150 for 150: Chautauqua’s “Teach-In” for the Earth In December 1969, building on the UNESCO conference “Man and His Environment: A View Towards Survival” held the previous month in San Francisco, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970. In a crucial move, Nelson, a Democrat, recruited Republican Senator Paul McCloskey to serve as co-chair of what became the first Earth Day. As we celebrated the 55th Earth Day in April, the idea has evolved far beyond a teach-in. Today one billion people around the globe engage in thousands of actions,...
The 2025 Special Studies Catalog Is Here Whether you’re a lifelong learner, creative spirit, or simply curious, the 2025 Special Studies season offers a rich variety of classes designed to spark new interests and deepen existing passions. From returning favorites to brand-new offerings, there’s something for learners of every age and stage. Print production is underway, and the catalog will soon be on its way to your mailbox. In the meantime, you can explore the full catalog online and begin mapping out your summer experience. Some of your favorite classes are back. Kate Junker’s popular nine-week Gentle Yoga series...
April 9, 1943 – April 13, 2025 Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux: dancer, choreographer, teacher, visionary — has passed away at the age of 82. For those who were lucky enough to witness his grace on stage or study under his passionate eye, his passing marks the end of an era. However, here at Chautauqua Institution, where he spent nearly four decades as director of the School of Dance, his spirit will always remain. Born in Bourg-en-Bresse, France in 1943, Jean-Pierre’s journey in ballet began early when he joined the Paris Opera Ballet at age 14. His artistic path eventually took him to...
In this year’s Young Playwrights Project (YPP), third and fourth grade students from eight schools across Chautauqua County sent in over 520 plays that shared their original stories. In early April, over 40 Institution staff and Chautauqua community volunteers formed Play Reading groups and rehearsed. They then traveled to the schools to stage play readings in their classrooms, bringing the students’ words and ideas to life. Joined by Chautauqua Arts Education’s team of talented teaching artists — led by Alex Nader and including Andrew Barbato, Emily Olcott, Gaby Hornig, Marissa Miller and Marty Miller — every student got to hear their...
Dear Chautauquans, We learned this week of the passing of the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, our former Director of the Department of Religion and a force in the world. Joan served Chautauqua faithfully for more than a decade, assembling some of the most important preachers and prophetic voices in the world on our stages, in our pulpits and on our grounds. Joan believed, as we long have, that Chautauqua had a larger role to play in the world, and that bringing thought leaders from around the globe was only a part of the magic sauce of Chautauqua. It was when...
The Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees today announced that Laurie A. Branch, who currently serves as chair of the board’s budget and finance committee, has been elected to succeed Candace L. Maxwell as board chair. This appointment is effective Oct. 1, 2025, when Maxwell will have completed three consecutive two-year terms as chair, which is the maximum allowed under the board’s bylaws. Branch is a fourth-generation Chautauquan and a lifelong summer resident of the Institution grounds. A resident of Longboat Key, Florida, and originally from Olean, New York, Branch is CEO and President of Ironpeak, one of the oldest and largest...
Wonder Winterland? Chautauqua explores the impact of climate change on winter recreation economies As someone who prefers Boots over Birkenstocks, there’s nothing I love more than snow — and lots of it! Chautauqua in winter is a wonderland, revealing a whole new world of skiing, skating, ice fishing and snowmobiling that might seem alien to those who visit Chautauqua primarily in the temperate months. One of my fondest memories of Chautauqua is skiing the length of frozen Chautauqua Lake on a clear crisp quiet winter morning in 2022 with then-Chautauqua Lake Program Manager Toby Shepherd. But just two winters later,...
Chautauqua Institution and acclaimed author Kwame Alexander redefined the literary landscape in 2024 with the launch of the inaugural Kwame Alexander Writers’ Lab & Conference. Building on that success, we are thrilled to announce the 2025 Writers’ Lab will take place Oct. 23–25, 2025, at American University and the Institution’s offices in Washington D.C. in partnership with American University’s School of Communication and Mahogany Books. The Writers’ Lab boasts a tradition of intensive writing workshops with award-winning contemporary authors, like Kwame Alexander, a #1 New York Times best-selling author and Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts. Hosting the...
Since 2016, Chautauqua Institution has partnered with the Jamestown Public Schools and Chautauqua Lake Central Schools to bring nationally renowned workshop leaders to provide teachers with professional development workshops to hundreds of teachers in Chautauqua County. During the 2024–2025 school year alone, over 200 teachers and hundreds of students have benefited from this program. The arts are increasingly seen by the New York State Education Department as a valuable means to encourage and enrich learning for students. Through an arts integrated approach, students have not only learned core subject area skills alongside arts skills, but they’ve demonstrated their learning through...
Chautauqua Institution today announced the 2025 season repertoire of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra (CSO) under the leadership of Music Director and Principal Conductor Rossen Milanov. The 2025 season, marking the CSO’s 96th season, will offer more than 20 performances between June 26 and Aug. 19, with concerts in Weeks One through Week Nine of Chautauqua’s Summer Assembly. Repertoire will range from classics to pops concerts with Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz on the podium. The CSO welcomes guests including Laufey, Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues project, Time For Three, Denyce Graves, Christine Goerke, Aaron Diehl, Michael Cavanaugh, Alexander Gavrylyuk, and conductors...
