Continuing a new tradition launched last year, Chautauqua Institution will host the 2018 Winter Village at Chautauqua on selected weekends starting Nov. 23 through New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31. The festivities will highlight on-grounds shopping and dining, and include special events such as musical performances, wine and food pairing dinners, Breakfast with Santa, horse-drawn carriage and sleigh rides, and other seasonal activities. The 2018 Winter Village kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 23, when the holiday lights and displays on Bestor Plaza will be illuminated for the first time of the season. On-ground shops and restaurants will be invited to stay open...
In order to benefit from the lake and watershed conservation experience of another lake community in New York, Chautauqua Lake stakeholders including representatives of Chautauqua Institution, SUNY Fredonia, and Chautauqua County government earlier this month visited Lake George, New York, where an innovative new model for lake and watershed management is working to save and maintain one of New York’s most famous lakes. Lake George has faced similar environmental concerns as Chautauqua Lake and most of New York’s fresh waters, including the negative impacts of human activity in its watershed and infestations of aquatic invasive species. The Chautauqua group on...
Chautauqua Institution President Michael E. Hill announced the appointment of Matt Ewalt to the position of vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker Chair for Education, effective Sept. 24. Ewalt has served Chautauqua in various capacities since 2006, most recently as chief of staff. In his new role, Ewalt continues to lead the Institution’s 10:45 a.m. Amphitheater lecture platform, and now also oversees education, youth and literary arts programs. The change comes as part of a leadership reorganization to, in part, better resource the lecture platform and work related to developing the weekly program themes for Chautauqua’s summer season. “I’m...
Package Includes Meals, Demonstrations and Workshops Showcasing Fall in Chautauqua County and Region The Athenaeum Hotel at Chautauqua Institution is pleased to announce its 2018 Farm-to-Table Culinary Getaway Weekend, Oct. 19–21. Food and fall lovers are invited to spend the weekend at the Athenaeum Hotel and enjoy exquisite locally sourced cuisine, hands-on workshops and the beauty of Chautauqua Institution and Chautauqua County in the fall. The all-inclusive, two-night package provides a full weekend itinerary from Friday evening through Sunday brunch, including farm-to-table meals, hands-on workshops and a cooking demonstration. Workshops will be led by local and regional partners including Millie’s...
Matt Ewalt, who has served Chautauqua as chief of staff at Chautauqua Institution since 2017, has been named vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker Chair for Education. In this role, Ewalt will continue to lead the 10:45 a.m. lecture platform and theme development work, and will also oversee education, youth, and literary arts programs. The change comes as part of a reorganization to, in part, better resource the lecture platform and theme development work. David Griffith’s contract as vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker Chair for Education ended as part of this reorganization. “Following a thorough organizational analysis,...
Chautauqua Institution today announced the appointment of Sharon Louden as the artistic director and Sydelle Sonkin and Herb Siegel Chair of its resident visual arts program, VACI (Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution). In this capacity, Louden will oversee a dynamic department composed of the Chautauqua School of Art, Strohl and Fowler-Kellogg Art Centers, an artist lecture series and growing education and community engagement programs. Louden succeeds Don Kimes, who announced in November his intention to step down following the 2018 Chautauqua season. “It is an honor to receive the opportunity to build upon the legacy Don Kimes has left after his...
Through Partnership With WRFA, Interviews To Be Broadcast On New Program On 107.9-FM Chautauqua Institution is pleased to announce the launch of its new flagship podcast, “CHQ&A,” featuring interviews with prominent guests who participate in Chautauqua’s summer season of programs in the arts, education, interfaith dialogue and recreation. Now with 13 episodes available at podcast.chq.org and on most major podcast platforms, “CHQ&A” aims to provide further insight into the work and thought processes of some of the celebrated individuals who pass through the Institution’s grounds this summer. Through a partnership with listener-supported WRFA 107.9-FM in Jamestown, interviews from “CHQ&A” will...
Named After Institution’s 14th President, Facility to Serve as Important New Community Resource A gift from Jane Fortune in honor of her late partner, Robert Hesse, the 14th Chautauqua Institution president, will make possible a new business center on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution in time for the organization’s 2018 summer season. The Dr. Robert R. Hesse Welcome and Business Center transforms a substantial portion of the Institution’s existing Main Gate Welcome Center into a modern, adaptable workspace that will allow those on vacation at Chautauqua to stay remotely connected to their offices. “It is a great privilege to honor...
Editor’s Note: This is a special preview of an article that appears in the upcoming winter edition of The Chautauquan, Chautauqua Institution’s off-season news and updates publication. This winter, Chautauqua Opera General and Artistic Director Steven Osgood sat down with Sara Noble, company and media manager, to talk all about the 2018 season. This season we’re starting with Mozart’s Don Giovanni in the Amphitheater. Can you tell me more about why you chose that work? I’ve wanted to conduct Mozart at Chautauqua for years, and when I think of Mozart in the Amphitheater, I think Don Giovanni. It is the perfect...
February 2, 2018 Dear Chautauquans, We write to share information about efforts underway to repair the console, the control desk, of the 1907 Massey Memorial Organ. The console was damaged recently due to a leak caused by ice and snowmelt at the Amphitheater. Knowing that many members of the Chautauqua community and, indeed, generations of families cherish the sounds of our iconic organ as a centerpiece of their Chautauqua experience, we share the following information to both inform you of the problem and assure you of our collaborative work plan to address it. While any threat to a resource...
