Chautauqua Institution

CLSC Young Readers Book Discussion
2025-08-20 12:15 (America/New_York) | Alumni Hall Porch, Alumni Hall Porch
Presenters Amber Sipior and Margaret Edwards will lead a community discussion on our Week Nine CLSC Young Readers selection Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell

CHQ Dialogues
2025-08-20 12:30 | Presbyterian House, Presbyterian House

CHQ Dialogue
2025-08-20 12:30 | Catholic House, Catholic House

Becca Stevens
2025-08-20 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Becca Stevens is a nonprofit leader, entrepreneur, priest, survivor, and founder and President of Thistle Farms. She has founded 12 nonprofits and justice enterprises, mentored another 70, and has raised over $75 million to support them. Becca has authored 12 books and sold over 300,000 copies. She has served as chaplain at St. Augustine’s Chapel on Vanderbilt’s campus for almost 30 years. Becca has been featured on PBS NewsHour, The Today Show, CNN, ABC World News, named a CNN Hero, and White House Champion of Change, and holds seven honorary doctorates. Drawn from 25 years of leadership in mission-driven work, Becca leads important conversations across the country with an inspiring message that love is the strongest force for change in the world.
Stevens founded Thistle Farms in 1997 with a single home for survivors of trafficking and addiction. Over twenty-five years later, it is a global movement for women’s freedom and a 13-million-dollar organization. Today the Nashville flagship includes a residential program that serves as a national model for women’s recovery, and three justice social enterprises that provide jobs to survivors. Stevens developed the Thistle National Network to provide tools, workshops, and conferences to support young organizations wanting to follow its holistic recovery model. There are now 92 organizations, providing over 500 beds to survivors, in its network. She also created Thistle Farms Global Shared Trade which supports 1,400 artisan survivors through 39 partners in 21 countries.
Additional enterprises Stevens has helped establish include the Center for Contemplative Justice and Larkspur Conservation in the U.S.; Escuela Ann Stevens and Sibimbe, Ecuador; Moringa Madres, Mexico; Forging Love, Israel; Love Welcomes, UK, and Love Rises, Ukraine, among others.
Stevens has been featured on PBS NewsHour, The Today Show, GMA, CNN, ABC World News and in The New York Times. Her many awards include CNN Hero, White House Champion of Change, Humanitarian of the Year by the Small Business Council of America, Tennessee Human Rights Outstanding Service Award, and induction into The Entrepreneur Center’s Hall of Fame, and Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame. Becca attended the University of the South and Vanderbilt Divinity School, receiving alumnae distinction awards from both. Stevens has also been conferred seven honorary doctorates.
Stevens speaks to a broad range of non-profit, religious, and business audiences—often in bare feet to show solidarity with those she serves. Drawn from 25 years of leadership in mission-driven work, the courageous stories of women survivors, and wisdom from nature and healing traditions, Stevens inspires and motivates audiences everywhere with practical and loving steps to inspire change in individuals and communities. Her latest book, “Practically Divine,” is available on Harper Horizon.

African American Heritage House Lecture: Sheffield Hale
2025-08-20 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
As president and CEO of the Atlanta History Center, Sheffield Hale maintains the 175,000-square-foot museum with dedication and enthusiasm to preserve and explore Atlanta’s history. Under Hale’s leadership the center has led the Confederate Monument Initiative, and Hale has served as co-chair of the Advisory Committee on City of Atlanta Street Names and Monuments Associated with the Confederacy.
Prior to joining the Atlanta History Center in 2012, Hale served as chief counsel of the American Cancer Society and was a partner practicing corporate law in the firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. He is chair of the advisory board of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, an ex-officio member of the board of the Old Salem Museums and Gardens, and a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for the Study of the American South. He is a past chair of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and the Atlanta History Center.
In 2021, Hale received the Georgia Governor’s Award for Arts & Humanities. He received his Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Georgia and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Microplastics: Solutions to Save Our Seas
2025-08-20 15:30 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
Microplastics: Solutions to Save Our Seas
Rachael Zoe Miller is the Founder of Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean and it is for her grandmother that the project is named. She is an expedition scientist, inventor, National Geographic Explorer, Explorers Club Fellow and co-inventor of the Cora Ball, the world’s first microfiber-catching laundry ball. Rachael leads teams on expeditions whose scientific results are published in peer-reviewed journals and education programs that inspire thousands of people of all ages.

CHQ Dialogues
2025-08-20 15:30 | Catholic House, Catholic House

FAMILIAR TOUCH
2025-08-20 15:30, 2025-08-20 18:00, 2025-08-21 18:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Writer-director Sarah Friedland’s coming-of-old-age feature compassionately follows the winding path of octogenarian Ruth’s (Kathleen Chalfant) shifting memories and desires while remaining rooted in her sage perspective. “Ruth is merely, momentously human: an older woman in need, but no less expressive of life’s fullness because of it. It’s a portrayal to remember, for as long as any of us can.” -Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times “A gorgeous drama with an open, aching heart.” -Jourdain Searles, RogerEbert.com (NR, 91m)

Chautauqua Theater Company presents the world premiere of The Witnesses (formerly titled Tell Me You’re Dying)
2025-08-20 16:00, 2025-08-21 19:30, 2025-08-22 19:30 | Bratton Theater, Bratton Theater
By C.A. Johnson
Directed by Jade King Carroll
The Witnesses compels us to question not only if we can change but if we have time to do so while the world appears to be ending.
Infused with C.A. Johnson’s brutal honesty, exacting humor, and heartfelt exploration of human relationships, the story pulses with urgency, vulnerability and unexpected warmth.
While an apocalyptic plague rages, five individuals unite in their weekly support group to forge a sanctuary of care and companionship. Centering on the darkly funny and wildly magnetic Millicent and her chosen family of misfits, this play explores the undeniable physical urge for human connection.
This production is recommended for audiences ages 13 and older.
This performance offers:
Pick Your Price (PYP)
CTC’s PYP program ensures theater remains accessible to all by allowing patrons to choose ticket prices based on their budget. This flexible pricing model fosters inclusivity and encourages greater community participation.
Live Audio Descriptions (LAD)
LAD provides narrated descriptions of key visual elements during pauses in dialogue, enhancing accessibility for blind and visually impaired audiences. This complimentary service also benefits neurodiverse patrons and those with attention or processing challenges.

Play CHQ: STEM by the Water
2025-08-20 16:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park
Play CHQ invites families to discover, create, and play together all season long! Enjoy a variety of engaging activities including games, crafts, STEM experiments, and more at pop-up locations throughout the Chautauqua grounds.
In case of inclement weather, all Play CHQ events will be relocated to Sheldon Hall of Education, Room 202.

CHQ Mystic Heart: Therapeutic Gong Meditation with Kim Hehr
2025-08-20 16:45 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary
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 specializes in healing addictive patterns through yogic technology. Passionate about teaching meditation, performing Gong Baths, and pranayama (breath work), her objective is to help others with their anxiety and everyday stress. Her goal is to facilitate bringing more peace and self-acceptance into people’s lives.

Microfibers in a whole new light: See what you're breathing and how to protect yourself. Workshop by Rachael Miller
2025-08-20 17:00 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
You are invited to investigate your own clothing at this workshop! Please bring a garment you think is high-shed and one you think is low shed (dark colors work best) as well as any you’d like to see up close (through a microscope). This is not a requirement to attend, but a fun way to get to know your own wardrobe!

CHQ Dialogues
2025-08-20 18:30, 2025-08-22 12:30 | Lutheran House, Lutheran House

Nicole Zuraitis
2025-08-20 20:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Nicole Zuraitis is a 2X GRAMMY® winning and 4X GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer-songwriter, pianist and arranger, New York-based bandleader, and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. With a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” (Jazz Police), Nicole is a trailblazing artist who is redefining vocal jazz, earning her a place as one of the top artists and “prolific songwriters” (Broadway World) to watch in jazz and beyond.
As a recording artist, Nicole has released five albums as a leader, and her sixth album, How Love Begins, co-produced with eight-time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride, features all original music and was awarded the 2024 GRAMMY for BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM. Nicole is the only artist ever to have won this award who wrote and arranged the entire album herself. In addition to leading her quartet, Nicole performed and recorded with the Birdland Big Band as premier vocalist before taking off as a large ensemble leader of her own, co-producing the Dan Pugach Big Band and guesting for major European big bands. She has headlined the Newport Jazz Festival, along with iconic NYC jazz clubs like Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, Birdland, the Blue Note, the Carlyle, 54 Below and the late, great 55 Bar. She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Savannah Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony, and Macon Pops and has supported iconic singers like Melanie, Morgan James, Darren Criss, and Livingston Taylor on piano and vocals.

SORRY, BABY
2025-08-20 20:30, 2025-08-21 15:15, 2025-08-21 20:30 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on… for everyone around her, at least. “Writer-director-star Eva Victor has made a movie that’s at once approachable, incredibly perceptive, and subtly stirring.” -Carlos Aguilar, IGN Movies “This is the kind of film that sneaks up on you, funny when least expected and affecting without being cloying. And it officially announces the arrival of Victor as a performer and filmmaker to keep on your radar.” -Aisha Harris, NPR “Bittersweet, brilliant, and heartwarmingly funny,” -Kristy Puchko, Mashable (R, 103m)

CHQ Mystic Heart: Sharon Wesoky
2025-08-21 07:45, 2025-08-22 07:45 | Presbyterian Chapel
Mahanaya Buddhism-Mindfulness Meditation

Episcopal Holy Eucharist
2025-08-21 07:45, 2025-08-22 07:45, 2025-08-24 09:00 | Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Chapel of the Good Shepherd

Daily Word Meditation
2025-08-21 08:00, 2025-08-22 08:00 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions
(Programmed by Unity of Chautauqua)

Catholic Mass
2025-08-21 08:45, 2025-08-22 08:45 | Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Chapel of the Good Shepherd

Chautauqua Prays for Peace though Compassion
2025-08-21 08:55, 2025-08-22 08:55 | Hall of Philosophy Grove

Brian McLaren
2025-08-21 09:15, 2025-08-22 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good.
Brian is Dean of Faculty for the Center for Action and Contemplation. and a podcaster with Learning How to See. He is a co-host of Southern Lights. His newest books are Faith After Doubt (January 2021), Do I Stay Christian? (May 2022), and Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart (2024). His co-authored children’s book Cory and the Seventh Story was released in 2023. The first book of a new science fiction trilogy, The Last Voyage, will be published in summer, 2025. He is an Auburn Senior Fellow, a contributor to We Stand With Love, and a leader in the Convergence Network, through which he is developing an innovative training/mentoring program for pastors and church planters.
He is an active and popular blogger, a musician, and a songwriter, offering a variety of resources through his website, www.brianmclaren.net.

Service of Blessing and Healing
2025-08-21 10:15, 2025-08-22 10:15 | Randell Chapel, UCC Headquarters

Sabrina Lynn Motley & Jeffrey Rosen
2025-08-21 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Sabrina Lynn Motley
Director, Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Jeffrey Rosen
President and CEO, National Constitution Center
10:45 a.m. Thursday, August 21, 2025
Frequent Chautauqua collaborators Sabrina Lynn Motley and Jeffrey Rosen return to Chautauqua for the penultimate Chautauqua Lecture Series program of 2025. They will contribute to our discussion of “Past Informs Present: How to Harness History” by sharing in conversation their two prominent national institutions’ approaches to considering, commemorating and celebrating America’s semiquincentennial, as the birthday year approaches in 2026, along with their perspectives generally on the curation and presentation of history in physical spaces.
Sabrina Lynn Motley is the director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Before joining the center in 2013, she was the senior director of programs and exhibitions at Asia Society Texas Center in Houston. Under Motley’s leadership, the Texas Center expanded its public offerings and strengthened its collaborative approach to program creation and implementation. Through performances, lectures, exhibitions, and workshops, its programming reflected Houston’s rapidly changing demographics and its role as a gateway to Asia. While at the Texas Center, Motley oversaw the mounting of several critically acclaimed exhibitions, including “Universe Is Flux: The Art of Tawara Yusaku,” organized by the Indianapolis Museum, and “Weavers’ Stories from Island Southeast Asia,” organized by the Fowler Museum at UCLA.
Motley’s most recent exhibitions speak to her interest in the creative lives of women and the role of traditional arts in contemporary life. As a world music aficionada, for more than five years she was a popular host of “The Global Village,” KPFK 90.7 FM’s flagship music program. As a teacher, she has taught cultural anthropology at the Art Center College of Design and the Otis Institute for Art and Design. Motley earned her bachelor’s degree from the World Arts & Cultures Program and master’s degree in African studies at UCLA. She is a doctoral candidate in anthropology at UCLA, where she conducted research on the interplay between religious faith, doubt and social activism.
Jeffrey Rosen is president and chief executive officer of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the U.S. Constitution. His latest book, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America, was the basis for his most recent Amphitheater appearance in 2024; he also appeared as part of the 2025 Chautauqua Forum on Democracy in June, where he was publicly announced and recognized for the first time as the newly appointed 2025–26 Chautauqua Perry Fellow in Democracy.
In addition to his roles of president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, which he has held since 2013, Rosen is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. He was previously the legal affairs editor of The New Republic and a staff writer for The New Yorker. At the National Constitution Center, he is the host of “We the People,” a weekly podcast of constitutional debate.
Rosen’s forthcoming book The Pursuit of Liberty How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America, to be published in October. He is the author of seven other books, including the New York Times bestseller Conversations with RBG: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law, as well as biographies of Louis Brandeis and William Howard Taft. He is a graduate of Harvard College; Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School.

CTC Theater Chats
2025-08-21 12:15 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
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.

Decision Making in the Age of Plastics: A choose-your-own-adventure style guide to purchasing while balancing your health, the planet and your budget.
2025-08-21 12:15 | Alumni Hall Ballroom, Alumni Hall Ballroom
Did you know that microplastics are in our food, in our water and in our brains (among other places)?! Have you sat staring at a shopping cart on your screen or at an item in a shop and experienced a moment (or several moments) of a modern sort of existential panic thinking, “Should I buy this?”
In Decision-Making in the Age of Plastics, Cora Ball Co-inventor, National Geographic Explorer and Chief Ocean Lover, Rachael Zoe Miller takes you through an easy-to-use, interactive process that mixes knowledge with practical considerations about items that present frequent conundrums, from fleece jackets to take-away food packaging, laundry detergent, and more. You will be guided through a 5-question framework that helps you make purchases (or decisions not to purchase) that you will feel good about.
The goals of this choose-your-own-adventure style guidebook are to help protect you and your family’s health, to protect the ocean, to protect the planet, to save you money or help you spend it wisely, to eradicate buyer’s remorse, and to inject a heap of learning and some fun along the way.
This event is the official launch of this high-impact book. Copies will be available at the Chautauqua Bookstore by August 13 and on the day of the event.

CHQ Mystic Heart: Sharon Wesoky
2025-08-21 12:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions
Mahanya Buddhism-Mindfulness Meditation

CHQ Dialogue
2025-08-21 12:30 | Everett Jewish Life Center, Everett Jewish Life Center

Duplicate Bridge
2025-08-21 12:45 | Sports Club, Sports Club
Don’t have a partner? One will be provided. Game managed by Shelley Dahlie. $10/person.

Haroon Moghul
2025-08-21 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Haroon Moghul is the Founder and President of Queen City Diwan, a company that educates and empowers people of all ages and backgrounds through global tours, retreats and leadership journeys. With Joey Taylor, he co-hosts a new podcast, Avenue M, that explores meaning, masculinity, culture and family from the perspective of two Midwestern men of faith.
In 2023 and 2024, EqualityX named him one of the fifty most influential Muslims in the Americas. A one-time standup comic in New York City (literally, just that one time) and award-winning journalist and opinion columnist, Haroon has been published by The New York Times, NPR’s Fresh Air, CNN, NBC News, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, and The Guardian, among many others.
Haroon has appeared on all major US news networks as an expert commentator on Islam, the Muslim world, and U.S. foreign policy. He has taught at universities, conferences, think tanks, and houses of worship on five continents. Haroon is the author of How to be a Muslim: An American Story (2017) and Two Billion Caliphs: A Vision of a Muslim Future (2022), which was recently translated into Albanian.
Previously, he was the Fellow in the National Security Studies Program at the New America Foundation and a Fellow in Muslim Politics and Societies at the Center on National Security at Fordham Law. Haroon lives with his wife and family in Cincinnati, where he teaches classes on leadership, literature, and character for more than three dozen middle and high school students You can follow his teaching on his Substack, Sunday Schooled.

Chautauqua Theater Company presents the world premiere of The Witnesses (formerly titled Tell Me You’re Dying)
2025-08-21 14:00, 2025-08-22 14:00, 2025-08-23 14:00 | Bratton Theater, Bratton Theater
By C.A. Johnson
Directed by Jade King Carroll
The Witnesses compels us to question not only if we can change but if we have time to do so while the world appears to be ending.
Infused with C.A. Johnson’s brutal honesty, exacting humor, and heartfelt exploration of human relationships, the story pulses with urgency, vulnerability and unexpected warmth.
While an apocalyptic plague rages, five individuals unite in their weekly support group to forge a sanctuary of care and companionship. Centering on the darkly funny and wildly magnetic Millicent and her chosen family of misfits, this play explores the undeniable physical urge for human connection.
This production is recommended for audiences ages 13 and older.

CVA Open Studios
2025-08-21 14:00 | CVA: Arts Quad
We are excited to invite you to CVA Open Studios, occurring prior to the annual 2-week Resident Group Exhibition. Celebrate the work our resident artists have created during their time at Chautauqua Visual Arts. This event is free and open to the public.

CVA Two Week Residency exhibition reception
2025-08-21 15:00 | CVA: Arts Quad
We are excited to invite you to celebrate our 2-week resident artists at the Resident Group Exhibition! Join us to see the work our residents have created during their time at Chautauqua Visual Arts. This event is free and open to the public.

Debra Magpie Earling
2025-08-21 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle Presentation — The Lost Journals of Sacajewea: A Novel by Debra Magpie Earling
Among the most memorialized women in American history, Sacajewea served as interpreter and guide for Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery. In this visionary novel, acclaimed Indigenous author Debra Magpie Earling brings this mythologized figure vividly to life, casting unsparing light on the men who brutalized her and recentering Sacajewea as the arbiter of her own history.
Here, the young Sacajewea is bright and bold, growing strong from the hard work of “learning all ways to survive.” When her village is raided, Sacajewea is kidnapped and then gambled away to Charbonneau, a French-Canadian trapper. Heavy with grief, she learns how to survive at the edge of a strange new world. When Lewis and Clark’s expedition party arrives, Sacajewea knows she must cross a vast and brutal terrain with her newborn son, the white man who owns her, and a company of men who wish to conquer and commodify the world she loves.
Written in lyrical, dreamlike prose, The Lost Journals of Sacajewea is an astonishing work of art and a powerful tale of perseverance—the Indigenous woman’s story that hasn’t been told.
Debra Magpie Earling was born in Spokane, Washington. She received her BA from the University of Washington in Seattle and her MA and MFA in Fiction from Cornell University. From 1991 to 1998, Earling held positions in both Native American Studies and Creative Writing at the University of Montana in Missoula. Currently, she is an associate professor in the English Department there and teaches Fiction and Native American Studies.
Perma Red (Blue Hen Books 2002) was her first novel. It received the Western Writers Association Spur Award for Best Novel of the West in 2003, the Mountain and Plains Bookseller Association Award, WWA’s Medicine Pipe Bearer Award for Best First Novel, a WILLA Literary Award, and the American Book Award. It is a Montana Book Award Honor Book and was chosen by Barnes & Noble as part of its Discover Great New Writers series.
Her latest novel (May 2023), The Lost Journals of Sacajewea is a devastatingly beautiful novel that challenges prevailing historical narratives of Sacajewea.

CHQ Dialogues
2025-08-21 15:30 | United Methodist House, United Methodist House

CHQ Dialogues
2025-08-21 15:30 | Baptist House, Baptist House

CHQ Dialogues
2025-08-21 16:00 | AAHH African American Heritage House
The Dialogue is devoted to the AAHH Lecture on Wednesday at 3:30pm

Play CHQ: Get your Game On!
2025-08-21 16:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

Guest Chef Dinner
2025-08-21 17:30 | Athenaeum Parlor, Athenaeum Parlor
Join President’s Cottage Chefs Ben Shropshire & Dan Wongprapan for a tasting dinner. The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with passed hors d’oeuvres with dinner seating at 6 p.m.
Ben Shropshire and Dan Wongprapan have spent years working together in a diverse array of food service establishments throughout the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. This is their third season devising, preparing, and executing events at the President’s Cottage of the Chautauqua Institution. They prioritize fresh ingredients, creativity, and a comfortable environment for their staff and co-workers. In the fall they will be going to Louisville, KY as private chefs and are available for delicious and personable private events.
Menu:
First: Bahn Mi Toast, Smoked Mussel Pâté, Pickled Roots, Cilantro, Jalapeño Crema
Second: Bucatini Pad Kee Mao, Hanging Beef Tenderloin, Garlic Braised Broccolini, Wild Mushroom
Third: King Crab Coconut Lime Ceviche
Fourth: Lobster Yellow Curry, Orzo, Cauliflower, Roasted Corn, Tomato Jam
Fifth: Matcha Panna Cotta, White Chocolate Ganache, Strawberry Coulis, Lemon Torta
Our Chef’s Tasting Menu is a thoughtfully curated experience that highlights the creative vision of our culinary teams. We are unable to accommodate modifications or dietary restrictions for this menu.

CHQ Dialogues
2025-08-21 18:30 | Disciples of Christ House, Disciples of Christ House

The Band Perry
2025-08-21 20:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Kimberly Perry (lead vocals, guitar), Reid Perry (bass guitar), Johnny Costello (mandolin, guitar)
Grammy® Award-winning The Band Perry burst onto the scene as an unstoppable presence in modern Country music, selling two and a half million albums, twelve million singles, and racking up over a billion total song streams. Written by Kimberly Perry, their groundbreaking crossover 9X Platinum #1 single “If I Die Young” off their self-titled debut album (released October 12, 2010) reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot AC charts, Top 15 on the Billboard 100 and garnered more than 100 million video views and counting. The album also featured the #1 hit “All Your Life” and Top 5 (#2) hit “You Lie.”
Their follow up album-Pioneer-reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #2 on the Billboard 200 and featured “Better Dig Two,” “Done,” “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely,” and “Chainsaw,” cementing the band’s status domestically and internationally.
With sold-out world tours, six No. 1 singles, numerous Platinum and Gold singles, award wins and nominations, the Grammy® Award winning band reunited in 2025 with original band members Kimberly and Reid Perry, adding celebrated musician and fellow family member Johnny, and are set to release new music in 2025-timed to the band’s 15th year anniversary since their debut album.

Movement and Meditation with Monte Thompson
2025-08-22 08:30 | 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 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 and joy.

Ella Al-Shamahi
2025-08-22 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Ella Al-Shamahi is a National Geographic Explorer, palaeoanthropologist, evolutionary biologist (and stand-up comic) who specializes in Neanderthals, caves, and expeditions in hostile, disputed, and unstable territories. In closing a week dedicated to the ways that past informs present — and the 2025 Chautauqua Lecture Series season — Al-Shamahi will take the audience on a transformative journey into the world of human evolution, using her expertise in our shared human history to explain why we need to understand our recent ancestors’ failures in order to chart a better future.
In addition to her work in the field, Al-Shamahi is a television presenter and producer. Her latest project, produced by BBC Studios Science Unit and co-produced by PBS, is “Human,” the story of how humanity went from being just one of many hominin species to the dominant form of life on earth. Coming to PBS in 2025, “Human” uses a combination of archaeology, storytelling, and reconstruction to tell the story of how we became “us” (modern humans).
Other work includes the BBC’s recently launched seven-year diary titled “Our Changing Planet”; the BBC Two’s science series “Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors,” as well as “Horizon: Body Clock – What Makes Your Body Tick”; a National Geographic show on Viking warrior women; and, with her journalist brother Abubakr Al-Shamahi, a five-part BBC World Service radio series commemorating and reflecting on the 10-year anniversary of the Arab Spring.
The author of The Handshake: A Gripping History, Al-Shamahi holds a Bachelor of Science in genetics from University College London, a Master of Science in taxonomy and biodiversity from Imperial College London/Natural History Museum, and is currently undertaking a Ph.D. in Neanderthal rates of evolution at University College London.

Twelve Step Meeting
2025-08-22 12:15, 2025-08-24 12:15 | Hurlbut Marion Lawrance

Summer on the Steps with Chautauqua Literary Arts: A Tribute to Nikki Giovanni
2025-08-22 12:15 | Alumni Hall Porch, Alumni Hall Porch
Join Chautauqua Literary Arts for an open mic tribute to the late poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator, Nikki Giovanni.

Russell Moore
2025-08-22 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Russell Moore is Editor in Chief of Christianity Today.
Moore is the author of several books, including Losing Our Religion: An Alter Call for Evangelical America; The Courage to Stand: Facing Your Fear Without Losing Your Soul; Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel and The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home.
The Wall Street Journal has called Moore “vigorous, cheerful, and fiercely articulate.” He was named in 2017 to Politico Magazine’s list of top fifty influence-makers in Washington and has been profiled by such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and the New Yorker.
Moore was a Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and currently serves on the board of the Becket Law and as a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum in Washington, D.C.
He also hosts the weekly podcast The Russell Moore Show and is a senior commentator of Christianity Today’s weekly news and analysis podcast, The Bulletin.
An ordained Baptist minister, Moore was President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2013 to 2021. Prior to that role, he served as provost and dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also taught theology and ethics.
A native Mississippian, he and his wife Maria are the parents of five sons. They live in Nashville, where he teaches the Bible regularly at their congregation, Immanuel Church.

CHQ Dialogues
2025-08-22 15:30 | Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

CHQ Dialogues
2025-08-22 15:30 | Episcopal Cottage, Episcopal Cottage

Heritage Lecture Series: Jon Schmitz
2025-08-22 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Hebrew Congregation Evening Kabbalat Shabbat Service
2025-08-22 17:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

Guest Chef Dinner - Joe Bucci & Brian Baccus
2025-08-22 17:30 | Athenaeum Parlor, Athenaeum Parlor
Join Sysco Chefs Brian Barcus & Joe Bucci for a tasting dinner. The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with passed hors d’oeuvres with dinner seating at 6 p.m.
Brian Barcus is an enthusiastic and driven chef who loves all aspects of the food service industry. His two decades of experience in various food service outlets gives him an array of skills and techniques from many different cuisines. Born in raised in the Pittsburgh Area, his career started professionally, after completing the one-year program at The University of Indiana Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts. He is versed in large scale banquets, ala carte service, fine dining, special themed collaborative dinners, and farm fresh products from the area. He worked for a few of the finest chefs in the region at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa, Oakmont Country Club, Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh to name a few. Brian shifted his professional focuses to the sales world, joining Sysco in July of ’22
Joe Bucci has been working in the food industry for over 25 years and has a fierce love affair with food. His culinary experience ranges from cooking pizzas in a wood-burning oven, to executing fine dining in a Michelin starred restaurant in Chicago, to representing the finest specialty food ingredients in the world right here in Western New York. It’s all been driven by his passion for making people happy through exceptional food.
Menu:
First: Antipasti – Golfetta, Caponata, Peppernata, Artichoke, Pecorino Pistachio, pull apart bread
Second: Hamachi Crudo, Pickled Watermelon, Sicilian Oli Cured Olive, Grapefruit, San Guiliano EVO
Third: Hand Cut Tagliatelle Pasta, Guanciale, Wild Mushroom, Truffle Bure Monte, Cured Egg Yolk
Fourth: Duck Breast with Roasted Peach, Braised Fennel, Argidolce, Duck Confit Potato Pave
Fifth: Dubai Chocolate Tart
Our Chef’s Tasting Menu is a thoughtfully curated experience that highlights the creative vision of our culinary teams. We are unable to accommodate modifications or dietary restrictions for this menu.

PERFECT DAYS
2025-08-22 17:45, 2025-08-23 20:30, 2025-08-24 17:45, 2025-08-25 20:30 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Hirayama (Kôji Yakusho) seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of Tokyo public toilets in director Wim Wenders’ deeply moving and poetic reflection on finding beauty in the everyday world around us. “It’s all about finding the simple joys in your daily existence.” -Christy Lemire, Breakfast All Day “Jonathan Livingston Lavatory Cleaner. Zen and the Art of Lavatory Maintenance. But better than that. Sharper, less sentimental, less aphoristic. A film to live your life by.” -Donald Clarke, Irish Times “Perhaps, in its polite and unassuming way, the film advocates not just a new way of looking, but also a new way of living.” -Wendy Ide, Observer (UK) (PG, In Japanese with subtitles. 124m)

A Service of Compline
2025-08-22 19:30 | Episcopal Chapel

O.A.R.: Lost Weekend Tour
2025-08-22 20:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
O.A.R. might just be music’s biggest, best kept secret. The platinum-certified Rockville, MD band has quietly sold out multiple shows at Madison Square Garden, filled Red Rocks Amphitheater a dozen times, earned platinum and gold plaques, lit up the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration, and built one of the most committed fanbases in the country. The group—Marc Roberge [lead vocals, guitar], Richard On [lead guitar, backing vocals], Chris Culos [drums], Benj Gershman [bass], and Jerry DePizzo [saxophone, guitar, backing vocals] accompanied by Mikel Paris [keys, backing vocals, percussion], and Jon Lampley [trumpet, backing vocals]—most recently embarked on a headlining US tour with special guests Fitz and the Tantrums and Ripe.

EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE GREAT
2025-08-22 20:45, 2025-08-23 18:00, 2025-08-24 20:45, 2025-08-25 18:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Buddy Smart (Bryan Cranston) wrestles with his over-sized showbiz dreams. His wife Macy (Allison Janney) struggles to keep their family afloat. As they grapple with identity and belonging, they share a humorous and heartfelt journey of self-discovery, learning the power of owning your spotlight no matter what stage of life you’re in. Director “Jon S. Baird’s kind and cutting drama about a family trying, failing, and trying all over again to make it in the theater is a heartening drama and a great big smile of a comedy.” -William Bibbiani, TheWrap (R, 95m)

CHQ Mystic Heart Meditation: Carol McKiernan
2025-08-23 07:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
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 offered by Contemplative Outreach, founded by the late Father Thomas Keating, a Trappist Monk who was instrumental in the creation of Centering Prayer. Carol practices Centering Prayer with weekly groups in Campus Ministry at Villanova University and at St. David’s Episcopal Church outside of Philadelphia. She has led and participated in many Centering Prayer workshops and groups in the areas surrounding her hometown of Philadelphia. She is a member of the Augustinian Affiliates, the lay order of the Augustinian Friars and volunteers for the Friars in the Villanova Province. Carol is a past board member and treasurer of the Chautauqua Catholic Community.

Torah Study
2025-08-23 09:30 | Hurlbut Marion Lawrance

Chabad Jewish House, Community Shabbat Service, Rabbi Zalman Vilenken
2025-08-23 09:30 | Chabad Jewish House

Sabbath Morning Worship, Hebrew Congregation
2025-08-23 10:30 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary

Kiddish Luncheon
2025-08-23 11:30 | Hurlbut Truesdale

Sweet Honey in the Rock® “Celebrating 50 Years”
2025-08-23 20:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Grammy-nominated African American vocal ensemble SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK® marks its 50TH ANNIVERSARY in November 2023 with a powerful three-year celebration that will honor its storied past and set the course for the future of the group, which has been described as, “one of the most dynamic, versatile and still relevant musical collectives today.”
Since its inception in Washington, D.C. (1973), Sweet Honey in the Rock has thrived as a performance ensemble founded on the missions of empowerment, education, and entertainment.
Their current roster includes vocalists Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Aisha Kahlil, Nitanju Bolade Casel, and Rochelle Rice, with Romeir Mendez on upright acoustic/electric bass, and American Sign Language interpreter, Barbara Hunt.
Throughout five decades, the ensemble members have worked to create engaging and socially conscious music that consistently takes an active stance toward making our planet a better place for all in which to live. Their musical landscape embraces multiple genres/generations and addresses civil & human rights, women’s issues, gun violence, death, love, spirituality, children’s songs and so much more.

Episcopal Holy Eucharist
2025-08-24 07:45 | Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Chapel of the Good Shepherd

Song, Prayer, Communion & Meditation
2025-08-24 08:30 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary

United Church of Christ Worship Service
2025-08-24 09:00 | Randell Chapel, UCC Headquarters

Unity Service
2025-08-24 09:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

Quaker Worship Service
2025-08-24 09:30 | Quaker House
Quaker Worship Sevice

Unitarian Universalist Service
2025-08-24 09:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Bishop Eugene Sutton
2025-08-24 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. He 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.

The Great Massey Movie: "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"
2025-08-24 15:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
In this beloved annual event, come hear the mighty Massey Memorial Organ accompany classic silent film, played by Joshua Stafford, prize-winning organist and Director of Sacred Music at Chautauqua Institution. This summer’s selection for screening, 1920’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, will delight film buffs and new fans alike.

Church of the Wild
2025-08-24 16:00 | Outdoor Classroom
Kriss Miller

Blessing of the Animals
2025-08-24 16:30 | Miller Park, Miller Park
Weather Permitting

Closing Sacred Song and Three Taps
2025-08-24 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Bonnie Raitt with special guest Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-A-Whirl Band
2025-09-05 19:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Chautauqua Institution is thrilled to welcome the iconic Bonnie Raitt to our Amphitheater! A singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose unique style blends blues, R&B, rock, and pop, after 20 years as a cult favorite, Raitt broke through to the top in the early 90s with her GRAMMY-award-winning albums, Nick of Time and Luck of the Draw, which featured hits, “Something To Talk About” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” among others. The thirteen-time GRAMMY winner (and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Awardee) was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and Rolling Stone named the slide guitar ace one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and one of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Raitt received another incredible accolade being recognized for her lifetime of artistic achievement as part of the Kennedy Center’s 47th Class of Honorees in Washington, DC in December 2024.
Raitt is as known for her lifelong commitment to social activism as she is for her music, and has long been involved with the environmental movement, performing concerts around oil, nuclear power, mining, water, and forest protection since the mid-‘70s. She was a founding member of MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy), which produced the historic concerts, album and film NO NUKES (1979,) as well as a founding member of The Rhythm and Blues Foundation, which works for royalty reform and recognition of generations of pioneer R&B artists. She continues to work on safe energy issues in addition to environmental protection, social justice, Native American and human rights, as well as artist’s rights and music education.

The Colors of India
2025-09-25 00:00
Join Chautauqua Travels and Chautauqua Institution’s Chief IDEA Officer Amit Taneja on a colorful 9-day journey
through northern India and experience a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and scents unlike anywhere else in the
world. Begin in the bustling metropolis of Delhi, where ancient traditions blend seamlessly into everyday modern
life, with visits to classic landmarks such as the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, India Gate, and Parliament House. Travel
to Agra and witness the timeless alure of the Taj Mahal, then continue to Jaipur, known for its historic and palatial
cotton-candy-colored buildings that dot the skyline. Dig deeper into the complexities of India and see the Golden
Triangle in a new light as you meet with skilled artists and performers, have candid conversations with local
businesswomen, and participate in a unique community service experience at one of the largest food pantries in
the world. Your travels in India culminate as Jaipur comes alive with a celebration of Dussehra, an annual Hindu
festival that marks the triumph of good over evil with dazzling parades, sparkling fireworks, and symbolic burning
of effigies.

Preview Performance of the feath3r theory
2025-09-25 16:00 | Carnahan-Jackson: McBride/Verdy, Carnahan-Jackson: McBride/Verdy
Experience one of New York City’s most daring dance-theatre ensembles as they share a work-in-progress showing of their latest creation.
Join the New York City–based dance-theatre-media collective the feath3r theory (TF3T) for an exclusive preview of their bold new work A Body of Dangerous Ideas. Conceived by Artistic Director Raja Feather Kelly, the piece investigates how bodies absorb and resist the ideas projected onto them, exploring violence—how it appears in the body, how it is carried, and how it transforms us. With Kelly’s signature engagement with pop culture, the work interrogates how media desensitizes us to danger while shaping our sympathies for it, expanding from the personal body to the global stage.
Following the presentation, join the artists for an informal meet-and-greet on the porch of Carnahan-Jackson Dance Studios.
About A Body of Dangerous Ideas
At its core, A Body of Dangerous Ideas investigates how bodies are shaped by the ideas projected onto them — and how they resist, embody, or rupture under that weight. The work asks: What makes an idea dangerous? And how does a body respond to that danger? I’m examining violence — what it looks like in the body, how we carry it, and how it transforms us. With my ongoing engagement with pop culture, I’m exploring how media both desensitizes and shapes our sympathies for violence and danger — particularly when experienced from a distance. As we zoom out from the individual, the work also asks how danger operates across borders, identities, and social constructs. What does the future look like in a world where thought, expression, and intimacy are all perceived as threats?
About the feath3r theory (TF3T)
the feath3r theory (TF3T) is a New York City based dance-theatre-media company that produces the work of Artistic Director and Choreographer Raja Feather Kelly. As a collaboration of dancers, actors, filmmakers, musicians, photographers, and designers, our mission is to broaden the space for unheard voices and repressed histories, to bring into the theatre those sometimes left out, and to use theatre to provoke much-needed public conversations. the feath3r theory does this by challenging its audience and its creators to collectively interrogate – and celebrate – its shared relationship to human empathy and personal ethics as expressed in and distorted by popular media. By unabashedly appropriating the structures, themes, and aesthetics of reality television, celebrity culture, social media and the internet, the work of TF3T synthesizes dance, visual media, fashion, and narrative theatre into virtuosic, expansive, radical and surreal large scale pop-culture phenomena or an overwhelming, over-saturated ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ in which artists and audience alike experience their shared humanity. We are committed to addressing pressing social issues through Dance, Theatre, and Media.

Oktoberfest
2025-10-25 17:00 | Athenaeum Hotel, Athenaeum Hotel
Experience a night of German splendor at the Athenaeum Hotel! Savor an indulgent German feast while being serenaded by The Bergholz German Band, direct from Niagara Falls (NY). Clad in vibrant, traditional garb, this band brings the essence of German Folk tradition to life with their infectious oom-pah rhythms and joyful melodies. Their full wind ensemble delivers a rich, harmonious sound that embodies the cheerful spirit of Gemütlichkeit, a tradition they’ve delighted audiences with for 50 incredible years.
Come just for the evening, or book our Oktoberfest Overnight Hotel Package.
Package price starts at $257 for two people, $56 per person for dinner only.
Package includes:
Lodging at the historic Athenaeum Hotel located on Chautauqua Lake
German feast on Saturday
Breakfast on Sunday
Make your night extra special with an overnight stay at the Athenaeum Hotel. Book your room today online or by calling 716-357-4444.
*Does not include tax or gratuity. Subject to availability. Rates are based on double occupancy. Single occupancy rates are available upon request.

CHQ Travels: London Theater: Page to Stage
2025-11-10 00:00 - 2025-11-15 00:00
Join Chautauqua Theater Company’s producing artistic director Jade King Carroll on an immersive journey into the heart of London’s theater scene. Unravel the mysteries of storied theaters and delve into the play development and writing processes. You will have the opportunity to go backstage literally and figuratively as you meet with
theater professionals who all have a hand in making sure that the show goes on. As you learn about some of the building blocks that go into producing theater, each day will be punctuated by captivating performances on some of London’s most iconic stages.

Jaquira Díaz
2025-11-20 16:30 | Zoom, Zoom
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle Unbound Selection – This is the Only Kingdom: A Novel by Jaquira Díaz
This Fall, Chautauqua Literary Arts invites you to join us for the second CLSC Unbound program via Zoom Webinar to discuss Jaquira Díaz’s debut novel, This is the Only Kingdom, to take place November 20, 2025.
Register for the free Zoom Webinar here.
From the Whiting Award-winning author Jaquira Díaz, an epic novel of a mother and daughter wrestling with the aftermath of a murder, set against the backdrop of a tightknit, working-class barrio in Puerto Rico.
When Maricarmen meets Rey el Cantante, beloved small-time Robin Hood and local musician on the rise, she begins to envision a life beyond the tight-knit community of el Caserío, Puerto Rico – beyond cleaning houses, beyond waiting tables, beyond the constant tug of war between the street hustlers and los camarones. But breaking free proves more difficult than she imagined, and she soon finds herself struggling to make a home for herself, for Rey, his young brother Tito, and eventually, their daughter Nena. Until one fateful day changes everything.
Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation as the community that once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Now Nena, a teenager haunted by loss and betrayal and exploring her sexual identity, must learn to fight for herself and her family in a world not always welcoming. For lovers of the Neapolitan novels, This is the Only Kingdom is an immersive and moving portrait of a family – and a community – torn apart by generational grief, and a powerful love letter to mothers, daughters, and the barrios that make them.
Born in Puerto Rico, Jaquira Díaz was raised between Humacao, Fajardo, and Miami Beach. She is the author of Ordinary Girls: A Memoir, winner of a Whiting Award, a Florida Book Awards Gold Medal, a Lambda Literary Awards finalist, an American Booksellers Association Indies Introduce Selection, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads pick, and finalist for the B&N Discover Prize.
The recipient of the Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction, the Alonzo Davis Fellowship from VCCA, two Pushcart Prizes, an Elizabeth George Foundation grant, and fellowships from MacDowell, the Kenyon Review, Bread Loaf, Sewanee, the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, and the Black Mountain Institute at UNLV, Díaz has written for The Atlantic, The Guardian, Time Magazine, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, and The Fader, and her stories, poems, and essays have been anthologized in The Best American Essays, The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext, Best American Experimental Writing, and The Pushcart Prize anthology. In 2022, she held the Mina Hohenberg Darden Chair in Creative Writing at Old Dominion University’s MFA program and a Pabst Endowed Chair for Master Writers at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. She lives in New York and teaches at Columbia University.

The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde
2026-06-28 10:45, 2026-06-29 09:15, 2026-06-30 09:15, 2026-07-01 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde serves as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. In this role, she serves as spiritual leader for the congregations and Episcopal schools in the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties that comprise the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. The first woman elected to this position, she also serves as the chair and president of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, which oversees the ministries of the Washington National Cathedral and Cathedral schools.
Budde is committed to the spiritual vitality and public witness of the congregations in her care. She is proud to serve a diocese committed to justice and mercy. She cherishes her friendship with interfaith leaders in the Washington Metro Area and their joint endeavors in service to the common good.
Budde was consecrated as the ninth bishop of Washington in 2011. Prior to her election, she served for 18 years as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis. Her sermons have been published in several books and journals. Budde is the author of three books including the New York Times bestseller How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith, which has been adapted as a Young Adult book, We Can Be Brave: How We Learn to Be Brave in Life’s Decisive Moments as well as a picture book for young children, I Can Learn to Be Brave, forthcoming in July 2026.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at the University of Rochester, graduating magna cum laude. She earned both a Master in Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Virginia Theological Seminary.

Alyse Nelson
2026-06-30 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Alyse Nelson is president and CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership. As the co-founder, she has been with the organization for more than 28 years, also serving as vice president and senior director of programs before assuming her current role in 2009. Under Nelson’s leadership, Vital Voices has directly served nearly 50,000 women leaders across 188 countries. Several of these leaders will join Nelson as part of a panel on Vital Voices’ work as part of Chautauqua’s opening week on “Icons and Instigators: Women Who Change the World.”
Previously, Nelson served as deputy director of the State Department’s Vital Voices Global Democracy Initiative and worked with the President’s Interagency Council on Women at the White House. She is a regular speaker on leadership and global women’s issues, having spoken before the United Nations General Assembly, the Clinton Global Initiative, Fortune Most Powerful Women, Oxford Student Union, Forbes 30/50 and Women in the World, among others. She has conducted leadership training with women at the Central Intelligence Agency, DFID, the UK Development Agency, Fortune 1000 companies and at numerous conferences.
Nelson is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and served as an official Observer for the World Bank’s We-fi Initiative for Women Entrepreneurs. She serves on advisory boards of Chime for Change and Global Citizen. Fortune named Nelson one of the 55 Most Influential Women on Twitter and she was featured as one of Newsweek’s 150 Women Shaking the World. She is a recipient of the 2022 David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award, and, in 2018, Apolitical named her one of the most influential people in global gender policy. She was also honored in 2015 with a Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award.
Nelson is the author of the best-selling book Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around the World, and the editor of Vital Voices: 100 Women Using Their Power to Empower. She has been featured in various international and national media. She holds a B.A. from Emerson College and an M.A. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Guerrilla Girls Lecture
2026-07-01 18:30 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall

The Raleigh Ringers
2026-07-01 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Raleigh Ringers return to Chautauqua for another dazzling performance by one of America’s premier handbell ensembles. Renowned for their virtuosity and showmanship, The Raleigh Ringers bring an extraordinary range of musical styles to life—from classical masterpieces to rock favorites—on hundreds of bronze bells. Their precision, artistry, and infectious energy transform handbell ringing into a breathtaking visual and musical experience. Don’t miss this much-anticipated return engagement that promises to delight audiences of all ages.

The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde
2026-07-02 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Ecumenical Communion Service
2026-07-03 09:15, 2026-07-10 09:15, 2026-07-17 09:15, 2026-08-07 09:15, 2026-08-14 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Anna North
2026-07-03 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle — Bog Queen: A Novel by Anna North
The latest from New York Times bestselling novelist Anna North—a monumental discovery sets off a clash of worlds, past and present, over the fate of the land that holds us.
When a body is found in a bog in northwest England, Agnes, an American forensic anthropologist, is called to investigate. But this body is not like any she’s ever seen. Though its bones prove it was buried more than two thousand years ago, it is almost completely preserved.
Soon Agnes is drawn into a mystery from the distant past, called to understand and avenge the death of an Iron Age woman more like her than she knows. Along the way, she must contend with peat-cutters who want to profit from the bog and activists who demand that the land be left undisturbed. Then there’s the moss itself: a complex repository of artifacts and remains, with its own dark stories to tell.
As Agnes faces the deep history of what she has unearthed, she’s also forced to question what she thought she knew about her talent, her self-reliance, and her place in the world. Flashing between the uncertainty of post-Brexit England and the druidic order of Celtic Europe at the dawn of the Roman era, Bog Queen brims with contemporary urgency and ancient wisdom as it connects across time two gifted, farsighted young women learning to harness their strange strengths in a landscape more mysterious and complex than either can imagine.
Anna North is the author of the instant New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick Outlawed, America Pacifica, and Lambda Literary Award winner The Life and Death of Sophie Stark. She is a senior correspondent at Vox. She lives in Brooklyn.

Rev. Robert W. Henderson
2026-07-05 10:45, 2026-07-06 09:15, 2026-07-07 09:15, 2026-07-08 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
In 2008, The Rev. Robert W. Henderson was installed as the sixth senior minister and head of staff at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, N.C. A respected pastor, preacher, and leader, Henderson is known for cultivating congregational vitality and meaningful community engagement. His ministry focuses on the centrality of worship, pastoral care, and vibrant mission programs.
Both personally and through leading his congregation, Henderson continues his active involvement in uplifting local and international communities. Within recent years, his congregation has invested more than 6 million dollars in affordable housing projects. In Greensboro, N.C., they initiated an innovative partnership with an underprivileged neighborhood.
Directly at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Henderson’s congregation opened a need-based child development center. The church is also home to a unique pastoral residency program for seminary graduates. Henderson enjoys seeing people grow in their personal faith and has particularly witnessed this through organizing and participating in mission trips in places such as Appalachia, Nablus, Bethlehem, Kenya, Haiti, and Mexico.
In addition to his work with the Covenant Presbyterian Church, Henderson has been leading renewal conferences for large church pastors. He is also actively involved at Davidson College serving on the board of trustees and presidential search committee.
From 1993 to 2008, Henderson served as senior pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, N.C. In Stone Mountain, Ga. he was associate pastor of Eastminster Presbyterian Church from 1988-1993.
Henderson received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary, Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and Bachelor of Arts in economics and religion from Furman University.

Music School Festival Orchestra "Opening Night"
2026-07-06 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Comprised of top-tier students from conservatories and universities in the U.S. and abroad, Music School Festival Orchestra members participate in a variety of musical activities during their summers at Chautauqua including chamber music and private lessons along with their meticulous orchestral training. Alumni from the MSFO can be heard in many of the world’s top orchestras and chamber ensembles and can be found on music faculties worldwide. The MSFO is led by Artistic Director Timothy Muffitt, who serves as Music Director of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Laureate of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.

Chuck Todd
2026-07-07 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Chuck Todd is one of America’s foremost experts on American politics. A seasoned political journalist and analyst known for his sharp insight, he is the host of “The ChuckToddCast,” a weekly podcast offering in-depth interviews with political figures, experts, and thought leaders. He is currently the head of politics and host of “Sunday Night with Chuck Todd” for the Noosphere app, where he aims to continue his legacy of delivering impactful political analysis and fostering engaging conversations with leaders shaping the future of American politics. He is also the inaugural Scholar-in-Residence for the University of Southern California’s Capital Campus, in Washington, D.C., where he teaches about how Washington works. Todd joins Chautauqua’s week “Charting a New Media Landscape” to help survey the landscape of legacy national media institutions, and how forces both within and beyond their control are shaping their news-gathering operations, values and standards, and overall business models.
A six-time Emmy Award winner, Todd was NBC News’s chief political analyst and moderator of “Meet the Press” from 2014 to 2023. Known for his sharp insight and knowledge of politics, Todd has co-moderated multiple presidential debates, including the record-breaking 2019 and 2020 Democratic debates. He previously served as NBC News’s chief White House correspondent from 2008 to 2014 and hosted “The Daily Rundown” on MSNBC. In 2007, he joined NBC News as political director after 15 years at The Hotline, where he served as editor-in-chief. Todd was also the founding managing editor for The Sports Business Daily in 1994, now known as The Sports Business Journal.
Todd is the author of two books: How Barack Obama Won, co-authored in 2009, and The Stranger: Barack Obama in the White House, released in 2014. He has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlantic.

Jason Riley
2026-07-08 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Jason Riley is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the “Upward Mobility” opinion columnist for The Wall Street Journal, where he has written about politics, economics, education, immigration and social inequality for more than 25 years. He’s also a frequent public speaker and provides commentary for television and radio news outlets, and he joins the 2026 Chautauqua Lecture Series for the Week Two theme “Breaking the News: Charting a New Media Landscape.”
Riley is the author of six books. In 2008 he published Let Them In, which argues for more legal immigration. His second book, Please Stop Helping Us, is about government efforts to help the Black underclass and was published in 2014. In 2017 he published False Black Power?, an assessment of why Black political success has not translated into more economic advancement. In 2021 he published Maverick, a biography of the iconic economist and social theorist Thomas Sowell and narrated the documentary film “Thomas Sowell: Common Sense in a Senseless World.” In 2022 he published The Black Boom, an analysis of Black economic progress prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. His most recent book, The Affirmative Action Myth: Why Black Don’t Need Racial Preferences to Succeed, was published in 2025.
Riley earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has also worked for USA Today and the Buffalo News.

All-Star Dance Gala
2026-07-08 20:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Curated by Sasha Janes, Bonnefoux McBride Artistic Director of Chautauqua School of Dance, the annual All-Star Dance Gala serves as a celebration of the exceptional talent consistently produced by the Chautauqua School of Dance. Artists from top-tier national companies join forces for an exciting mixed repertoire evening of contemporary and classical dance. In addition to the performance, all-stars host discussion panels and serve as School of Dance guest faculty, graciously sharing their knowledge with the next generation of Alumni All-Stars. Come celebrate the extraordinary talent that Chautauqua has nurtured from school to stage.

Rev. Robert W. Henderson
2026-07-09 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Michael Chan
2026-07-12 10:45, 2026-07-13 09:15, 2026-07-14 09:15, 2026-07-15 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Michael Chan joined the Concordia College community in June 2022 as the executive director for the Dovre Center for Faith and Learning. Since 2023, he also serves as vice president for mission and inclusion. Through the Dovre Center for Faith and Learning, he promotes dialogue on the dynamic interplay of faith and learning that shapes not only the identity of Concordia, but ultimately the sense of vocation experienced by all within the college community. The center aims to encourage and sustain discussion on related issues through programs, workshops and study abroad experiences.
In addition, Chan leads the Lorentzsen Center for Faith and Work in exploring how to build a more trustworthy world through hosting keynote events, a podcast, and a regular newsletter. He also provides leadership and support to other organizations among Concordia, including the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Opportunity as well as the Campus Ministry Team.
Previously, Chan was associate professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He joined Luther Seminary as an educator after completing his doctorate in the Hebrew Bible at Emory University. At the University of Helsinki, he spent a year conducting research and teaching.
Beyond his many articles and essays, Chan is the author of The Wealth of Nations: A Tradition-Historical Study. He also coauthored the book Exploring the Bible, a journey through scripture that helps readers claim their unique interpretive perspective.
Chan graduated from Luther Seminary with a Master of Arts in biblical theology. Prior to that, he received a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from Pacific Lutheran University.

Music School Festival Orchestra
2026-07-13 20:00, 2026-07-20 20:00, 2026-08-10 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Michael Chan
2026-07-16 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

School of Dance: Student Gala I
2026-07-19 15:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Chautauqua School of Dance presents an outstanding mixed repertoire matinee of new and established works featuring the most exceptional young talent in the country. Under the leadership of Sasha Janes,
Bonnefoux McBride Artistic Director of Chautauqua School of Dance, the school continues its long tradition of excellence as a top-tier summer training program focused on bringing the next generation of dance stars from the studio to the stage.

David Wallace-Wells
2026-07-20 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
David Wallace-Wells is an acclaimed columnist and staff writer for The New York Times. Neither a scientist nor an environmental activist per se, Wallace-Wells is a celebrated climate change speaker and journalist who uses the power of storytelling to move the needle on climate action. He also writes a weekly newsletter on climate change, technology and the future of the planet, themes that will frame his lecture opening Chautauqua’s Week Four theme, “Wasted: Our Era of Disposability.”
Wallace-Wells is the author of The New York Times bestselling book about the consequences of global warming, The Uninhabitable Earth. His book looks beyond what needs to be done, to consider what the world will actually look like if we don’t move fast. It predicted much of the dizzying, disorienting situation we’re in now — not just the growth of pandemics, but the cascading way that multiple climate-fueled crises undermine our ability to respond effectively to any single one. He highlights that stabilizing the world’s climate is the underlying solution that also can achieve prosperity, justice and equality of all kinds.
He has also written widely on the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing vital reporting and analysis to science and policy coverage. Wallace-Wells was previously the deputy editor at New York magazine, where he wrote a column on climate change, and where his viral cover story “The Uninhabitable Earth” was met with widespread acclaim, paving the way for his book. Formerly the deputy editor of The Paris Review, and a National Fellow at the New America Foundation, he was the co-host of the podcast “2038,” which interrogated predictions about the next two decades.

Mary Alice Monroe
2026-07-24 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle — Where the Rivers Merge: A Novel by Mary Alice Monroe
From the New York Times bestselling author, the first of two epic and triumphant novels celebrating one intrepid woman’s life across multiple generations in the American South.
1908: The Lowcountry of South Carolina is at the cusp of change. Mayfield, the grand estate held for generations by the Rivers family, is the treasured home of young Eliza. A free spirit, she refuses to be confined by societal norms and spends her days exploring the vast property, observing wildlife, and riding horses. But the Great War, coastal storms, and family turmoil bring unexpected challenges to Eliza, putting her on a collision course with the patriarchal traditions of a bygone era.
1988: At 88, Eliza is the scion of the Rivers/DeLancey family. She’s fought a lifetime to save her beloved Mayfield and is too independent and committed to quietly retire and leave the fate of the estate to her greedy son. She must make decisions that will assure the future of the land and her family—or watch them both be split apart.
Set against the evocative landscape of the twentieth-century Lowcountry, Where the Rivers Merge is a dramatic and sweeping multigenerational family story of unyielding love, lessons learned, profound sacrifices, and the indomitable spirit of a woman determined to persevere in the face of change in order to protect her family legacy and the land she loves.
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, is the New York Times best-selling author of thirty books–and counting, Mary Alice Monroe. Richly layered and rooted to place her Lowcountry-set novels defy literary labels. More than feel-good escapism or traditional beach reads, her engrossing stories deftly explore the intersections and parallels between Mother Nature and human nature, hooking readers emotionally and introducing them to characters and causes that live in their hearts and minds. Her robust library of work–from the popular Beach House series to her compelling fiction, to her newer middle grade series, The Islanders–engages readers across generational lines, inspiring them to take a harder look at the environment–and our impact on it. To ask the important questions. To seek answers. To create connections–both with nature and in our personal lives.

The Rev. Zina Jacque
2026-07-26 10:45, 2026-07-27 09:15, 2026-07-28 09:15, 2026-07-29 09:15 | 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 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 nonprofit boards and faith-based organizations nationwide.
For two decades, Jacque shaped the student experience at several leading universities. After transitioning to ministry, Jacque’s pastoral path has taken her from small urban parishes to historic pulpits, notably as the lead minister for the Villages of Alfred Street at the renowned Alfred Street Baptist Church.
Extending her service well beyond church walls, Jacque was the first executive director of the Boston Ten Point Coalition — a violence reduction initiative credited with nearly two homicide-free years among Boston’s youth under 21. Later, she founded the Pastoral Counseling Center at Trinity Church Boston. Jacque also co-founded Courageous Conversations, a national dialogue series fostering belonging and understanding in a polarized age.
Jacque’s impact has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Boston University School of Theology, the 2022 Citizen of the Year Award from Barrington, Ill. and the Women of Distinction Award from the Barrington Chamber of Commerce. Jacque’s most recent work, “A Sacred Pause,” is a collection of meditations, journals, and reflections which has drawn a growing online following for its mix of stillness, wisdom, and grace.
Jacque holds a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University, Master of Arts from Columbia University, Master of Divinity and Ph.D. in Theology from Boston University.

Chautauqua Opera Conservatory with the Music School Festival Orchestra "L’Enfant Prodigue & Les Mamelles de Tiresias"
2026-07-27 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Music by: Claude Debussy & Francis Poulenc
Librettist: Édouard Guinand & Guillaume Apollinaire
Stage Director: Emma Griffin
Conductor: Timothy Muffitt
Two masters of French music share the stage in a sparkling double bill. Francis Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias (1945) bursts with surreal satire, flipping gender norms topsy-turvy in a wildly imaginative romp of music and mischief. It’s paired with Claude Debussy’s luminous early masterpiece L’enfant prodigue (1884), a one-act cantata suffused with longing, redemption, and sumptuous lyricism. Together, these works deliver an evening of operatic drama and delight.
The Chautauqua Opera Conservatory is a premier, immersive summer program offering the highest caliber of training for young singers ages 18 and older. Under the leadership of Director Jonathan Beyer, participants join a select community of singers who study, coach, and perform in the inspiring and idyllic setting of the Chautauqua Institution in western New York State.
Our program combines rigorous artistic preparation with a warm, encouraging environment that puts each singer’s growth and well-being first. Voice lessons, role study, vocal coachings, and masterclasses are led by a distinguished full-time faculty of voice teachers, coaches, and stage directors, alongside renowned guest artists from the world’s leading opera houses and conservatories. Students explore and perform repertoire spanning Opera, Art Song, Oratorio, Chamber Music, and Crossover styles.
Comprised of top-tier students from conservatories and universities in the U.S. and abroad, Music School Festival Orchestra members participate in a variety of musical activities during their summers at Chautauqua including chamber music and private lessons along with their meticulous orchestral training. Alumni from the MSFO can be heard in many of the world’s top orchestras and chamber ensembles and can be found on music faculties worldwide. The MSFO is led by Artistic Director Timothy Muffitt, who serves as Music Director of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Laureate of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.

Rev. Zina Jacque
2026-07-30 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Tessa Hulls
2026-07-31 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
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 grandmother, Sun Yi, was a Shanghai journalist swept up by the turmoil of the 1949 Communist victory. After fleeing to Hong Kong, she wrote a bestselling memoir about her persecution and survival—then promptly had a mental breakdown from which she never recovered.
Growing up with Sun Yi, Tessa watches both her mother and grandmother struggle beneath the weight of unexamined trauma and mental illness, and bolts to the most remote corners of the globe. But once she turns thirty, roaming begins to feel less like freedom and more like running away. Feeding Ghosts is Tessa’s homecoming, a vivid, heartbreaking journey into history that exposes the fear and trauma that haunt generations, and the love that holds them together.
Tessa Hulls is an artist/writer/adventurer illuminating the connections between the present and the past. Her graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts explores the reverberations of her Chinese grandmother’s escape from the Communist regime and her subsequent mental illness. Her work addresses racial justice, the immigrant experience, generational trauma, mental health, the creative process, and the surprising feminist history of the bicycle. Her graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts has earned the Pulitzer Prize, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize for First Book, 2024 Libby Award and was named a Best Book of 2024 by Time, Forbes, NPR, the Minnesota Star Tribune, LitHub, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Chicago Public Library and others.

Rev. Anna Carter Florence
2026-08-02 10:45, 2026-08-03 09:15, 2026-08-04 09:15, 2026-08-05 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
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 as an associate pastor for youth and young adults at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. Based on her 2012 Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching at Yale Divinity School is her first book, Preaching as Testimony, Inscribing the Word, Rehearsing Scripture: Discovering God’s Word in Community. Florence’s most recent title, A Is for Alabaster: 52 Reflections on the Stories of Scripture, has a forthcoming sequel titled, B Is for Banquet: 52 More Reflections on the Stories of Scripture. She has published articles and chapters in numerous books and journals, including a year’s worth of lectionary text commentaries for WorkingPreacher.org.
Florence is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University as well as a Master in Divinity and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Ken Burns and Jeffrey Rosen
2026-08-03 10:45, 2026-08-04 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Celebrating the United States semiquincentennial, Chautauqua presents Week Six, “America at 250: In Partnership with the National Constitution Center and 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 – alongside world-renowned leaders in historical education. To begin this weeklong commemoration, Chautauqua welcomes Ken Burns and Jeffrey Rosen back to the Amphitheater stage for a two-day conversation on themes and threads from the pair’s latest projects: for Burns, the November 2025 PBS documentary “The American Revolution,” and for Rosen, his October 2025 book The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton and Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America.
Ken Burns has been making documentary films for almost fifty years. Since the Academy Award nominated “Brooklyn Bridge” in 1981, Burns has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including “The Civil War”; “Baseball”; “Jazz”; “The War”; “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”; “Prohibition”; “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History”; “The Vietnam War”; “Country Music”; “The U.S. and the Holocaust”; “The American Buffalo”; and “Leonardo da Vinci.”
Burns’s newest release is “The American Revolution” which premiered on November 16, 2025. Future film projects include “Emancipation to Exodus” and “LBJ & the Great Society,” among others.
Burns’s films have been honored with dozens of major awards, including seventeen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations. In September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, Burns was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In November of 2022, Burns was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Jeffrey Rosen is president and chief executive officer of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the U.S. Constitution. His latest book, The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton and Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America, was released in October 2025. It highlights how the opposing constitutional visionaries continue to drive the debate over the power of government today. Rosen appeared as part of the 2025 Chautauqua Forum on Democracy, where he was publicly announced and recognized for the first time as the newly appointed 2025–26 Chautauqua Perry Fellow in Democracy.
In addition to his roles of president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, which he has held since 2013, Rosen is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. He was previously the legal affairs editor of The New Republic and a staff writer for The New Yorker. At the National Constitution Center, he is the host of “We the People,” a weekly podcast of constitutional debate.
Rosen is the author of seven other books, including the New York Times bestseller Conversations with RBG: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law, as well as biographies of Louis Brandeis and William Howard Taft. He is a graduate of Harvard College; Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar; and Yale Law School.

Chautauqua School of Dance with the Music School Festival Orchestra
2026-08-03 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
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 focused on bringing the next generation of dance stars from the studio to the stage.
Comprised of top-tier students from conservatories and universities in the U.S. and abroad, Music School Festival Orchestra members participate in a variety of musical activities during their summers at Chautauqua including chamber music and private lessons along with their meticulous orchestral training. Alumni from the MSFO can be heard in many of the world’s top orchestras and chamber ensembles and can be found on music faculties worldwide. The MSFO is led by Artistic Director Timothy Muffitt, who serves as Music Director of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Laureate of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra.

Puppy Pals Live - The Action-Packed Comedic Stunt Dog Show
2026-08-04 19:30 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
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 laugh-out-loud canine comedy, it is no surprise this show has been a hit all over the USA!

Alonzo King LINES Ballet
2026-08-05 19:30 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
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. Its unique artistic vision adheres to the classical form — the linear, mathematical and geometrical principles that are deeply rooted in the pre-existing East-West continuum.

Rev. Anna Carter Florence
2026-08-06 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Alonzo King LINES Ballet with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
2026-08-08 19:30 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
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. Its unique artistic vision adheres to the classical form — the linear, mathematical and geometrical principles that are deeply rooted in the pre-existing East-West continuum. The Company brings two separate programs to the Amphitheater, with Saturday’s program featuring live music from the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra under the baton of music director Rossen Milanov.

The Rev. Frank A. Thomas
2026-08-09 10:45, 2026-08-11 09:15, 2026-08-12 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Rev. Frank A. Thomas currently serves as the Director of the Compelling Preaching Initiative and the Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Homiletics at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana. For many years, Thomas has also taught preaching to doctoral and master’s level students at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Memphis Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee, and United Theological Seminary of Dayton, Ohio. With a long history of excellence in preaching and preaching method, Thomas was inducted into the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College in 2003. Thomas also serves as a member of the International Board of Societas Homiletica, an international society of teachers of preaching.
Thomas is the author of several books including, The God of the Dangerous Sermon, Surviving a Dangerous Sermon, How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon, and Introduction to the Practice of African American Preaching. He also co-edited the anthology Preaching with Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Sermons 1750 to the Present. Thomas is also the author of several other books on subjects from matters of prayer to spiritual maturity.
Previously, Thomas served with distinction as the senior pastor for two remarkable congregations: New Faith Baptist Church of Matteson, Illinois and Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church of Memphis, Tennessee.
Thomas holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Communications from the University of Memphis, a Doctor of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Chicago Theological Seminary and United Theological Seminary. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts from Alma College, Master of Divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary and a Master of Arts from Northeastern Illinois University.

Thr Rev. Frank A. Thomas
2026-08-10 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Nancy Youssef
2026-08-10 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Nancy Youssef is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Before that, she was a longtime national security correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and also worked at BuzzFeed News and The Daily Beast. Youssef spent much of her career at McClatchy Newspapers where she served as national security correspondent and Middle East bureau chief based in Cairo covering the Middle East and the Islamic world. Prior to that she was McClatchy’s chief Pentagon correspondent, focusing on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She traveled frequently to those two nations to see how the policies crafted in Washington reached Afghans, Iraqis and the troops alike. She is also the founder of the Pentagon Press Association.
Before covering the Pentagon, Youssef spent four years covering the Iraq war, including a stint as Baghdad bureau chief. Her pieces focused on the everyday Iraqi experience, civilian casualties and how U.S. military strategy was reshaping Iraq’s social and political dynamics. She began her career at the Detroit Free Press, covering legal issues. While at the Free Press, she traveled throughout Jordan and Iraq for Knight Ridder, covering the Iraq war from the time leading up to it through the post-war period. Her journalism career started at The Baltimore Sun.
A Washington, D.C.-area native, Youssef earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from University of Virginia and master’s degree in security studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Youssef’s parents are from Egypt, and she speaks Arabic. Throughout her life, she has been a frequent visitor to the region. She is currently based in Washington, D.C. and is an advocate for supporting neurodiverse children.

School of Dance: Student Gala II
2026-08-12 20:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Chautauqua School of Dance presents an outstanding mixed repertoire evening of new and established works featuring the most exceptional young talent in the country. Under the leadership of Sasha Janes,
Bonnefoux McBride Artistic Director of Chautauqua School of Dance, the school continues its long tradition of excellence as a top-tier summer training program focused on bringing the next generation of dance stars from the studio to the stage.

The Rev. Frank A. Thomas
2026-08-13 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

The Music of Billy Joel with Tony DeSare and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
2026-08-15 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Tony DeSare, piano & vocals
Tony DeSare’s signature vocal and robust piano style pay tribute to the iconic songs of Billy Joel. Generations of Billy Joel fans will experience full symphonic orchestrations with Tony DeSare’s unique take on some of his most beloved hits including “Only the Good Die Young,” “Piano Man,” “New York State of Mind,” “You May Be Right,” “Movin Out,” “My Life,” “Vienna,” and many more.
Billy Joel does not appear on this program.

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.

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 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.
