Climate change impacts are unfolding across the globe, affecting every community, ecosystem and institution in countless ways. At Chautauqua, we understand the importance of engaging with these challenges head-on. Our commitment to environmental sustainability lies in our dedicated efforts to preserve Chautauqua Lake and a growing desire to facilitate discussions that spark a collective effort toward positive change, on Earth Day and every day.
In Weeks Four and Eight of our 2024 season, we recognize the urgent need to explore creative solutions to combat climate change, and -invite visitors to join us on the path to a more sustainable future at Chautauqua.
Week Four
Eight Billion and Counting: The Future of Humankind in a Crowded World
As our global population continues to swell, reaching a staggering 8 billion in 2022, our natural resources are under unprecedented strain. The need to protect and preserve our planet for each new generation is becoming increasingly evident. In Week Four: âEight Billion and Counting: The Future of Humankind in a Crowded World,â we examine the reality of a growing population as we search for ways to survive and thrive together.
Jennifer D. Sciubba
Chautauqua Lecture Series
Week Four opens on Monday, July 15, with Jennifer D. Sciubba, a leading expert on demographic trends, discussing insights from her book 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World.
C.D. Glin
Chautauqua Lecture Series
On Thursday, July 18, President of the PepsiCo Foundation C.D. Glin, joins us to discuss the organizationâs extensive efforts to provide equitable access to essentials like safe water and address the economic impacts of climate actions.
Sarah Gamble
Contemporary Issues Forum
A registered architect and assistant professor in the University of Florida School of Architecture, Sarah Gamble joins us on Saturday, July 20 of Week Four. Gamble will discuss how architects are engaging the climate crisis through their work and present a call to action for her profession and the broader public.
Rachel Chrostowski
Preserving Farmland in a Crowded World
Western NY Land Conservancyâs Rachel Chrostowski will talk about the importance of protecting farmland in a crowded world.
Week Four Featured Entertainment
July 13 @ 8:15 pm Week Four (July 13â20)
Paul Taylor Dance Company with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Amphitheater
Paul Taylor Dance Company with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor
One of the most iconic and dynamic modern dance ensembles of our time, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has been innovating and transforming the artform of modern dance since 1954. With a history of multidisciplinary collaborations, passionate expression and thrilling athleticism, the Company is known worldwide for its vast repertory, performing work from the Founderâs canon; new works created by some of todayâs most engaging and established choreographers; and important historical dance from the 20th and 21st centuries. Dedicated to sharing modern dance with the broadest possible audience, the Company tours annually, both domestically and internationally, with performances and a variety of educational programs and engagement offerings. The Company returns to Chautauqua in two separate programs at the Amphitheater, with Saturdayâs program featuring live music from the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra under the baton of music director Rossen Milanov.
Program:
Mercuric Tidings
Syzygy
Promethean Fire
July 14 @ 7:30 pm Week Four (July 13â20)
Chautauqua Theater Company presents Birthday Candles
Bratton Theater
Chautauqua Theater Company presents Birthday Candles
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 story that guides the audience through the significant, challenging, and remarkable moments as time inexorably marches on. One ordinary womanâs life is measured by the simple tradition of baking a birthday cake.
Originally developed as a New Play Workshop during the 2017 season and then performed around the country, Chautauqua will finally mount its own full production of Birthday Candles. What a fitting way to open CTCâs mainstage season and celebrate Chautauqua Institutionâs 150th birthday!
This production may not be suitable for youth under 8.
Plena Libre
The trailblazing Plena Libre has been thrilling international audiences for nearly three decades. Masters of the traditional Puerto Rican plena and bomba styles, Plena Libre fuses well-loved traditions with modern Afro-Caribbean influences, putting a new and always electrifying spin on this scintillating music. With mesmerizing hand drumming, raucous horns, and soaring three-part vocal harmonies, this multi-Grammy Awardânominated band always brings the heat. Take advantage of a unique opportunity to meet the band up close in a class earlier in the day (registration through Special Studies).
Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
The original Jersey boy himself, Frankie Valli is a true American legend. His incredible career with the Four Seasons, as well as his solo success, has spawned countless hit singles. With unforgettable tunes like âSherry,â âWalk Like A Man,â âBig Girls Donât Cry,â âRag Doll,â âDecember â63 – Oh What A Night,â âCanât Take My Eyes Off of You,â and of course, âGrease.â His songs have been omnipresent in other iconic movies such as The Deer Hunter, Dirty Dancing, Mrs. Doubtfire, Conspiracy Theory and The Wanderers. As many as 200 artists have done cover versions of Frankieâs âCanât Take My Eyes Off You,â from Nancy Wilsonâs jazz treatment to Lauryn Hillâs hip-hop makeover.
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons have sold over 100 million records worldwide. They continue to tour throughout the U.S. and abroad to packed houses receiving nightly standing ovations from thrilled fans of multiple generations.
July 20 @ 2:30 pm Week Four (July 13â20)
Chautauqua Theater Company presents Birthday Candles
Bratton Theater
Chautauqua Theater Company presents Birthday Candles
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 story that guides the audience through the significant, challenging, and remarkable moments as time inexorably marches on. One ordinary womanâs life is measured by the simple tradition of baking a birthday cake.
Originally developed as a New Play Workshop during the 2017 season and then performed around the country, Chautauqua will finally mount its own full production of Birthday Candles. What a fitting way to open CTCâs mainstage season and celebrate Chautauqua Institutionâs 150th birthday!
This production may not be suitable for youth under 8
Week Eight
Water: Crisis, Beauty and Necessity
A Week in Partnership with National Geographic
As our population grows, water across the globe is becoming increasingly scarce, and what remains is grappling with the effects of intense pollution and radical climate change. In Week Eight: âWater: Crisis, Beauty and Necessity,â Chautauqua is partnering with National Geographic to answer the question: How can we turn the tide before chances of addressing the global water crisis evaporate?
Erika Woolsey
Chautauqua Lecture Series
Erika Woolsey opens Week Eight, translating ocean science into public understanding. A National Geographic Explorer and marine biologist, she brings the ocean to the Amphitheater stage Monday, Aug. 12.
Mark Bierkins, Malin Fezhai, Arati Kumar-Rao
Chautauqua Lecture Series
On Aug. 13, three National Geographic Explorers come together in conversation, examining water issues across the world. Professor of hydrology at Utrecht University Marc Bierkens is joined by filmmaker and visual reporter Malin Fezehai and environmental photographer Arati Kumar-Rao on the Amphitheater stage in our 2024 Chautauqua Lecture Series.
Dr. Jeanette Schnars
Science Group Weekly Lecture
Jeanette Schnars, Ph.D. is the executive director of the Lake Erie Research Science Consortium, a nonprofit organization facilitating research, education and collaborations to protect water quality in the Great Lakes region. She joins us Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 9:15 a.m.
Crystal Cavalier
Rivers Have Rights
Crystal Cavalier-Keck, indigenous water activist and founder of Seven Directions of Service, joins us for a Wednesday, Aug. 14 lecture.
Sherri Mason
Plastics in our Waters: Threats and Solutions
Sherri Mason (aka âSamâ), Ph.D. was among the first to study the prevalence and impact of plastic pollution within freshwater ecosystems, work that formed the basis for H.R. 1321 the Microbead-Free Water Act, signed into law by President Obama in December 2015.
Week Eight Featured Entertainment
August 10 @ 8:15 pm Week Eight (August 10â17)
Houston Ballet with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Amphitheater
Houston Ballet with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor
With over 50 years of rich history, Houston Ballet has evolved into the countryâs fourth-largest ballet company and with a global reach, touring in renowned theaters in Dubai, London, Paris, Moscow, Spain, MontrĂ©al, Ottawa, Melbourne, New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Tokyo and more.
Australian choreographer Stanton Welch AM has served as Artistic Director of Houston Ballet since 2003, raising the level of the Companyâs classical technique from dance legends such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, John Neumeier, and Jerome Robbins. Continuing the legacy of being a choreographic eden, Houston Ballet has also commissioned new works by Aszure Barton, Trey McIntyre, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Justin Peck. Julie Kent joined Welch as Artistic Director in 2023, after serving as Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet from 2016 â 2023, where she commissioned over 26 world premieres from a diverse range of choreographers as well as several full-length classical ballets. Kent retired as a Principal dancer in 2015 as the longest-tenured dancer in American Ballet Theatreâs 84-year history and is deeply committed to positively impacting artists, audiences, and communities through the transformative power of dance.
Program to be announced.
Twisted Pine
Praised by NPR for their “upbeat, poppy vibe; energetic, driving rhythms; and virtuosic solos,â Twisted Pine released their sophomore full-length Right Now in 2020 (Signature Sounds Recordings). Exploring a sound they call Americana funk, Twisted Pine takes traditional music in exhilarating directions. Bassist Chris Sartori writes, “This album is easier to feel than describe. Weâre rooted in bluegrass, continually inspired by explorers like Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, and Sierra Hull. Right Now takes this heritage into a new dimension. Our bluegrass is jazzy, our indie folk is poppy, our grooves are funky. “Twisted Pine [Kathleen Parks, fiddle; Dan Bui, mandolin; Chris Sartori, bass; Anh Phung, flute] grooves with fearless improvisation and intricate arrangements. “They were once bluegrass,” wrote The Boston Globe, “but … this Boston band has become something else, a wider version of string band, boundary jumpers akin to outfits like Punch Brothers, Nickel Creek, and Crooked Still.â
Rissi Palmer
Rissi Palmer seamlessly blends the rich traditions of country and R&B music, showcasing her versatile talent in her acclaimed albums like “Revival” and “The Back Porch Sessions.” From sharing stages with icons like Taylor Swift and The Eagles to hosting her own radio show, Color Me Country, she continues to champion diversity in the country music scene. As a Special Correspondent for CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown, she brings her insightful perspective and passion for music to audiences worldwide, celebrating the voices of artists of color and those marginalized in mainstream country.
Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls
Chautauquaâs 2024 summer concert lineup welcomes Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls to rock the Amphitheater stage!
Two-time Grammy-Award winner, Melissa Etheridge stormed onto the American rock scene in 1988. Her popularity grew, culminating with her six times platinum album Yes I Am and its massive hits âIâm the Only Oneâ and âCome to My Window.â Since then, she has remained one of Americaâs favorite female singer-songwriters for more than two decades, releasing her latest album One Way Out â a collection of â80s and â90s songs that never made the cut â in 2021. Most recently, she took her talents from arenas and airwaves to the Broadway stage, debuting her acclaimed event Melissa Etheridge: My Window in 2023.
American folk rock music duo, Indigo Girls has captivated audiences for over three decades. The pair rose to success with their first major label release and self-titled album of 1989, and its hits like âCloser to Fineâ and âKid Fears.â Since then, the thirty-five-year long career of Amy Ray and Emily Salier has encompassed sixteen recorded studio albums: seven gold, four platinum, one double platinum and over 15 million records sold. Most recently, the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriters released their 15th studio album in 2020: Look Long, their 14th to chart on the Billboard 200.
$2 from each single ticket will go to the co-headliners charities: Etheridge Foundation and First Peoples Fund.
As we celebrate Earth Day in 2024, now more than ever, it serves as a stark reminder that our planet needs us today and every day. With our natural resources under unprecedented strain and the effects of climate change spanning the globe, this isnât just one day on the calendar â itâs a call to action that can be answered all year long. Though the challenges planet faces are numerous, so too are the opportunities for change.
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