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  • Hurlbut Memorial Community United Methodist Church

    Catholic Mass

    Hurlbut Church sanctuary Hurlbut Church sanctuary
  • People gathered for a meditation class

    Movement and Meditation with Monte Thompson

    Hall of Philosophy Grove

    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...

    free
  • Zina Jacque

    The Rev. Zina Jacque

    Amphitheater Amphitheater

    The Rev. Zina Jacque serves as President and Chair of the Board of National Senior Communities, overseeing the largest not-for-profit network of continuing-care retirement communities in the nation. Across two...

    Free
  • Natalie Merchant

    Natalie Merchant

    Amphitheater Amphitheater

    Natalie Merchant has earned recognition among America’s most respected recording artists, drawing audiences with her captivating performances and intentional songwriting over her 40-year career. Her music blends folk, rock and...

    $40
  • Owen Reyda

    Organ Recitals Owen Reyda

    Amphitheater Amphitheater

    Owen Reyda is an organ performance major at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, studying with Jonathan Moyer. At Oberlin, he has also studied piano with Yulia Fedoseeva, choral conducting with Gregory...

    free
  • CHQ Dialogues logo

    CHQ Dialogues

    Presbyterian House Presbyterian House
    free

  • Guided Kayak Historic Tour

    Sports Club, Waterfront

    Enjoy paddling while learning about historic sites along the shores of Chautauqua Institution during this hour-long guided kayak tour. The tour begins and ends at the Sports Club. The cost...

  • PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK

    Chautauqua Cinema Chautauqua Cinema

    Iranian director Sepideh Farsi offers an intimate, first-hand perspective on daily life under siege in Gaza, captured through video calls between herself and 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and poet, Fatma Hassona....

    $11 – $15

  • Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby

    Bratton Theater Bratton Theater

    WORLD PREMIERE By Sharyn Rothstein Directed by Oliver Butler Bratton Theater Best for Baby and its devilishly funny emcee takes audiences inside Johnson & Johnson’s decades-long and still evolving baby...

    $55 – $65
  • Natalie Wigg-Stevenson

    Natalie Wigg-Stevenson

    Hall of Philosophy Hall of Philosophy

    Natalie Wigg-Stevenson is a theologian, minister, author and associate professor of contextual education at Emmanuel College (Victoria University, University of Toronto). Natalie brings to her teaching a spirit of play...

    $20
  • A woman singing to a classroom of children

    Chautauqua Arts Education 101: Panel Discussion

    Smith Wilkes Hall Smith Wilkes Hall

    Chautauqua Arts Education programs serve thousands of students and hundreds of teachers each year in Chautauqua County, carrying out Chautauqua Institution's mission through empowering students to learn about their world...

  • WE ARE ALL PLASTIC PEOPLE NOW

    Chautauqua Cinema Chautauqua Cinema

    According to Ted Danson, "'We’re All Plastic People Now’ is alarming, but it shows us that change is possible and should spark the kind of real conversation necessary for us...

    Free Admission
  • People looking at artwork

    Party on the Art Quad

    CVA: Arts Quad

    The Friends of CVA and Chautauqaua Visual Arts will once again host our annual ticketed fundraising event in the heart of the CVA Arts Quad. The proceeds benefit CVA School...

  • FACKHAM HALL

    Chautauqua Cinema Chautauqua Cinema

    Directed by Jim O'Hanlon, this comedy spoof on Downton Abbey stars Katherine Waterston and Damian Lewis as Lady and Lord of the house."Deliciously silly, stupid and hilarious, and I guarantee...

    $11 – $15

  • Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby

    Bratton Theater Bratton Theater

    WORLD PREMIERE By Sharyn Rothstein Directed by Oliver Butler Bratton Theater Best for Baby and its devilishly funny emcee takes audiences inside Johnson & Johnson’s decades-long and still evolving baby...

    $55 – $65
  • Wuthering Heights

    Chautauqua School of Dance presents: “Wuthering Heights”

    Amphitheater Amphitheater

    Directed and Choreographed by Sasha Janes, Bonnefoux McBride Artistic Director of Chautauqua School of Dance On the wild, windswept moors of Yorkshire, this ballet adaptation of Wuthering Heights brings to...

    $55 – $65
  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Mateo Mortellarto, Tibetan Meditation

    Presbyterian House Presbyterian House

    Taking a general and non-sectarian approach to Buddhism, Mateo Mortellaro (Konchok Tsering Tengye) has years of experience leading meditation and teaching Buddhist philosophy. Mateo started his spiritual journey early in...

    free
  • Boats docked near the Miller Bell Tower

    Daily Word Meditation

    Hall of Missions Hall of Missions

    (Programmed by Unity of Chautauqua)

    free
  • Hurlbut Memorial Community United Methodist Church

    Catholic Mass

    Hurlbut Church sanctuary Hurlbut Church sanctuary
  • Zina Jacque

    Rev. Zina Jacque

    The Rev. Zina Jacque serves as President and Chair of the Board of National Senior Communities, overseeing the largest not-for-profit network of continuing-care retirement communities in the nation. Across two distinguished careers in higher education and ministry, she has worked to lift people, strengthen communities, and send good into the world. She continues to guide...

    free
  • Micah Hendler

    Micah Hendler

    Micah Hendler is the founder and artistic director of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC), an Israeli-Palestinian music and dialogue project he has brought from a dream to the global stages of TED and “America’s Got Talent” to The New York Times and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” JYC’s work and mission will frame Hendler’s...

    $40

  • CTC Theater Chats

    Theater Chats (formerly known as Brown Bags) On selected Thursdays at 12:15 p.m., bring lunch to Smith Wilkes Hall and join special guests, including actors, designers, playwrights and more, for a look at our upcoming productions and discussions on the craft of theater-making. Free and open to the public.

  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Mateo Mortellarto, Tibetan Meditation

    Taking a general and non-sectarian approach to Buddhism, Mateo Mortellaro (Konchok Tsering Tengye) has years of experience leading meditation and teaching Buddhist philosophy. Mateo started his spiritual journey early in life practicing Zen Buddhism, eventually shifting focus to the Tibetan tradition, primarily within the Drikung ,Kagyu and Sakya schools. Mateo’s main teacher is His Eminence...

    free
  • Micah Hendler

    Micah Hendler

    Micah Hendler is the founder and artistic director of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC), an Israeli-Palestinian music and dialogue project he has brought from a dream to the global stages of TED and “America’s Got Talent” to The New York Times and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” JYC’s work and mission will frame Hendler’s...

    $20

  • FACKHAM HALL

    Directed by Jim O'Hanlon, this comedy spoof on Downton Abbey stars Katherine Waterston and Damian Lewis as Lady and Lord of the house."Deliciously silly, stupid and hilarious, and I guarantee you’ll leave the cinema with a smile on your face." -Nikki Gemmell, The Australian "There are twists, turns and ridiculous faux pas in a congenially...

    $11 – $15

  • PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK

    Iranian director Sepideh Farsi offers an intimate, first-hand perspective on daily life under siege in Gaza, captured through video calls between herself and 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and poet, Fatma Hassona. Combining raw immediacy with deep humanity, we see the conflict through the eyes and unwaveringly optimistic presence of Fatma. "Simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, it is...

    $11 – $15

  • Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby

    WORLD PREMIERE By Sharyn Rothstein Directed by Oliver Butler Bratton Theater Best for Baby and its devilishly funny emcee takes audiences inside Johnson & Johnson’s decades-long and still evolving baby powder scandal. A Big American Play ripped straight from the headlines, this world premiere is equal parts showbiz spectacle and intimate human storytelling, brought to...

    $55 – $65

  • Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Sounds of Strauss

    Rossen Milanov, conductor The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra presents two of Richard Strauss’s most compelling tone poems. In Also sprach Zarathustra, Strauss explores themes of human striving and philosophical inquiry. Death and Transfiguration offers a contrasting perspective, portraying the final moments of an artist’s life and the transformation that follows. Together, these works showcase Strauss’s extraordinary...

    $55 – $65

  • FACKHAM HALL

    Directed by Jim O'Hanlon, this comedy spoof on Downton Abbey stars Katherine Waterston and Damian Lewis as Lady and Lord of the house."Deliciously silly, stupid and hilarious, and I guarantee you’ll leave the cinema with a smile on your face." -Nikki Gemmell, The Australian "There are twists, turns and ridiculous faux pas in a congenially...

    $11 – $15
  • Sally Love

    Sally Love & Friends: Sleep is the New Sex

    Usually in bed by 10, but willing to stay up and entertain us with her hilarious takes on sleep, sex and the indignities of our aging bodies, Sally Love and friends will perform their stand up routines alongside improv artists in a brand new and exciting collaboration. Ticket sales for this performance benefit Friends of...

    $25
  • Sunrise kayaking

    Sunrise Paddle – Kayak/SUP

    Enjoy the beauty of the lake during our sunrise paddle. This is not a guided tour but an opportunity to rent a kayak, SUP or canoe for an enjoyable hour at sunrise. Reservations accepted one day in advance at the Sports Club. Contact sportsclub@chq.org with questions.

  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Mateo Mortellarto, Tibetan Meditation

    Taking a general and non-sectarian approach to Buddhism, Mateo Mortellaro (Konchok Tsering Tengye) has years of experience leading meditation and teaching Buddhist philosophy. Mateo started his spiritual journey early in life practicing Zen Buddhism, eventually shifting focus to the Tibetan tradition, primarily within the Drikung ,Kagyu and Sakya schools. Mateo’s main teacher is His Eminence...

    free
  • People gathered for a meditation class

    Movement and Meditation with Monte Thompson

    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...

    free
  • Dave Eggers

    Dave Eggers

    Dave Eggers is the author of many books, among them Contrapposto, The Eyes and the Impossible, The Circle, The Monk of Mokha, Heroes of the Frontier, A Hologram for the King, and What Is the What. Contrapposto, released in June, is a moving and funny novel about allies and art, and what it means to...

    $40
  • Feeding Ghosts book cover and Tessa Hulls' headshot

    Tessa Hulls

    Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle — Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir by Tessa Hulls An astonishing, deeply moving graphic memoir about three generations of Chinese women, exploring love, grief, exile, and identity. In her acclaimed graphic memoir debut, Tessa Hulls traces the reverberations of Chinese history across three generations of women in her family. Tessa’s...

    $20

  • DESCENT: INTO THE BLUE

    A powerful documentary narrated by Peter Coyote, showcasing the best of the human spirit - the fight to save our ocean's ecosystem and critically endangered coral reefs. Post film discussion led by Rory and Courtney Fielding with a panel of experts featured in the film joining by Zoom: Film participants Mike Goldberg, Eric Wehemeyer, John...

    Free Admission

  • Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby

    WORLD PREMIERE By Sharyn Rothstein Directed by Oliver Butler Bratton Theater Best for Baby and its devilishly funny emcee takes audiences inside Johnson & Johnson’s decades-long and still evolving baby powder scandal. A Big American Play ripped straight from the headlines, this world premiere is equal parts showbiz spectacle and intimate human storytelling, brought to...

    $55 – $65
  • Amy Grant

    An Evening with Amy Grant

    Amy Grant's career spans more than 40 years and stretches from her roots in gospel into becoming an iconic pop star, songwriter, television personality and philanthropist. With three multi-platinum albums, six platinum albums and four gold albums, her total career album sales have exceeded 30 million and over 1 billion global streams. Grant’s chart success...

    $55 – $115

  • Carol McKiernan

    CHQ Mystic Heart: Centering Prayer with Carol McKiernan

    Carol McKiernan grew up at Chautauqua and says that her love of mystical practices began here on the grounds. She was formally introduced to meditation many years ago at an off-season yoga and meditation retreat led by Subagh Singh Khalsa and has been practicing Centering Prayer daily ever since. She has attended many seminars, workshops, and retreats...

    free
  • Runners crossing the finish line during the Old First Night Run/Walk

    Old First Night Race and Kids Races

    The Sports Club is hosting the popular 50th Annual Old First Night Run/Walk Race and Kids Fun Runs. The OFN 2.75 mile chip-timed race follows the perimeter of Chautauqua's beautiful grounds. This year we will also host two kids races - a 1 mile non-chip timed race and little kids short fun run. Kids hats...

    Gate passes will be provided morning of the event

  • Food Donation Drop Off Outside Turner Community Center

    Every Saturday during season the Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative and Chautauqua Property Owners Association are collecting unopened non-perishable food items for donation to local food pantries. Outside front entrance of Turner Community Center. Help reduce waste and feed our neighbors in need.

  • Chautauqua Theater Company Presents FutureNow New Play Lab 1: The Bone Wars

    Paleontologists O.C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope race against each other to uncover the secrets of the prehistoric world. Between them, they discover and named 136 new species of dinosaurs, including Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Coelophysis, and Allosaurus. Their rivalry also led to their professional and personal ruin. The Bone Wars brings to life the explosive true...

    $35

  • Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby

    WORLD PREMIERE By Sharyn Rothstein Directed by Oliver Butler Bratton Theater Best for Baby and its devilishly funny emcee takes audiences inside Johnson & Johnson’s decades-long and still evolving baby powder scandal. A Big American Play ripped straight from the headlines, this world premiere is equal parts showbiz spectacle and intimate human storytelling, brought to...

    $55 – $65
  • Dolly Parton's Threads

    Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra

    Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony features Dolly’s songs and the stories behind them in an innovative multimedia symphonic experience featuring Dolly on screen, leading audiences in a visual-musical journey of her songs, her life, and her stories. Guest vocalists and musicians bring new and innovative orchestrations of Dolly’s hit songs together into a...

    $55 – $95
  • Anna Carter Florence

    Rev. Anna Carter Florence

    The Rev. Anna Carter Florence is the Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. She is also currently serving as Co-Director of the Columbia Preachers Studio for Renewal, a Lilly-funded Compelling Preaching grant. Before joining the Columbia faculty in 1998, Florence served...

    Free Sunday Event
  • Art in the Park

    Art in the Park

    Hosted by the Friends of CVA, Art in the Park is an open art fair with 70+ vendors held in Miller Park, showcasing art by members of the Chautauqua community, artists-in-residence from the School of Art, and artisans from the region around Chautauqua Institution. Items for sale include ceramics, paintings, prints, Chautauqua-themed trinkets, pieces made...

  • Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby

    WORLD PREMIERE By Sharyn Rothstein Directed by Oliver Butler Bratton Theater Best for Baby and its devilishly funny emcee takes audiences inside Johnson & Johnson’s decades-long and still evolving baby powder scandal. A Big American Play ripped straight from the headlines, this world premiere is equal parts showbiz spectacle and intimate human storytelling, brought to...

    $65

  • 6-Week Residency Open Studios

    Join us at the Arts Quad where visitors are invited to step inside our 6-week resident artists' studios, learn more about their processes, and engage with the residents before gathering for a reception celebrating the exhibition next door at the School of Art Gallery. This event provides a glimpse into the ideas, experiments, and conversations...

  • Natalie Merchant

    Cabinet of Wonder Live! A Free Family Concert with Natalie Merchant & The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra

    Stuart Chafetz, Conductor Natalie Merchant, Composer and Vocals American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and activist Natalie Merchant will be in residence at Chautauqua Institution this summer (July 25-August 2, 2026) for Week Five’s programmatic theme, “Art & Artists Against the Odds.” Merchant will give a matinee family-friendly concert performance with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, under the...

    Free Sunday Event (Ticket Required)

  • 6-Week Residency Exhibition Opening

    We are excited to announce the culmination of the Chautauqua School of Art's 6-Week Residency Program with an opening reception, following our open studios event. Over the course of six weeks, resident artists have immersed themselves in focused studio practice, meaningful dialogue, and creative exploration. This special evening offers an opportunity to experience the work...

  • John Hoppenthaler and Roy Hoffman

    John Hoppenthaler and Roy Hoffman

    Chautauqua Writers' Center Faculty Reading — Featuring John Hoppenthaler (Poetry) and Roy Hoffman (Prose) John Hoppenthaler’s books of poetry are Night Wing Over Metropolitan Area, Domestic Garden, Anticipate the Coming Reservoir, and Lives of Water, all with Carnegie Mellon UP. He has co-edited a volume of essays on the poetry of Jean Valentine, This-World Company...

  • Kriss Miller's headshot

    CHQ Mystic Heart -Church of the Wild -Family Friendly

    Kriss Young Miller and her husband Gary manage the Quaker House. Kriss is a 2022 graduate of Earlham School of Religion with her Master of Arts in Peace and Social Transformation. Kriss is currently a student of Victoria Loorz in the Seminary of the Wild Earth at the Center for Wild Spirituality. She has completed...

    Free Sunday Event

  • New Visitors Orientation

    Join us for lemonade and cookies at the Orientation for new Chautauquans, where we warmly welcome you to our vibrant community. This event is designed to introduce you to the rich history, diverse programs, and unique experiences that Chautauqua offers. Meet fellow newcomers, engage with staff, and learn about the array of cultural, educational, and...

  • View of 3 Taps and the Bell Tower

    Newcomers Reception

    Join us for the Newcomers Reception, a welcoming gathering open to all first-time and new visitors to Chautauqua Institution. This lovely event is a chance to meet fellow newcomers, connect with members of the community, and learn more about all that Chautauqua has to offer. Guests will enjoy light refreshments while taking in the beautiful lake...

  • Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby

    WORLD PREMIERE By Sharyn Rothstein Directed by Oliver Butler Bratton Theater Best for Baby and its devilishly funny emcee takes audiences inside Johnson & Johnson’s decades-long and still evolving baby powder scandal. A Big American Play ripped straight from the headlines, this world premiere is equal parts showbiz spectacle and intimate human storytelling, brought to...

    $65
  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Dhara Kowal, Zen Buddhism Meditation Practice

    Sensei Dhara Kowal- Kowal is Dharma Successor to Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede, who sanctioned her as a Zen teacher in 2022 and gave her Dharma Transmission in 2025. As a resident teacher and priest (ordained in 2023), she serves as Co-Director of the Rochester Zen Center, in partnership with Sensei John Pulleyn. In the preceding years,...

    free
  • People gathered for a meditation class

    Movement and Meditation with Monte Thompson

    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...

    free
  • Anna Carter Florence

    Rev. Anna Carter Florence

    The Rev. Anna Carter Florence is the Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. She is also currently serving as Co-Director of the Columbia Preachers Studio for Renewal, a Lilly-funded Compelling Preaching grant. Before joining the Columbia faculty in 1998, Florence served...

    Free
  • Ken Burns and Jeffrey Rosen

    Ken Burns and Jeffrey Rosen

    Celebrating the United States semiquincentennial, Chautauqua presents Week Six, “America at 250: In Partnership with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.” The milestone anniversary offers an opportunity to survey the previous quarter millennium – how a collection of British colonies became the world’s pre-eminent constitutional democracy, with major successes, failures and continued struggles along the way –...

    $45

  • Guided Kayak Eco Tour

    Enjoy paddling while learning about ecological info along the shores of Chautauqua Institution 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 $12 per person for the tour guide. Limited spots so please reserve one day before the...

  • Conversation with Kyle, Interim CEO

    Join us for “Conversations with Kyle”, an open, drop in conversation for members of the entire community. These informal gatherings offer the opportunity to ask questions and engage directly with Interim President Kyle Keogh. All are welcome.

  • Rosemarie Zagarri

    Rosemarie Zagarri

    Rosemarie Zagarri is Distinguished University Professor and professor of history at George Mason University. A specialist in Early American political and women’s history, she is the author of a numerous articles and several books, including The Politics of Size: Representation in the United States, 1776-1850, A Woman’s Dilemma: Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution,...

    $20
  • Ken Burns

    Masters Series Masterclass: A Conversation with Ken Burns

    Join Ken Burns for an in-depth conversation about his latest work, "The American Revolution." A filmmaker for almost 50 years, Burns will expand upon his morning lecture on the Amphitheater stage. An opportunity for Q & A, patrons can ask about Burns' awards, career, research and future plans.

    $49
  • Ruckus

    Chautauqua Chamber Music: Ruckus with Keir GoGwilt, violin

    Experience the electrifying energy of Ruckus, a boundary-pushing baroque ensemble redefining early music performance. With virtuosic flair and a fresh, improvisatory spirit, Ruckus brings 17th- and 18th-century works vividly to life. Their performances blend historical authenticity with modern vitality, creating concerts that feel both timeless and daringly new. Don’t miss this exuberant celebration of baroque...

  • CHQ Travels Reception

    Join Chautauqua Travels for an hour of wine and conversation at 5 p.m. this evening on the porch of the Athenaeum Hotel. This informal travel information session offers an opportunity to learn about upcoming Chautauqua Travels experiences, including journeys to Singapore, South Africa and Santa Fe, while hearing directly from travel experts about each destination....

  • The School of Dance and MSFO performing together in the Amphitheater

    Chautauqua School of Dance with the Music School Festival Orchestra

    Chautauqua School of Dance presents an outstanding mixed repertoire evening of new and established works, masterfully performed by the Music Student Festival Orchestra. This performance will feature the most exceptional young talent in the country. Under the leadership of Sasha Janes, the school continues its long tradition of excellence as a top-tier summer training program...

    $35
  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Dhara Kowal, Zen Buddhism Meditation Practice

    Sensei Dhara Kowal- Kowal is Dharma Successor to Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede, who sanctioned her as a Zen teacher in 2022 and gave her Dharma Transmission in 2025. As a resident teacher and priest (ordained in 2023), she serves as Co-Director of the Rochester Zen Center, in partnership with Sensei John Pulleyn. In the preceding years,...

    free
  • Anna Carter Florence

    Rev. Anna Carter Florence

    The Rev. Anna Carter Florence is the Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. She is also currently serving as Co-Director of the Columbia Preachers Studio for Renewal, a Lilly-funded Compelling Preaching grant. Before joining the Columbia faculty in 1998, Florence served...

    Free
  • Judi Greenwald

    Judi Greewald, CEO of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance

    Chautauqua Science Group Weekly Lecture Judi Greenwald is the President and CEO of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance. Ms. Greenwald has over 35 years of energy and environmental policy leadership experience in the public and nonprofit sectors, including the U.S. Congress, the White House, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,...

  • Ken Burns and Jeffrey Rosen

    Ken Burns and Jeffrey Rosen

    Celebrating the United States semiquincentennial, Chautauqua presents Week Six, “America at 250: In Partnership with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.” The milestone anniversary offers an opportunity to survey the previous quarter millennium – how a collection of British colonies became the world’s pre-eminent constitutional democracy, with major successes, failures and continued struggles along the way –...

    $45
  • Smith Wilkes Hall

    Sigrid Jakob: “Fruiting Bodies and Big Ideas: a Citizen Science Adventure”

    Bird, Tree & Garden Club lunchtime lecture series Sigrid Jakob is a freelance marketing strategist during the day and mycophile in her spare time. She’s an avid member and president of the New York Mycological Society, a mushroom club that goes out and observes fungi in New York City’s parks 52 weeks a year. She...

  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Dhara Kowal, Zen Buddhism Meditation Practice

    Sensei Dhara Kowal- Kowal is Dharma Successor to Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede, who sanctioned her as a Zen teacher in 2022 and gave her Dharma Transmission in 2025. As a resident teacher and priest (ordained in 2023), she serves as Co-Director of the Rochester Zen Center, in partnership with Sensei John Pulleyn. In the preceding years,...

    free
  • Manisha Sinha

    Manisha Sinha

    Manisha Sinha is the Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut and immediate Past President of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic. She received her Ph.D from Columbia University where her dissertation was nominated for the Bancroft Prize. She was nominated to the OAH Distinguished Lecture Series in 2003....

    $20

  • “Time and Water” film and filmmaker talk

    A National Geographic documentary film inspired by Andri Snær Magnason’s 2019 non-fiction On Time and Water, directed by Sara Dosa, premiered at the Sundance Festival on 27th January 2026. Facing the death of his country’s glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time capsule...

  • Children's School on the Amphitheater stage for Old First Night

    Old First Night

    Old First Night is Chautauqua’s birthday party, and all are invited! In the early years of Chautauqua, the season's first night was not in late June but early August. Therefore, Old First Night (OFN) is a celebration of the original first night of the season at Chautauqua. This event begins with music from Thursday Morning...

  • Puppy Pals Live

    Puppy Pals Live – The Action-Packed Comedic Stunt Dog Show

    As Seen on America's Got Talent, Puppy Pals Live is a family fun action-packed show where adopted and rescued dogs perform spectacular stunts and breathtaking feats. Watch as Puppy Pals Live leads the puppies and audience through challenging and comical tricks as the pooches show everyone who is really boss! Full of canine stunts and...

    $15
  • Sunrise kayaking

    Sunrise Paddle – Kayak/SUP

    Enjoy the beauty of the lake during our sunrise paddle. This is not a guided tour but an opportunity to rent a kayak, SUP or canoe for an enjoyable hour at sunrise. Reservations accepted one day in advance at the Sports Club. Contact sportsclub@chq.org with questions.

  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Dhara Kowal, Zen Buddhism Meditation Practice

    Sensei Dhara Kowal- Kowal is Dharma Successor to Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede, who sanctioned her as a Zen teacher in 2022 and gave her Dharma Transmission in 2025. As a resident teacher and priest (ordained in 2023), she serves as Co-Director of the Rochester Zen Center, in partnership with Sensei John Pulleyn. In the preceding years,...

    free
  • People gathered for a meditation class

    Movement and Meditation with Monte Thompson

    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...

    free
  • Anna Carter Florence

    Rev. Anna Carter Florence

    The Rev. Anna Carter Florence is the Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. She is also currently serving as Co-Director of the Columbia Preachers Studio for Renewal, a Lilly-funded Compelling Preaching grant. Before joining the Columbia faculty in 1998, Florence served...

    Free
  • David Blight and Tiya Miles

    David W. Blight and Tiya Miles

    Continuing Chautauqua’s weeklong commemoration of “America at 250,” two of the country’s pre-eminent historians present a mainstage conversation about the moral foundations of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and how they have been interpreted and reinterpreted throughout American history. David W. Blight is Sterling Professor of History and Director of the Gilder Lehrman...

    $40

  • Guided Kayak Historic Tour

    Enjoy paddling while learning about historic sites along the shores of Chautauqua Institution 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 $12 per person for the tour guide. Limited spots so please reserve one day before the...

  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Therapeutic Gong Meditation with Kim Hehr

    Kim Hehr is a lifelong Chautauquan and a certified level 2 teacher of Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. She has been a yoga and meditation practitioner for 30 years and has been teaching Kundalini Yoga and Meditation for 25 years. A retired hospice nurse, she is presently the coordinator of the CHQ Mystic Heart Meditation Program. Kim...

    free
  • Susan Lichtman

    CVA Lecture Series: Susan Lichtman, School of Art Faculty

    The Chautauqua School of Art proudly welcomes Susan Lichtman as a member of our 2026 visiting faculty. Susan Lichtman will participate in the School’s Summer Lecture Series, sharing insights and practices with our artistic community. Susan Lichtman is a figurative painter of domestic spaces, working out of her home studio in southeastern Massachusetts. She graduated...

  • Alonzo King LINES Ballet performing in yellow and orange outfits

    Alonzo King LINES Ballet

    Alonzo King LINES Ballet is a celebrated contemporary ballet company that has been guided since 1982 by the unique artistic vision of award-winning choreographer Alonzo King. Since 1982, LINES Ballet has collaborated with noted composers, musicians and visual artists from around the world to create performances that alter the way we look at ballet today....

    $55 – $65
  • Sarah James

    The Sarah James Trio

    Chautauqua’s own award-winning singer-songwriter and recording artist Sarah James from Scottsdale, AZ, brings her trio to our late-night series at the Roe Green Theater. From Pittsburgh, PA, accompanying Sarah will be notable guitarist and musical artist Doug Edgell and Aaron Majiros on bass and keys. Sarah James has been a staple at 3Taps here at...

    $25
  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Dhara Kowal, Zen Buddhism Meditation Practice

    Sensei Dhara Kowal- Kowal is Dharma Successor to Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede, who sanctioned her as a Zen teacher in 2022 and gave her Dharma Transmission in 2025. As a resident teacher and priest (ordained in 2023), she serves as Co-Director of the Rochester Zen Center, in partnership with Sensei John Pulleyn. In the preceding years,...

    free
  • Anna Carter Florence

    Rev. Anna Carter Florence

    The Rev. Anna Carter Florence is the Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. She is also currently serving as Co-Director of the Columbia Preachers Studio for Renewal, a Lilly-funded Compelling Preaching grant. Before joining the Columbia faculty in 1998, Florence served...

    Free
  • Melody Barnes

    Melody Barnes

    Melody Barnes is the founding executive director of the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, where she leads the Institute on an action-oriented path to realizing the promise of democracy in both principle and practice. She joins Chautauqua’s weeklong exploration of “America at 250” with remarks reflecting on the foundations of democracy and justice,...

    $40

  • CTC Theater Chats

    Theater Chats (formerly known as Brown Bags) On selected Thursdays at 12:15 p.m., bring lunch to Smith Wilkes Hall and join special guests, including actors, designers, playwrights and more, for a look at our upcoming productions and discussions on the craft of theater-making. Free and open to the public.

  • People gathered for a meditation class

    CHQ Mystic Heart – Dhara Kowal, Zen Buddhism Meditation Practice

    Sensei Dhara Kowal- Kowal is Dharma Successor to Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede, who sanctioned her as a Zen teacher in 2022 and gave her Dharma Transmission in 2025. As a resident teacher and priest (ordained in 2023), she serves as Co-Director of the Rochester Zen Center, in partnership with Sensei John Pulleyn. In the preceding years,...

    free

  • David Waldstreicher

    David Waldstreicher is a distinguished historian of early America and the nineteenth-century United States whose scholarship focuses on political and cultural history, slavery and antislavery, and the American Revolution. He is Distinguished Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Waldstreicher is the author of several award-winning books, including...

    $20
  • An opera singer and conductor during a performance

    Chautauqua Opera Company Workshop: Anne of Green Gables and A Prayer for Owen Meany

    Chautauqua Opera Company will host the first workshops of two new works by GRAMMY Award nominated composer Luna Pearl Woolf. Toronto’s Against the Grain Theatre has commissioned a new adaptation of Anne of Green Gables by Woolf and librettist Royce Vavrek (Lincoln in the Bardo). Pacific Opera Victoria and Opéra Magnolia have commissioned the first operatic...

    $20
  • Kids at the Color Sprint

    Beach-to-Beach Color Sprint

    Ages 6+ are invited to run the color sprint. $13 fee includes white t-shirt. Powdered paint tossed at participants as they run from the children's beach to Heinz beach.Great photo opp at the end! Questions? contact sportsclub@chq.org

  • Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra with Aubree Oliverson, violin

    Rossen Milanov, conductor Aubree Oliverson, violin Experience an evening of myth, melody, and modernity with The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and guest violinist Aubree Oliverson. Missy Mazzoli’s Orpheus Undone reimagines the ancient myth with driving energy and striking orchestral color. Dvořák’s beloved Violin Concerto brings lyrical warmth and Romantic sweep to the spotlight, showcasing Oliverson’s expressive...

    $55 – $65