is an Associate Professor of Percussion at Rice University and faculty member at the Texas Music Festival...
Weeks 3, and 6 to 8 | M, W, F | Heinz Fitness 2 | Ages 12+ Weeks 4 and 5 | M, W, F | Heinz Fitness 1 | Ages 12+With a background in public health nursing, Miller discovered the life-giving power of yoga when she retired.
Weeks 1 to 9 | Tu, Th | Turner 107 | Ages 18+ This gentle Hatha class is for all levels of experience.
Weeks 1 to 9 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Turner 202 | Ages 12-14Drawing, painting, and sculpture are avenues for exploration within this class.
Thomas Chatterton Williams is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Losing My Cool and Self-Portrait in Black and White. He is a visiting professor of humanities and senior fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, a 2022 Guggenheim fellow, and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. To...
Play CHQ invites families to explore together through games, crafts, STEM activities and more throughout the 2024 season. You can join the fun at pop-up locations across the grounds! In case of inclement weather, all Play CHQ events will be held at Sheldon Hall of Education, Room 202.
Presenters Philip Allen and Christina Noel will lead a community discussion on our Week Five CLSC selection, Horse: A Novel, by Geraldine Brooks.
Weeks 1 to 9 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Pickleball Courts at Chautauqua Tennis Center | Ages 12+Pickleball is exploding worldwide.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Hultquist 101 | Ages 18+ Emily Dickinson began reading Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writings as a young woman and his writings influenced both her sharp thinking and her poetry.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Turner 105 | Ages 14+Learn about the countries of Central America through short stories.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Heinz Fitness 1 | Ages 14+ Pilates and yoga movements with meditation.
Week 5 | M, W, F | Turner 205 | Ages 18+Preparing seafood can be intimidating for even a trained chef, but with quality ingredients and uncomplicated techniques, the ocean can inspire quick and delicious meals perfect for a busy weeknight. We’ll create simple, composed dishes that take the “scary” out of the sea!
Week 5 | M | Smith Wilkes Hall | Ages 14+Chautauqua favorite and longtime collaborator Geoffrey Kemp deepens his engagement with the Chautauqua community in an extended audience-driven Q-and-A format.
Weeks 5, 8 | M, Tu, W, Th | Turner 103 | Ages 14+You may not know a trump from a finesse but you'll be learning and playing this most fascinating of partnership card games in just four 75-minute sessions.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th | Hultquist 201A | Ages 16+Enjoy the vividly dramatic stories of our Biblical foremothers through text study, insights from the author of Listen to Her Voice: Women of the Hebrew Bible, and discussion.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Smith Library Classroom | Ages 14+Explore masterpieces by nationalist composers changing the shape of Western classical music.
Week 5 | M, W, F | Turner 104 | Ages 14+With the help of stencils and stamps you can create a beautiful work of art on canvas or fabric.
Week 5 | M, T, W, Th | Hultquist 201B | Ages 12+In a discussion format, we will examine five or 10 of Frost's most provokingly mysterious lyrics to see if we can discern what he called "a further range" in their significance than what may seem the case at first glance.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Turner 104 | Ages 14+In this hands-on course we'll journey through the sunny Mediterranean from west to east to design and re-create the broken tile mosaics of Antoni Gaudi's Barcelona, the Roman mosaics of Israel and the Byzantine glass tile mosaics of Constantinople.
Enjoy learning more about the lake and water-shed conservation efforts while paddling along during this hour-long guided kayak tour. The tour begins and ends at the Sports Club. The cost is for rental of single or tandem kayak plus $10 per person for the tour guide. Limited spots so please reserve one day before the...
Weeks 1 to 9 | M, W, F | Sports Club | Ages 14+ $20 Materials Fee ($15 card and handbook) This is a wonderful opportunity to learn in a friendly stress-free and supportive environment.
Week 5 | MWF | Prose Room, Alumni Hall | Ages 18+In this workshop we’ll explore why telling your story matters and how you can craft it for publication or personal accomplishment.
Weeks 2, 3, 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Hurlbut Marion Lawrance | Ages 18+Tai Chi is a mind-body exercise from ancient China. Movements are fluid, graceful, circular and slow. It's suitable for anyone because exertion levels can be adjusted to suit your physical condition. Tai Chi improves strength, flexibility, aerobic conditioning and...
Weeks 1 to 7 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | CVA Arts Quad Ceramics Studio | Ages 14+ Students are introduced to the fundamentals of working with clay as an art medium.
The Rev. Dr. George D. McClain, a United Methodist clergy, is a social activist leader and professor for the United Methodist Office of Deaconess and Home Missioner where he is currently teaching a class on the Theology of Mission taking place at the Chautauqua Institution this week. George's religious social activism began during the Civil...
Weeks 2, 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Arts Quad | Ages 18+ Embark on an exploration of the human form in this daily painting class, where the rich history and contemporary significance of this timeless subject come to life.
Weeks 1 to 6 | M, Tu, W, Th | CVA Arts Quad Print Studio| Ages 14+Our printmaking courses focus on the exploration and development of students’ unique ideas and sensibilities inspired by the printmaking medium.
Weeks 3, 5, and 7 | M, W, F | John R. Turney Sailing Center| Ages 18+The John R. Turney Sailing center is offering a unique, interdisciplinary workshop.
Weeks 1 to 9 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | John R. Turney Sailing Center | Ages 18+This course is for adult sailors regardless of sailing experience. Instructional sights include on–the–water, classroom, and dockside.
Weeks 1 to 9 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | John R. Turney Sailing Center| Ages 10+This course is for advanced sailors of all ages, or anyone looking to take their sailing skills to the competitive level.
Weeks 1 to 8 | Tu, Th | Children's School | Ages 0 to 4 with an accompanying adultReconnect with other children from the Chautauqua community each afternoon.
Weeks 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Turner 208 | Ages 10+Learn guitar basics in one week!
Pillar Talks: Reflections on 150 Years of Chautauqua Programs featuring Sherra Babcock, former Emily and Richard Smucker Chair for Education
Week 5 | M, T, W, Th, F | Hultquist 201B | Ages 16+Are the courts acting properly, or are they assuming too much power?
Weeks 2, 5 | M, T, W, Th, F | Turner 203 | Ages 12+The Alexander Technique uses sensing, anatomy and the instructor's light touch for graceful, flexible, fluid and expressive movements.
Week 5 | M, T, W, Th, F | Online | Ages 18+Emily Dickinson began reading Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writings as a young woman and his writings influenced both her sharp thinking and her poetry.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th | Hultquist 201A | Ages 16+You can be more productive and fulfilled, no matter what you write or how experienced you are.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | LAC Alumni Hall Ballroom | Ages 16+Recognizing the topic of racial understanding can create personal uneasiness, we will: deconstruct walls through self-assessment; construct communication bridges for productive dialogues; and cross bridges for sustainable racial relationships.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th | Turner 105 | Ages 14+Have you ever read an op-ed and felt, "I can do better than that?" This course will give you the basic tools to write for any publication, even The New York Times.
Week 5 | M, Tu, W, Th, F | Turner 104 | Ages 12+In this introductory course, you will learn at least 10 magic effects and how to perform them — and receive the material needed.
Weeks 5, 7 | M, W, F | Turner 103 | Ages 16+Come out and discover a fun way to channel your dogs natural sniffing talent! Scent games are an ideal way to stimulate your dog and can be done indoors or outdoors with dogs of all ages.
Celebrate Chautauqua's 150th Anniversary with the Play CHQ team. In this session, you will have the opportunity to build models showing your dreams for Chautauqua's next 150 years. Play CHQ invites families to explore together through games, crafts, STEM activities and more throughout the 2024 season. You can join the fun at pop-up locations across...
Weeks 1 to 7 | M, W, F | Carnahan-Jackson Dance Studios | Ages 3 to 4 Explore movement through music in a fun, creative and supportive environment.
Thirty-eight years ago, four American string players formed a quartet with the express purpose of melding the wide range of music performed in North America, both past and present. To honor the significant lineage of these musical traditions and the profound relationship between them, the quartet borrowed an “old/new name for the continent, based on...
Weeks 1 to 7 | M, W, F | Carnahan-Jackson Dance Studios | Ages 5 to 6 Explore movement through music in a fun, creative and supportive environment.
Sound Meditation from An Artist and Poet