Chautauqua Institution

BTG: Lunch Lecture Series
2026-08-18 12:30, 2026-08-25 12:30 (America/New_York) | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall

The Rev. Natalie Hanson
2026-08-19 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Rev. Natalie Hanson has been a longtime presence at Chautauqua; with her husband, the Rev. James Paul Womack, pastor of Hurlbut Memorial Community United Methodist Church, she has co-hosted the United Methodist Missionary Vacation Home at Chautauqua for several years. Hanson has also served Chautauqua as interim senior pastor in 2022, crafting, planning and evaluating worship services alongside members of the Department of Religion.
She is a clergy member of the United Methodist Church, now retired after 40 years of ministry. Much of that ministry was focused in urban parishes, with eight years serving as a District Superintendent in the Western, then Upper New York Annual Conference. On behalf of the Conference and as an adjunct for Wesley Seminary’s Course of Study, Hanson for several years taught classes on preaching and worship development. She was also Co-Convener and worship developer for the NE Jurisdiction’s Clergywomen’s Convocation. Hanson was educated at Wesleyan University and the Harvard Divinity School.

Brian Frank
2026-08-19 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Brian Frank is the founder and general partner of FTW Ventures, bringing decades of experience in building transformative technology that impacts the way people work, play and live. In 2015, Frank turned his attention to how technology can improve the lives of every person on the planet by building a better food system. He raised two early-stage funds for investments into food and agriculture technology businesses with FTW, partnering with the leading executives and corporations in the field.
Now at FTW, Frank continues to build a more sustainable, resilient, productive and profitable food system through leveraging advanced science and technology in the $10 trillion food and agriculture sectors. He cultivates urgent, essential technology that reshapes the global food and agriculture industries. To support the company’s three core values — preserving and amplifying nature’s offerings, modernizing science, and nurturing humankind — Frank and his team support the innovators who think beyond the box and have a unique perspective on improving the food system.
Prior to founding FTW, Frank led the creation of industry-defining products in mobile communication, social media and AI at numerous startups and Fortune 500 Companies over his 25-year career. As an entrepreneur, he directed three venture-backed businesses to successful exits, returning more than $100 million in capital to investors. Frank is a graduate of Cornell University with dual degrees in computer science as well as science and technology studies with a concentration in human-computer interaction (HCI).

The Rev. Natalie Hanson
2026-08-20 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Silkroad Ensemble featuring Rhiannon Giddens
2026-08-22 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Silkroad Ensemble featuring Rhiannon Giddens brings an electrifying fusion of global traditions and contemporary expression to the stage. This acclaimed collective of artists creates a vibrant tapestry of sound that celebrates cultural exchange and musical curiosity. Giddens’ compelling voice and storytelling artistry add emotional depth and urgency to the performance. Audiences will be swept into an unforgettable evening of boundary-crossing music that resonates long after the final note.

Fr. Gregory Boyle, S.J.
2026-08-23 10:45, 2026-08-24 09:15, 2026-08-25 09:15, 2026-08-26 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., is a Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries. Based in Los Angeles, the organization is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world.
From 1986 to 1992 Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles, and the one with the highest concentration of gang activity. In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, Boyle and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings.
In 1988 they began what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, and provides critical services to thousands of people who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.
Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times bestseller, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, as well as Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship, and The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness. Most recently, he authored Forgive Everyone Everything, an anthology of writings accompanied by Fabian Debora’s artwork.
Recently, Boyle was a recipient of the 2025 Civic Renewal Award from the Center for Christianity and Public Life. In 2024, Boyle received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joseph Biden. Homeboy Industries was awarded the 2020 Hilton Humanitarian Prize, and Boyle was the recipient of University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics. In 2014, President Barack Obama named him a Champion of Change. Boyle has also received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

Week Nine: Reimagined Food Festival
2026-08-23 12:00 - 2026-08-28 20:00
Savor a week of elevated culinary experiences with our reimagined Food Festival. With only 80 packages per week, enjoy intimate moments across the grounds, from two Masters Series classes and five Bestor Plaza demos to a lively Weekly Feast of Friends. Your package also includes a Premium Chef’s Dinner, family‑friendly Feast on Film, a Craft Beverage Tasting and the flavor‑packed Taste Caravan featuring five lunches and two dinners. Cap your experience off with the high‑energy Battle of the Bites and the celebratory Taste of Chautauqua.
Package includes:
2 Master Series Classes
Sunday Feast with Friends Ticket
1 Premium Chef’s Dinner
Feast on Film Event
1 Premium Craft Beverage Tasting Event
Experience Taste Caravan
Battle of the Bites Tasting Event
Taste of Chautauqua
Plus, a limited merch package, $50 in food truck tickets for the taste caravan and a popcorn and soda for Feast on Film.
Package price: $475
Only 80 packages are available each week. Purchase by calling 716-357-6250.
*Packages available for week’s eight & nine. Packages do not provide standalone access to Chautauqua’s grounds and must be purchased in addition to your gate passes.

Priya Parker
2026-08-24 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Priya Parker opens Week Nine of the 2026 Chautauqua Lecture Series and the theme of “The Importance of Gathering” by helping us take a deeper look at how anyone can create collective meaning in modern life, one gathering at a time. She is a facilitator, strategic adviser, acclaimed author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters, and the host of The Art of Gathering Digital Course. She writes and teaches on Group Life, her Substack publication aimed to make “group help” as normal as “self help.”
Drawing from her diverse training in conflict resolution, business management, public policy and community-building, her talks dive into the anatomy of gathering with purpose. Whether she is talking about gathering as a 21st-century leadership skill, fostering belonging among remote teams, the art of hosting meetings everyone wants to attend, or connecting people across identities, backgrounds and hierarchies, Parker gives her audiences the skills they need to succeed.
Parker has helped numerous clients develop better in-person and virtual gatherings, including tech and Fortune 500 companies, leading non-profits, education groups and government agencies, among others.
Parker has spoken on the TED Main Stage and her sessions have been viewed over 3 million times. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters was named a Best Business Book of the Year by Amazon, Esquire Magazine, NPR, the Financial Times, 1-800-CEO-READS and Bloomberg. In 2023, The Wall Street Journal tapped Parker as their work expert for their “Future of Everything” series. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Oprah.com, Real Simple Magazine, Glamour, “The Today Show” and “Morning Joe,” among others.

Fr. Gregory Boyle, S.J.
2026-08-27 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

The Australian Pink Floyd Show
2026-08-28 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Selling over 4 million tickets worldwide and described by The Times as “The Gold Standard” and The Daily Mirror as “The Kings of the Genre,” The Australian Pink Floyd Show gave its first-ever concert in Adelaide, Australia in 1988. Since then, they have performed in over 35 countries worldwide; played at David Gilmour’s 50th birthday celebration and were even joined on stage by David Gilmour and Rick Wright. TAPFS is the leading show of its kind in the world.
Performing the music of Pink Floyd with note-for-note perfection, this critically acclaimed show has been astonishing audiences worldwide for more than three decades. Always striving to reproduce the complete Pink Floyd experience and bring the music to new audiences, the show continues to include a stunning light and laser show, video animations, state-of-the-art high-resolution LED screen technology, and other special effects.
In addition, and in true Pink Floyd fashion, there are several huge inflatables including a giant pig and their own unique Pink Kangaroo. They have worked with Pink Floyd touring musicians like Guy Pratt and Durga McBroom. Lorelei McBroom, who was a member of the Pink Floyd touring band on both the Momentary Lapse of Reason and Delicate Sound of Thunder tours, has been a member of TAPFS for over 15 years.
Often described as being much more than a tribute band, The Australian Pink Floyd Show is the first Pink Floyd tribute show that took the concept into the worldwide arena circuit. The band has played to sell-out audiences throughout Europe, the UK, America, Canada, and South America.
With over 35 years of history, the world’s biggest, best, and greatest Pink Floyd tribute show continues to delight its global fan base. From its humble origins in the bars and clubs of Adelaide, in recent years the band has become a truly international affair, with members from Australia, the UK, France, and the USA.

The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
2026-08-30 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton is the senior pastor of Chautauqua Institution. Formerly the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland and Canon Pastor of Washington National Cathedral, where he directed the Cathedral’s Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage, Sutton has also served as a college chaplain, parish priest, and professor of homiletics and liturgy at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Sutton is a frequent leader of retreats focused on spirituality, nonviolence, and social justice, including multiple missions to South Africa. He co-founded Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington, an ecumenical network of churches and individuals committed to centering prayer and renewing the contemplative gospel for daily living.
Sutton is a prolific writer, and has contributed to multiple books, including The Diversity of Centering Prayer and Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace: Challenging the Epidemic of Gun Violence. Bishop Sutton has been named by the Center for American Progress as one of “Fourteen Faith Leaders to Watch” for his faith-led efforts to promote nonviolent solutions to conflicts.
Sutton is a prolific writer, and has contributed to multiple books, including The Diversity of Centering Prayer and Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace: Challenging the Epidemic of Gun Violence. Bishop Sutton has been named by the Center for American Progress as one of “Fourteen Faith Leaders to Watch” for his faith-led efforts to promote nonviolent solutions to conflicts.
