Chautauqua Institution

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents New Play Workshop 2: The Motions by Zora Howard
2026-07-31 14:00, 2026-07-30 14:00 (America/New_York) | Bratton Theater, Bratton Theater
In the wake of an untimely prognosis, a father and son must relearn how to share space after years of estrangement. They pass the time with quiet rituals – making coffee, playing chess – navigating what is left to say and what is better left unsaid. Funny, tender, and deeply human, The Motions is an ode to the small movements that make a life, and the possibility of beginning again even at our very ends.

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.

English Lawn Bowling Tips
2026-07-31 13:00, 2026-07-30 13:00, 2026-07-29 13:00, 2026-07-28 13:00, 2026-07-27 13:00, 2026-07-24 13:00, 2026-07-23 13:00, 2026-07-22 13:00 and 7 more dates | Sports Club, Lawn Bowling Green

Introduction to Jumu'ah Muslim Prayer
2026-07-31 12:30, 2026-07-24 12:30, 2026-07-17 12:30 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
Jumu’ah introduction for visitors is at 12:30 PM. Jumu’ah Service is at 1:05 PM

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-31 12:30, 2026-07-29 18:30, 2026-07-24 12:30, 2026-07-22 18:30, 2026-07-17 12:30, 2026-07-15 18:30 | Lutheran House, Lutheran House

Masters Series Masterclass: Amy Grant
2026-07-31 12:30 | Norton Hall, Norton Hall
Join Friday night’s Amphitheater stage headliner, Amy Grant for a conversation about her life and career. Grant, an American singer-songwriter and musician, began her career in contemporary Christian music before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Her latest album, “The Me That Remains” was released in May 2026.

Twelve Step Meeting
2026-07-31 12:15, 2026-07-29 12:15, 2026-07-26 12:15, 2026-07-24 12:15, 2026-07-22 12:15, 2026-07-19 12:15, 2026-07-17 12:15, 2026-07-15 12:15 | Hurlbut Marion Lawrance

Dave Eggers
2026-07-31 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Dave Eggers is the author of many books, among them Contrapposto, The Eyes and the Impossible, The Circle, The Monk of Mokha, Heroes of the Frontier, A Hologram for the King, and What Is the What. Contrapposto, released in June, is a moving and funny novel about allies and art, and what it means to be an artist. A wild and beautiful examination of the rules and market forces of the art world, the novel is chiefly about two friends who believe they can change that world, and bring new meaning to it. These themes will frame this capstone presentation of the Chautauqua Lecture Series week on “Art and Artists Against the Odds.” This program is presented in collaboration with the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, and Contrapposto is a 2026 CLSC selection.
Eggers is founder of McSweeney’s, a nonprofit, independent publishing company based in San Francisco that produces books, a humor website, The Believer and Illustoria magazines, and a journal of new writing, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. The magazine has been edited by a long line of brilliant editors, including Eli Horowitz, Jordan Bass, Claire Boyle, and now Rita Bullwinkel. Under their leadership, McSweeney’s has won the National Magazine Award for Fiction three times and has been a finalist nine times.
Along with Nínive Calegari, Eggers is the co-founder of 826 National, a network of youth writing and tutoring centers around the United States. The whole thing started with 826 Valencia, their original center in the Mission District of San Francisco. Since then, more than 70 other organizations, from Louisville to Toowoomba, Australia, operate with inspiration from the 826 Valencia model.

Service of Blessing and Healing
2026-07-31 10:15, 2026-07-30 10:15, 2026-07-29 10:15, 2026-07-28 10:15, 2026-07-27 10:15, 2026-07-24 10:15, 2026-07-23 10:15, 2026-07-22 10:15 and 7 more dates | Randell Chapel, UCC Headquarters

Ecumenical Communion Service
2026-07-31 09:15, 2026-07-24 09:15, 2026-07-17 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Chautauqua Prays for Peace though Compassion
2026-07-31 08:55, 2026-07-30 08:55, 2026-07-29 08:55, 2026-07-28 08:55, 2026-07-27 08:55, 2026-07-24 08:55, 2026-07-23 08:55, 2026-07-22 08:55 and 7 more dates | Hall of Philosophy Grove

Movement and Meditation with Monte Thompson
2026-07-31 08:30, 2026-07-29 08:30, 2026-07-27 08:30, 2026-07-24 08:30, 2026-07-22 08:30, 2026-07-20 08:30, 2026-07-17 08:30, 2026-07-15 08:30 and 1 more date | 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.

Catholic Mass
2026-07-31 08:15, 2026-07-30 08:15, 2026-07-29 08:15, 2026-07-28 08:15, 2026-07-27 08:15, 2026-07-26 09:30, 2026-07-20 08:15, 2026-07-19 09:30 and 5 more dates | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary

Daily Word Meditation
2026-07-31 08:00, 2026-07-30 08:00, 2026-07-29 08:00, 2026-07-28 08:00, 2026-07-27 08:00, 2026-07-24 08:00, 2026-07-23 08:00, 2026-07-22 08:00 and 7 more dates | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions
(Programmed by Unity of Chautauqua)

Episcopal Holy Eucharist
2026-07-31 07:45, 2026-07-30 07:45, 2026-07-29 07:45, 2026-07-28 07:45, 2026-07-27 07:45, 2026-07-26 09:00, 2026-07-26 07:45, 2026-07-24 07:45 and 11 more dates | Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Chapel of the Good Shepherd

CHQ Mystic Heart - Mateo Mortellarto, Tibetan Meditation
2026-07-31 07:45, 2026-07-30 07:45, 2026-07-29 07:45, 2026-07-28 07:45, 2026-07-27 07:45 | Presbyterian House, Presbyterian House
Taking a general and non-sectarian approach to Buddhism, Mateo Mortellaro (Konchok Tsering Tengye) has years of experience leading meditation and teaching Buddhist philosophy. Mateo started his spiritual journey early in life practicing Zen Buddhism, eventually shifting focus to the Tibetan tradition, primarily within the Drikung ,Kagyu and Sakya schools.
Mateo’s main teacher is His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche, the world-renowned Buddhist master and Yogi. While his main practice and personal approach is of the Buddhist tradition, Mateo also follows the rich and eclectic teachings of Baba Ram Dass, giving instructions using language and methods that are accessible to Western students of all levels of experience.
Mateo has been fortunate to receive teachings and instructions directly from masters such as H.H the Sakya Gongma Trichen Rinpoche,H.E Garchen Rinpoche, H.E Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, and Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche. Other influential teachers include His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh, and Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
Mateo is also the founder of KTT Dharma, which is aimed at making spiritual teachings available to those interested through media sharing, interviews, his writing, and teachings.

Sunrise Paddle - Kayak/SUP
2026-07-31 06:00, 2026-07-29 06:00, 2026-07-24 06:00, 2026-07-22 06:00, 2026-07-17 06:00, 2026-07-15 06:00 | Sports Club, Waterfront
Enjoy the beauty of the lake during our sunrise paddle. This is not a guided tour but an opportunity to rent a kayak, SUP or canoe for an enjoyable hour at sunrise. Reservations accepted one day in advance at the Sports Club. Contact sportsclub@chq.org with questions.

Sally Love & Friends: Sleep is the New Sex
2026-07-30 22:00 | Roe Green Theater Center
Usually in bed by 10, but willing to stay up and entertain us with her hilarious takes on sleep, sex and the indignities of our aging bodies,
Sally Love and friends will perform their stand up routines alongside improv artists in a brand new and exciting collaboration.
Ticket sales for this performance benefit Friends of Chautauqua Theater.

FACKHAM HALL
2026-07-30 20:50, 2026-07-30 15:20, 2026-07-29 19:00, 2026-07-28 20:50 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Directed by Jim O’Hanlon, this comedy spoof on Downton Abbey stars Katherine Waterston and Damian Lewis as Lady and Lord of the house.”Deliciously silly, stupid and hilarious, and I guarantee you’ll leave the cinema with a smile on your face.” -Nikki Gemmell, The Australian “There are twists, turns and ridiculous faux pas in a congenially entertaining riff on the series’ more ridiculous aspects, delivered without spite but with love and a wink.” -Thelma Adams, AARP Movies for Grownups “This is just fantastically funny.” -Tim Cogshell, FilmWeek LAist (R, 97m)

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Sounds of Strauss
2026-07-30 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Rossen Milanov, conductor
The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra presents two of Richard Strauss’s most compelling tone poems. In Also sprach Zarathustra, Strauss explores themes of human striving and philosophical inquiry. Death and Transfiguration offers a contrasting perspective, portraying the final moments of an artist’s life and the transformation that follows. Together, these works showcase Strauss’s extraordinary command of orchestral color and dramatic form.
Program:
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30
Strauss: Death and Transfiguration, op. 24

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby
2026-07-30 19:30, 2026-07-29 19:30, 2026-07-29 14:00, 2026-07-26 19:30, 2026-07-26 14:00, 2026-07-24 16:00, 2026-07-23 19:30, 2026-07-23 14:00 and 3 more dates | Bratton Theater, Bratton Theater
WORLD PREMIERE
By Sharyn Rothstein
Directed by Oliver Butler
Bratton Theater
Best for Baby and its devilishly funny emcee takes audiences inside Johnson & Johnson’s decades-long and still evolving baby powder scandal. A Big American Play ripped straight from the headlines, this world premiere is equal parts showbiz spectacle and intimate human storytelling, brought to you by a sensational comedic ensemble of professional guest artists — featuring Broadway actor Crystal Dickinson — alongside members of CTC’s beloved conservatory.
Best for Baby is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

School of Music: Chamber Music Concert #5
2026-07-30 18:30 | Fletcher Music Hall, Fletcher Music Hall

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-30 18:30, 2026-07-23 18:30, 2026-07-16 18:30 | Disciples of Christ House, Disciples of Christ House

PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK
2026-07-30 18:00, 2026-07-29 13:45, 2026-07-28 18:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
A powerful act of witness and remembrance, this urgent, deeply personal documentary unfolds through video calls between filmmaker Sepideh Farsi and 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and poet Fatma Hassona. Their connection bridges both geography and grief, offering a rare, unfiltered window into daily life inside Gaza. Hassona’s grace, resilience, and luminous spirit ground the film in a quiet strength. (NR, 112m. In Arabic and Persian with subtitles.)
Please note that this documentary presents the personal experience of a Palestinian photojournalist living in Gaza. It reflects an individual perspective and is not intended to provide a comprehensive account of the Israel-Hamas war.

Masters Series Masterclass: Write On: Writing for a Revolution with Jillian Hanesworth
2026-07-30 16:30 | Alumni Hall Ballroom, Alumni Hall Ballroom
James Baldwin once said, “I’m aware, you know, that I and the people I love may perish in the morning. I know that. But there’s light on our faces now”. This workshop will offer participants the opportunity to grapple with the social and political climate we face as a nation, and write poetry that encourages hope, truth and change. Affirming that even in the midst of darkness, there’s still light.

Masters Series Masterclass: Natalie Merchant on Art as a Tool for Social Change
2026-07-30 16:00 | Norton Hall, Norton Hall
For decades, Natalie Merchant has used her artistry not only to inspire audiences, but also to strengthen communities and advance meaningful social causes. Merchant will reflect on the power of music, film, photography, and other creative mediums to foster connection, raise awareness, and inspire action. Drawing on her work in areas such as environmental advocacy, anti-fracking efforts, and domestic violence prevention, she will explore how artists can serve as catalysts for civic engagement and collective change. Join Natalie Merchant in conversation with Deborah Sunya Moore, Chautauqua Institution Sr. Vice President and Chief Program Officer. There will be ample time for Q & A after their dialogue.

Play CHQ: Juggling with Zach Fish
2026-07-30 16:00, 2026-07-23 16:00 | Heinz Beach, Heinz Beach

School of Music: Chamber Music Concert #4
2026-07-30 16:00 | Fletcher Music Hall, Fletcher Music Hall

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-30 15:30, 2026-07-23 15:30, 2026-07-16 15:30 | Baptist House, Baptist House

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-30 15:30, 2026-07-23 15:30, 2026-07-16 15:30 | United Methodist House, United Methodist House

Micah Hendler
2026-07-30 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Micah Hendler is the founder and artistic director of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC), an Israeli-Palestinian music and dialogue project he has brought from a dream to the global stages of TED and “America’s Got Talent” to The New York Times and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” JYC’s work and mission will frame Hendler’s contributions to the Chautauqua Lecture Series weeklong celebration of “Art and Artists Against the Odds.”
Through the co-creation of music and the sharing of stories, JYC empowers young singers from East and West Jerusalem to speak and sing their truths as they become leaders in their communities and inspire singers and listeners around the world to join them in their work for peace, justice, inclusion and equality. Even in times of war, JYC continues to meet, and its singers’ commitment to each other, and the power of their voices raised in harmony, has only grown. In addition to his ongoing bridge-building work in Jerusalem, Hendler has brought his JYC experience to the U.S. and around the world, collaborating with several organizations working to depolarize America (including Braver Angels, the One America Movement, Convergence, New Pluralists, and Constructive Dialogue Institute), and global organizations including the United Nations, Abu Dhabi Festival, El Sistema Greece, and the first World Congress of Music and Social Change.
Hendler has a degree in music and international studies from Yale and has decades of musical experience from different global traditions. He has also been involved in dialogue work for 20 years and has written and presented in many local and global fora about his work with JYC. Selected for the Forbes “30 Under 30” list for Music in 2017, Hendler has written extensively for Forbes.com on music, society and social change in a global context, using this platform to uplift marginalized voices that are not often heard in mainstream media. He currently lives in Washington, D.C., where he leads regular community sings.

School of Music: Chamber Music Concert #3
2026-07-30 13:00 | Fletcher Music Hall, Fletcher Music Hall

Duplicate Bridge ABCL Sanctioned
2026-07-30 12:45, 2026-07-23 12:45, 2026-07-16 12:45 | Sports Club, Sports Club
Don’t have a partner? One will be provided. Game managed by Shelley Dahlie. $10/person.

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-30 12:30, 2026-07-28 15:30, 2026-07-23 12:30, 2026-07-21 15:30, 2026-07-16 12:30, 2026-07-14 15:30 | Everett Jewish Life Center, Everett Jewish Life Center

CHQ Mystic Heart - Mateo Mortellarto, Tibetan Meditation, seminar and practice
2026-07-30 12:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

CTC Theater Chats
2026-07-30 12:15, 2026-07-23 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.

Play CHQ: Canvas Painting
2026-07-30 12:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza

Micah Hendler
2026-07-30 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Rev. Zina Jacque
2026-07-30 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
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 School of Dance presents: "Wuthering Heights"
2026-07-29 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Directed and Choreographed by Sasha Janes, Bonnefoux McBride Artistic Director of Chautauqua School of Dance
On the wild, windswept moors of Yorkshire, this ballet adaptation of Wuthering Heights brings to life the haunting story of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw—two souls bound by a fierce, unbreakable love that defies class, reason, and even death. Through powerful movement and evocative music, passion turns to obsession and betrayal ignites a ruthless quest for revenge, leaving a legacy of heartbreak and longing. Dark, powerful, and unforgettable, this ballet captures the raw intensity of Emily Brontë’s timeless tale of love at its most destructive.
This ballet will showcase both former and current students of the Chautauqua School of Dance.
Contains suggestive content; not recommended for children under 13.

School of Music: Art Song Recital
2026-07-29 18:30 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall

Unity's Positive Path for Spiritual Living
2026-07-29 18:30, 2026-07-22 18:30, 2026-07-15 18:30 | Turner Conference Room, Turner Conference Room
Programmed by Unity of Chautauqua

Party on the Art Quad
2026-07-29 17:30 | CVA: Arts Quad
The Friends of CVA and Chautauqaua Visual Arts will once again host our annual ticketed fundraising event in the heart of the CVA Arts Quad. The proceeds benefit CVA School of Art residency program scholarships. This event provides an opportunity to connect with fellow art lovers and to bid on original pieces of art as well as experiences, Amphitheater performance tickets and more!

CHQ Mystic Heart - Therapeutic Gong Meditation with Kim Hehr
2026-07-29 16:45, 2026-07-22 16:45, 2026-07-15 16:45 | Hall of Christ: 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.

WE ARE ALL PLASTIC PEOPLE NOW
2026-07-29 16:30 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
According to Ted Danson, “‘We’re All Plastic People Now’ is alarming, but it shows us that change is possible and should spark the kind of real conversation necessary for us to turn the tide on the plastic pollution crisis.”
Post-film discussion led by Rory and Courtney Fielding with panel of experts featured in the film, joining by Zoom: Dr. Shanna Swan, Dr. David Davis, and Dr. Rolf Halden.
With a gift for making difficult science concepts graspable for average people, JD continues his decades-long career as a science educator, sharing insights from mainstream conventional science as a source of unifying inspiration, from stages, webinars, pulpits, and workshops. He offers insights from how nature works that help us discern who we are and our place in the world.
Rory Fielding is an Emmy Award–winning director and producer and the Executive Producer of Rory Fielding Films. His environmental documentaries have earned nine Emmy nominations and four wins. Rory Fielding Films creates films to the highest production and journalistic standards that inform and inspire. Their mission is to tell stories that matter, crafted with excellence and purpose to help shape a better world.

Play CHQ: Hand Fish Puppets
2026-07-29 16:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

School of Music: Chamber Music Concert #2
2026-07-29 16:00 | Fletcher Music Hall, Fletcher Music Hall

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-29 15:30, 2026-07-22 15:30, 2026-07-15 15:30 | Catholic House, Catholic House

Chautauqua Arts Education 101: Panel Discussion
2026-07-29 15:30 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
Chautauqua Arts Education programs serve thousands of students and hundreds of teachers each year in Chautauqua County, carrying out Chautauqua Institution’s mission through empowering students to learn about their world and themselves through the arts. Director of Arts Education Suzanne Fassett-Wright and Vice President of Performing and Visual Arts Laura Savia will be joined by local educators Nicole Kane and Samantha Cashmore in a panel discussion to share how Chautauqua Institution is working in collaboration with our community to support student growth through increased engagement with arts experiences.

Natalie Wigg-Stevenson
2026-07-29 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Natalie Wigg-Stevenson is a theologian, minister, author and associate professor of contextual education at Emmanuel College (Victoria University, University of Toronto). Natalie brings to her teaching a spirit of play alongside rigorous theological thinking and deep pastoral attentiveness.
Based out of Toronto, she is the author of Ethnographic Theology: An Inquiry into the Production of Theological Knowledge and Transgressive Devotion: Theology as Performance Art, as well as numerous scholarly articles. A creative non-fiction writer, she is a frequent contributor to Sojourners Magazine and has created the open-access, interactive devotional website, Transgressive Devotional.

School of Music: Chamber Music Concert #1
2026-07-29 13:00 | Fletcher Music Hall, Fletcher Music Hall

Guided Kayak Historic Tour
2026-07-29 12:45, 2026-07-22 12:45, 2026-07-15 12:45 | Sports Club, Waterfront
Enjoy paddling while learning about historic sites along the shores of Chautauqua Institution during this hour-long guided kayak tour. The tour begins and ends at the Sports Club. The cost is for rental of single or tandem kayak plus $12 per person for the tour guide. Limited spots so please reserve one day before the event. For more info, please contact sportsclub@chq.org.

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-29 12:30, 2026-07-28 12:30, 2026-07-22 12:30, 2026-07-21 12:30, 2026-07-15 12:30, 2026-07-14 12:30 | Presbyterian House, Presbyterian House

Women In Ministry
2026-07-29 12:15, 2026-07-22 12:15, 2026-07-15 12:15 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

Organ Recitals Owen Reyda
2026-07-29 12:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Owen Reyda is an organ performance major at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, studying with Jonathan Moyer. At Oberlin, he has also studied piano with Yulia Fedoseeva, choral conducting with Gregory Ristow, and improvisation with Christa Rakich. He has played for local churches in his hometown Westfield, NY and participated in summer organ events and academies, including at Trinity College and Yale University. He has served as Organ Scholar in the Sacred Music program at Chautauqua since 2024.
His program for Chautauqua will include works by August Gottfried Ritter, Robert Schumann, and Louis Vierne

Natalie Merchant
2026-07-29 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Natalie Merchant has earned recognition among America’s most respected recording artists, drawing audiences with her captivating performances and intentional songwriting over her 40-year career. Her music blends folk, rock and world music influences, and she continues to be regarded as a pioneering figure in alternative music. She joins the Chautauqua Lecture Series during our week on “Art and Artists Against the Odds” to speak on her passion for arts education for young people.
Her latest record, “Keep Your Courage” (released in 2023 on Nonesuch Records), finds Merchant in peak form. The album dives into love and human connection in its many forms—with Merchant’s voice to keep you hanging on every word.
Merchant has also distinguished herself as a social justice and environmental activist through her work with a wide variety of non-profit organizations, and by creating documentary films and large-scale community arts projects.
Merchant began her musical career as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the pop music band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and released two platinum and four gold records with the group. She left the band in 1993 and has subsequently released nine albums as a solo artist with combined sales of seven million copies.
In 2007, Merchant was appointed by Governor Elliot Spitzer to serve on the New York State Council on the Arts, and in 2022 Senator Chuck Schumer appointed her to the board of trustees of The American Folklife Center at The Library of Congress. Merchant’s awards for artistic excellence and philanthropic work include: the ASCAP Champion Award, The Library Lion Award from the New York Public Library and The John Lennon Real Love Award. In 2025 the National Head Start Association made Merchant their national artist-in-residence.
A few days following her lecture, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, 2026, Merchant will be joined by the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra for a free family concert, “Cabinet of Wonder Live!” Under the baton of Principal Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz, the concert will be a joyful reimagining of Mother Goose developed in collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and will also include classic children’s poetry that she adapted to music for her highly praised double-album release, Leave Your Sleep.

School of Music: Opera Conservatory Masterclass with Jonathan Beyer
2026-07-29 10:00, 2026-07-17 10:00, 2026-07-13 10:00 | McKnight Hall, McKnight Hall

The Rev. Zina Jacque
2026-07-29 09:15, 2026-07-28 09:15, 2026-07-27 09:15, 2026-07-26 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Meshelle: Funny on Purpose
2026-07-28 22:00 | Roe Green Theater Center
In partnership with the African American Heritage House
MESHELLE The Indie-Mom of Comedy, is an award-winning comedian, writer, and solo performer whose work sits at the intersection of arts, culture, and impact, shaped by the lens of a Black woman honoring mothering, family, personal growth, and the undeniable cultural influence of our people. Her stand-up has been featured on Nickelodeon, TruTV, BET, and STARZ, bringing her sharp, insightful voice to audiences nationwide. A TEDx speaker, Open Society Foundations Community Fellow Alumna, and Baker Artist Award winner, she uses comedy as a tool for connection, reflection, and change. Through storytelling rooted in lived experience, MESHELLE creates work that is as thought-provoking as it is hilarious.

Opera & Pops Concert with CSO
2026-07-28 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Chautauqua Opera Company Apprentice and Studio Artists join Stuart Chafetz, Principal Pops Conductor, and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra for the annual Opera & Pops concert. This popular summer event showcases Chautauqua Opera’s young artists in music from Opera, Operetta and Broadway.

CHQ Mystic Heart -Labyrinth History and Meditation
2026-07-28 18:30, 2026-07-21 18:30, 2026-07-14 18:30 | Turner (Outside of Building)
Bring gate pass. Adjacent to Turner Community Center

CVA Lecture Series: Glenn Goldberg, School of Art Faculty
2026-07-28 18:30 | CVA: Large Drawing Room
The Chautauqua School of Art proudly welcomes Glenn Goldberg as a member of our 2026 visiting faculty. Glenn Goldberg will participate in the School’s Summer Lecture Series, sharing insights and practices with our artistic community.
Glenn Goldberg was born in the Bronx in 1953 and attended the New York Studio School and Queens College during his undergraduate education. He later continued his graduate studies at Queens College to receive his MFA. In 1996 he was named the Heilman Artist and since has received grants from The Guggenheim Foundation, The Edward Albee Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and The Joan Mitchell Foundation. Goldberg’s work has been shown extensively throughout the US and internationally, and is held in numerous collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Academy of Arts and Letters, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, among others. Goldberg has taught at various institutions including The Cooper Union, NY Studio School, Brandeis University, Queens College, Parsons School of Design, and Lodestar School of Art in Ireland. He has also been a panelist and visiting artist for MFA painting programs at Yale, Columbia, Boston University, American University, Hunter College, and others. In 2023, Goldberg was commissioned to create a public arts project at the E. 149th St subway station in the Bronx by the New York MTA Arts and Design Commission. Goldberg lives and works in New York City.

Play CHQ: Mono Painting
2026-07-28 16:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

School of Music Piano Faculty Recital: Sara Davis Buechner
2026-07-28 16:00 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall
Noted for her musical command, cosmopolitan artistry, and visionary independence, Sara Davis Buechner is one of the most original concert pianists of our time. Lauded for her “intelligence, integrity and all-encompassing technical prowess” (New York Times), “thoughtful artistry in the full service of music” (Washington Post), and “astounding virtuosity” (Philippine Star), Japan’s InTune magazine sums it up: “Buechner has no superior.”
Ms. Buechner has performed in every state and province of North America — as recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with top orchestras like the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra; and in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl. She is also a much sought after professor at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance.

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby (Live Audio Descriptions)
2026-07-28 16:00 | Bratton Theater, Bratton Theater

Michael Strautmanis
2026-07-28 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Michael Strautmanis serves as the Obama Foundation’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, building its strategy to extend President and Mrs. Obama’s legacy through the development of the Obama Presidential Center and civic engagement programming in Chicago. Through community affairs, government relations, strategic partnerships, and digital storytelling, Michael has built the Foundation’s impact agenda in Chicago to create an anchor institution that will catalyze economic renewal on the South Side of Chicago and develop the city’s next generation of leaders. In this role, he is in dialogue with Chicagoans from every walk of life who are looking to learn more about the Obama Presidential Center and participate in the Foundation’s mission to empower leaders to give back to their communities. Michael also leads the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, President Obama’s signature initiative to create safe, healthy, and nurturing communities for boys and young men of color across the nation.
Before joining the Obama Foundation, Michael spent over a decade in Washington, D.C., working to increase access to economic opportunity, strengthen the judicial system, and champion equity and inclusion in the White House, federal agencies, and Congress. He served in the Obama White House for four of those years as Chief of Staff to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. After President Obama’s first term, he joined the Walt Disney Company where he led an enterprise-wide initiative to consolidate, focus, and deepen the impact of Disney’s corporate social responsibility programs. Michael began his career in government working in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He did stints at the House of Representatives and American Association for Justice before joining then-Senator Obama’s congressional staff, campaign, and subsequent transition team.
An active member of Chicago’s civic community, Michael serves on the boards of Everside Health, Inc., the Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative, the Billie Jean King Leadership Institute, the Illinois Finance Authority and Headspace Health. Mike received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.

REAGAN
2026-07-28 14:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Sponsored by Advocates for Balance at Chautauqua – Free Admission! Told through the voice of Viktor Petrovich (Jon Voight), a former KGB agent whose life becomes inextricably linked with Ronald Reagan (Dennis Quaid). Based on Dr. Paul Kengor’s book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism. Dr. Kengor will host the screening and discuss his role in the process.of making the film. (PG-13, 141m)

Athenaeum Hotel History Lecture - "Past, Present, and Future of the Athenaeum Hotel."
2026-07-28 13:00, 2026-07-21 13:00 | Athenaeum Parlor, Athenaeum Parlor

CHQ Mystic Heart - Mateo Mortellarto, Tibetan Meditation seminar and practice
2026-07-28 12:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

Todd Paglia, CEO Stand.Earth: Delivering large-scale solutions to climate and environmental problems worldwide
2026-07-28 12:30 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
Bird, Tree & Garden Club lunchtime lecture series
When Todd Paglia joined Stand.earth in 1999, he had a vision of transforming the environmental impact of something so ubiquitous that it’s often forgotten – paper. He saw that major corporations in the office supply and catalog industries were purchasing and selling millions of tons of paper with no accountability for, or even knowledge of, the environmental devastation that paper caused. As Executive Director of Stand.earth, Todd can be credited with transforming the paper policies of multi-billion-dollar Fortune 500 companies, including Staples, Office Depot, Williams-Sonoma, Dell, Victoria’s Secret, 3M and many more. Under Todd’s leadership, Stand.earth has saved more than 65 million acres of endangered forests. In addition, recycled pulp mills have seen major companies requesting more sustainable fiber as a result of Stand’s campaigns.
In 2023 under Todd’s leadership Stand was named one of the world’s most innovative companies by Fast Company Magazine and Stand won the 2023 Keeling Curve Prize for innovation in climate advocacy.

Play CHQ: Juggling with Zach Fish
2026-07-28 12:00, 2026-07-21 12:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza

Stephanie Elizondo Griest
2026-07-28 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Stephanie Elizondo Griest is a globetrotting author from the Texas-Mexico borderlands. Currently a professor of creative nonfiction at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she has performed on five continents in capacities ranging from a Moth storyteller to a literary ambassador for the U.S. State Department.
Her six books include Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana; Mexican Enough; All the Agents and Saints; and Art Above Everything: One Woman’s Global Exploration of the Joys and Torments of a Creative Life. Widely anthologized, Elizondo Griest has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, The Believer, BBC, Orion, VQR, and Oxford American, among others.
Griest’s work has won a Margolis Award for Social Justice Reporting, an International Latino Book Award, a PEN Southwest Book Award and two Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism prizes. She has been supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, Lannan Foundation, and the Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University.

David Michaels, PhD, MPH, Protecting the integrity of science underpinning public health and environmental protections
2026-07-28 09:15 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary
Chautauqua Science Group Weekly Lecture
David Michaels PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist and professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. He has held high-level, Senate-confirmed public health positions in the administrations of Presidents Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton.
Dr. Michaels is a leader in efforts to protect the integrity of the science underpinning public health and environmental protections. His book The Triumph of Doubt: Dark Money and the Science of Deception (Oxford University Press, 2020) was called “a tour de force” by the reviewer in Science Magazine and “a brave and important book,” by the reviewer in Nature. He is also the author of Doubt is Their Product, which was published by Oxford University Press in 2008 and reissued in 2023.

Masters Series Masterclass: The Picture Book with Kao Kalia Yang
2026-07-28 09:00 | Alumni Hall Ballroom, Alumni Hall Ballroom
Kao Kalia Yang is known for her work for adults, but since 2019, she’s cultivated an award-winning body of work in children’s literature. Join Yang in this Masters Series session as she reads from some of her picture books and speaks to the movement across age groups and genre lines in a life dedicated to sharing stories that a child can grow up with and an adult can grow old with.
Kao Kalia Yang is an award-winning Hmong American teacher, speaker, and writer. Her work crosses genres and audiences and centers Hmong children and families who live in our world, who dream, hurt, and hope in it. Yang’s writing and speaking are concerned with the plight of refugees from around our world, ideas of belonging, and the depths of the human experience. She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Carleton College, was the 2024 Star Tribune Artist of the Year, and is a Guggenheim Fellow. Kao Kalia Yang lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her family.

Mike Thornton & The Midnight Quartet
2026-07-27 22:00 | Roe Green Theater Center
Mike Thornton, jazz vocalist of grit and sophistication, takes center stage with The Midnight Quartet in a performance charged with high-octane energy and deep blues soul. Blending hard-swinging standards with electrifying improvisation, Thornton’s commanding voice rides effortlessly over the band’s tight, driving rhythms. Each tune ignites with hot, explosive solos, delivering a night where smoky storytelling meets virtuosic fire—classic jazz reborn with urgency, swagger, and unmistakable style.

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.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
2026-07-27 19:15, 2026-07-26 20:00, 2026-07-25 20:00, 2026-07-24 20:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Paul Thomas Anderson’s brilliant new film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob, a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). When his evil nemesis (Sean Penn) resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts. “It’s a live wire that drops in the first scene, setting off sparks for the next 162 minutes.” -Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com “It’s impossible to overstate how much fun this thing is.” -Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine “The whole movie is amazing.” -Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic (R, 162m)

Taize and Tea Meditation Worship
2026-07-27 19:00, 2026-07-20 19:00, 2026-07-13 19:00 | Randell Chapel, UCC Headquarters

TROUBLED WATERS
2026-07-27 16:30 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Climate Change Initiative-Special Filmmaker Event -Free Admission! Director Rory Fielding’s doc featuring Ted Danson, explores the impact of human behavior on our environment from the perspective of one of South Florida’s most beloved and fragile underwater creatures: the sea turtle. Rory will host discussion to follow. (NR, 53m)
Exploring the impact of human behavior on our environment from the perspective of one of South Florida’s most beloved and fragile underwater creatures: the sea turtle. A critical look at the effects of global warming, water pollution, and our “throw-away” plastic lifestyle on this keystone species…and inevitably ourselves.
Post film discussion led by Rory and Courtney Fielding featuring a panel of experts featured in the film, joining by Zoom: Whitney Crowder, Turtle Rehab Manager; John Hocevar, Ocean Director Greenpeace USA; Maria Chatham, veterinarian (sea turtles); and Dave Anderson, Sea Turtle Director Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.
Rory Fielding is an Emmy Award–winning director and producer and the Executive Producer of Rory Fielding Films. His environmental documentaries have earned nine Emmy nominations and four wins. Rory Fielding Films creates films to the highest production and journalistic standards that inform and inspire. Their mission is to tell stories that matter, crafted with excellence and purpose to help shape a better world.

Chautauqua Chamber Music: Verona Quartet
2026-07-27 16:00 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall
Join the acclaimed Verona Quartet for an afternoon of expressive performances and dynamic ensemble artistry. Hailed for their “sensational” playing and deep musical insight, the Verona Quartet brings passion and precision to every work they perform. Their program showcases a vibrant mix of classical masterpieces and contemporary voices, reflecting their commitment to storytelling through sound. Experience the emotional power and refined elegance of one of today’s leading string quartets.

Patron Housing Listening Session
2026-07-27 16:00 | Alumni Hall Ballroom, Alumni Hall Ballroom
Patron Housing Listening Session
A shortage of on-grounds housing across a range of sizes and price points is one of the factors limiting Chautauqua’s ability to sustain and grow attendance.
Interim CEO Kyle Keogh, together with staff and a Patron Housing Working Group composed of Chautauquans with significant real estate experience, has developed
an initial multi-year plan to encourage the development of affinity housing (such as denominational houses), condominiums and single-family homes. Community members are invited to learn more about the proposal, discuss the plan and provide feedback.

Play CHQ: Mini Golf
2026-07-27 16:00 | Heinz Beach, Heinz Beach

"Courageous Conversation on Death and Dying" Shahid Aziz
2026-07-27 15:30, 2026-07-20 15:30, 2026-07-13 15:30 | Presbyterian Chapel

The 22nd Annual Robert H. Jackson Lecture on the Supreme Court of the United States — Michael R. Dreeben
2026-07-27 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Michael R. Dreeben is a distinguished lecturer from government at Georgetown University Law Center and an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law. From 1988 to 2019, Dreeben served in the Office of Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice, first as an assistant to the solicitor general and then as a deputy solicitor general. As deputy solicitor general from 1994 to 2019, Dreeben supervised the criminal docket for the United States in the U.S. Supreme Court. Dreeben has argued 109 Supreme Court cases on behalf of the United States and private clients. He has briefed hundreds more. He also argued cases in every regional federal court of appeals, including en banc cases in 10 circuits. During the summer of 2006, he served as a special assistant United States attorney in the District of Maryland.
From 2017 to 2019, Dreeben was detailed to serve as counselor to Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and obstruction of justice.
In 2023, Dreeben returned to the Department of Justice to serve as counselor to Special Counsel Jack Smith, where he represented the United States on brief and in argument in Trump v. United States on the question whether a former president has immunity from criminal prosecution for his official acts.
During his tenure in the Solicitor General’s office, Dreeben argued many landmark cases in criminal law and procedure. These include cases involving hate crimes and the First Amendment, Fourth Amendment rights in the internet age, cases involving public corruption and private fraud, and the Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause.
Dreeben received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master’s degree in history from the University of Chicago, and his law degree from Duke University, where he served as an articles editor on the Duke Law Journal. He served as a law clerk to the honorable Jerre S. Williams of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Dreeben has also taught at Harvard Law School, Duke Law School, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and has published articles and posts on the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice. His most recent essay is “Robert Jackson’s The Federal Prosecutor Revisited,” in the Harvard Law Review Forum (2026).
Chautauqua Institution’s Robert H. Jackson Lecture is named in honor of the former Chautauquan, Jamestown lawyer, New Dealer, Solicitor General, Attorney General, Supreme Court justice, and Nuremberg chief prosecutor. Every summer the Jackson Lecture is a leading expert discussing the Supreme Court, the Justices, signal decisions, and related legal developments.
Chautauqua’s previous Jackson Lecturers have been Geoffrey Stone (2005), Linda Greenhouse (2006), Seth Waxman (2007), Jeffrey Toobin (2008), Paul Clement (2009), Jeff Shesol (2010), Dahlia Lithwick (2011), Pamela Karlan (2012), Charles Fried (2013), Akhil Amar (2014), Laurence Tribe (2015), Tracey Meares (2016), Judge Jon O. Newman (2017), Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella of Canada’s Supreme Court (2018), Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. (2019), Ruth Marcus (2020), Melissa Murray (2021), Reva Siegel (2022), Justin Driver (2023), Kate Shaw (2024) and Kim Lane Scheppele (2025).
This program is presented in collaboration with the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York.

ARCO
2026-07-27 14:00, 2026-07-26 17:30, 2026-07-25 17:30, 2026-07-24 17:30 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
The year is 2075. 10-year-old Iris sees a mysterious boy wearing a rainbow jumpsuit fall from the sky. It’s Arco who comes from a distant future. Iris befriends him as she tries to help him return home. Featuring the voice talents of Will Ferrell and America Ferrera, comic-book artist turned filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu’s animated feature “reminds us that suspension of disbelief is a quality of youth worth preserving.” -Chris Klimek, Washington Post “Disarming, charming, and unafraid to be sincere” -Michael Leader, Little White Lies (PG, 88m)

Peter Lawson Jones
2026-07-27 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Peter Lawson Jones is a professional actor, former elected official, acting instructor, master of ceremonies and dramatist.
Jones, a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actor’s Equity, can be seen later this year playing the lead in the feature-length indie, “The Last Shop on Walnut.” Jones has appeared in well over twenty films including “A Man Called Otto,” “White Boy Rick,” “Alex Cross,” “The Assassin’s Code” and “Starve.” On network television he can be seen on NBC’s “Chicago Fire” and ABC’s “Detroit 1-8-7.” He received the 2025 Hard Faith Fest NYC Best Actor Award for his performance in the short film, “Unexpected,” and the 2016 Indie Gathering International Film Festival Best Ohio Supporting Actor Award for his work in the feature-length film, “How to Change the World.” He has also been inducted into the Karamu House Hall of Fame, the oldest multicultural theatre in the country.
From February 2002, through December 2010, Jones was a member of the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners, and its president for three of those years. He previously served two and one-half terms in the Ohio House of Representatives, where he was the ranking member of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee and second vice president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. Jones was formerly the vice mayor and a councilman in the City of Shaker Heights, Ohio.
Jones’s play, The Bloodless Jungle, enjoyed a regional premiere last year at the Black Repertory Group Theater in Berkeley, California and two full productions at The Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The drama has enjoyed staged readings at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Dallas Convention Center, the National Black Theatre Festival, Duquesne University and in Harlem. Jones’s most recent play, The Phoenix Society, enjoyed its world premiere in 2022 at Playwrights Local in Cleveland, Ohio. Jones is a graduate of Harvard College with a degree in government, and Harvard Law School.

Conversations with Kyle
2026-07-27 13:00, 2026-07-13 13:00 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
Join us for “Conversations with Kyle”, an open, drop in conversation for members of the entire community. These informal gatherings offer the opportunity to ask questions and engage directly with Interim President Kyle Keogh. All are welcome.

Guided Kayak Eco Tour
2026-07-27 12:45, 2026-07-20 12:45, 2026-07-13 12:45 | Sports Club, Waterfront
Enjoy paddling while learning about ecological info along the shores of Chautauqua Institution during this hour-long guided kayak tour. The tour begins and ends at the Sports Club. The cost is for rental of single or tandem kayak plus $12 per person for the tour guide. Limited spots so please reserve one day before the event. For more info, please contact sportsclub@chq.org.

Play CHQ: Drip Drop Painting
2026-07-27 12:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza

The Crossover Panel with Kwame Alexander, Candrice Jones, Christopher Jackson and Jade King Carroll
2026-07-27 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The highly anticipated musical adaptation of Kwame Alexander’s Newbery medal-winning novel, The Crossover, was commissioned and is being developed for the stage by the Chautauqua Theater Company. Hosted by Jade King Carroll, the producing artistic director of the Chautauqua Theater Company and director of The Crossover musical, the dynamic creative team behind the musical will gather on the Amphitheater stage for a conversation about the creative process, collaboration and what it means to be generative artists. The musical adaptation is being developed and workshopped both in Chautauqua and New York City, with Tony Award-winner Thomas Kail as creative consultant.
Kwame Alexander is an Emmy-award winning producer and New York Times bestselling author of 47 books. This is his fourth year at Chautauqua where he currently serves as the inaugural distinguished fellow of the African American Heritage House. He is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Emmy-nominated “Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band and Acoustic Rooster: Jazzy Jams,” a PBS KIDS special and series of shorts produced by GBH Kids based on his beloved children’s book of the same name.
Alexander regularly shares his passion for literacy, books and the craft of writing around the world, including Ghana, West Africa, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic. He is the recipient of the 2025 NAACP Image Award.
Candrice Jones is a playwright and educator from Dermott, Arkansas. As a rising voice in American theater, she brings her poetic sensibility and powerful storytelling to the adaptation of The Crossover. She serves as a board member and educational outreach specialist of The Weekend Theater as well as Ozark Living Newspaper.
Jones’ primary goal as a writer is to write love letters for and to women of the American South. She is best known for writing “FLEX,” a play developed while she was a resident at the Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA) Playwrights Festival, Ground Floor. FLEX premiered at Lincoln Center Theater in New York and Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jones is also the author of the full-length play, “Crackbaby.” She has received virtual commissions from the People’s Light and Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Jones is a CalArts Critical Studies MFA recipient. She was a fellow at Callaloo for poetry at Brown University. She was also a former resident at MacDowell’s Colony of the Arts.
Christopher Jackson is a Tony Award- nominated actor, as well as a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning songwriter/composer best known for starring as George Washington in the critically acclaimed, award-winning musical “Hamilton” on Broadway and Disney+. As the creator of “The Crossover” musical score, he incorporates high-energy jazz and hip-hop to reflect the world full of dreams, melodies and rhythms.
In 2021, Jackson starred in Freestyle Love Supreme on Broadway alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda. His other Broadway credits include Holler if Ya Hear Me, After Midnight, The Bronx Bombers, In the Heights, Memphis and The Lion King. Off Broadway credits include Bronx Bombers, The Jammer, In the Heights, Cotton Club Parade, and Lonely, I’m Not.
Jackson’s TV and film credits include “And Just Like That,” “Bull,” “Freestyle Love Supreme,” “Person of Interest,” “A Gifted Man,” “Fringe,” “Gossip Girl,” “Tracers,” “Afterlife” and the 2021 film adaptation of “In the Heights.” Jackson voiced “Where You Are” for the Disney film “Moana,” and served as composer/songwriter for “Sesame Street,” garnering seven Emmy nominations and one win. He was also the co-music supervisor and writer for “The Electric Company” on PBS.
In 2018, “One Last Time (44 Remix)” was released which featured Jackson alongside President Barack Obama and BeBe Winans. Jackson won an Emmy Award for his song with Will.I.Am, “What I Am.”
Jackson has performed sold-out concerts all over the United States, including Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center, and a command performance at the White House in 2023.
Jade King Carroll is a distinguished director specializing in new play development, and the Producing Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC).
She has directed over 60 classical and contemporary productions nationwide at renowned venues. Most recently, she directed Chisa Hutchinson’s “Amerikin” at Primary Stages. Notable credits include “Proof of Love,” “Detroit ’67,” “Having Our Say,” “Red Velvet,” and multiple productions of August Wilson’s work—she is one of the few directors to have worked on every play in Wilson’s Century Cycle.
At CTC, Carroll is programming innovative new works, including the world premieres of “tiny father” by Mike Lew (a co-production with Barrington Stage Company) and commissioned pieces, “The Light and The Dark (the Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi)” by Kate Hamill (co-produced with off-Broadway’s Primary Stages in NYC) and the world premiere of “The Witnesses” by C.A. Johnson. Under her leadership, CTC has secured three NYSCA grants and partnered with the Telsey Office for casting and the Drama League to expand its directing fellows’ program, with the new addition of playwrighting fellows in 2026.
As a director of audio plays, Carroll’s work can be found with Audible, Marvel, and Broadway Podcast Network. She is also an educator that has guest lectured and directed at Juilliard, Rutgers, NYU, Princeton, and many more schools. She has an award from the August Wilson Estate as well as from her alma mater, SUNY New Paltz.

Sacred Song Service
2026-07-26 20:00, 2026-07-19 20:00, 2026-07-12 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Palestine Park Tour
2026-07-26 19:00, 2026-07-19 19:00, 2026-07-12 19:00 | Palestine Park, Palestine Park

Hebrew Congregation, Shirley Lazarus Sunday Evening Lecture Series- Cantors Jodi Sufrin and Roy Einhorn
2026-07-26 19:00 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents FutureNow New Play Lab 2: ERASERS: A Bloodthirsty Comedy
2026-07-26 18:00, 2026-07-25 18:00, 2026-07-25 14:00, 2026-07-24 14:00 | Roe Green Theater Center
In a world that looks remarkably like ours, the National Agency of Literary Advisors gives writers “gentle advice” about what kinds of stories the world wants to see. And then, the advice gets less gentle. ERASERS is a bloodthirsty comedy about office supplies and fascism.

Blessing of the Animals (weather permitting)
2026-07-26 17:15, 2026-07-19 17:15, 2026-07-12 17:15 | Hall of Philosophy Grove

Newcomers Reception
2026-07-26 17:00, 2026-07-19 17:00, 2026-07-12 17:00 | 3 Taps
Join us for the Newcomers Reception, a welcoming gathering open to all first-time and new visitors to Chautauqua Institution. This lovely event is a chance to meet fellow newcomers, connect with members of the community, and learn more about all that Chautauqua has to offer. Guests will enjoy light refreshments while taking in the beautiful lake views, making it a perfect way to begin your Chautauqua experience. We look forward to welcoming you!

New Visitors Orientation
2026-07-26 16:00, 2026-07-19 16:00, 2026-07-12 16:00 | Hultquist 101, Hultquist 101
Join us for lemonade and cookies at the Orientation for new Chautauquans, where we warmly welcome you to our vibrant community. This event is designed to introduce you to the rich history, diverse programs, and unique experiences that Chautauqua offers. Meet fellow newcomers, engage with staff, and learn about the array of cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities available. Whether you’re here for a day, a week, or the entire season, this orientation will help you make the most of your visit and feel right at home.

CHQ Mystic Heart -Church of the Wild -Family Friendly
2026-07-26 16:00, 2026-07-19 16:00, 2026-07-12 16:00 | Outdoor Classroom
Kriss Young Miller and her husband Gary manage the Quaker House. Kriss is a 2022 graduate of Earlham School of Religion with her Master of Arts in Peace and Social Transformation. Kriss is currently a student of Victoria Loorz in the Seminary of the Wild Earth at the Center for Wild Spirituality. She has completed Wild Church Leadership training and is deeply grateful for the opportunity to work to build connections with Chautauquans in the sacred wild.

Jim Daniels and Kristin Kovacic
2026-07-26 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading — Featuring Jim Daniels (Poetry) and Kristin Kovacic (Prose)
Jim Daniels is the recipient of the 2025-26 Michigan Author Award for lifetime achievement from the Library of Michigan and the Michigan Center for the Book. His new book, Late Invocation for Magic: New and Selected Poems, was published in January. He has authored over thirty collections of poetry, seven collections of fiction, four produced screenplays, and one collection of essays, An Ignorance of Trees, published in 2025. He has also edited many anthologies, including RESPECT: The Poetry of Detroit Music. He is a recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships and two from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Other writing awards include the Brittingham Prize, the Blue Lynx Prize, the Tillie Olsen Creative Writing Award, the Milton Kessler Award, and three Gold Medals in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and his films have won awards in film festivals around the world. His work has been published in The Best American Poetry and Pushcart Prize volumes. A native of Detroit, he lives in Pittsburgh, where he is the Thomas Stockham Baker University Professor Emeritus of English at Carnegie Mellon University. He currently teaches in the Alma College low-residency MFA Program.
Kristin Kovacic’s essays have won the Pushcart Prize, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship, and the Orison Books Prize for Best Spiritual Writing, among other awards. Her work has appeared recently in Slate, Belt, The Coachella Review, Chautauqua, Table Magazine, The Iowa Review, and other publications. She is the author of the essay collection History of My Breath, the poetry chapbook, House of Women, and co-editor (with Lynne Barrett) of Birth: A Literary Companion. She has taught nonfiction writing at every level, including at Winchester Thurston School, the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, and in the graduate programs of Carlow University and Chatham University. She lives and works in a deconsecrated Catholic Church on the South Side of Pittsburgh.

School of Music: Piano Program Showcase
2026-07-26 15:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Nicola Melville, Chair
Alexander Kobrin, 2026 Heintzelman Family Artistic Advisor
Pianists from the Chautauqua School of Music present a dazzling program of works for one and two pianos, with repertoire drawn from virtuoso works of the great classical composers and arrangements of popular and familiar tunes. Don’t miss your chance to see the next generation of talent on the Amphitheater stage today!
The Chautauqua Piano Program is a highly selective and dynamic five-week program for 20 pianists, ages 18–28. Combining a world-class roster of resident and guest faculty with unmatched practice and performance facilities, the program is designed to inspire young pianists from all over the globe. Students have solo and chamber music performance opportunities, plentiful private lessons, faculty-led discussions and master classes focused on advanced pianistic growth and building a career path.

"A Different Light: Landscapes by Gwen Norton" Exhibition Opening Reception
2026-07-26 15:00 | Strohl Art Center 2nd Floor
“A Different Light: Landscapes by Gwen Norton” opening reception. Exhibition runs July 26-August 25. Gwen Norton is currently in her thesis year of the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts in Photography, Video, and Related Media Department. Her work has been exhibited solo, two-person, and group shows in New York City and Martha’s Vineyard and is included in the collection of the Whitney Museum of Art Library. This exhibition is generously sponsored by the Friends of CVA. Curated by Judy Barie, the Susan & John Turben Director of CVA Galleries.

"Cutwork" Opening Reception
2026-07-26 15:00 | Strohl Art Center: Main Galleries
“Cutwork” opening reception. Exhibition runs July 26-August 25. “Cutwork” is a broad exploration of work using methods of cutting into or removing material. Featuring hand-cut paper, metal, fibers, and ceramics, these artists explore the weight and gravity of their material and subject matter. Layered and lacy textures reveal what is built and what is left behind. This exhibition is generously sponsored by Brenda and Larry thompson. Curated by Erika Diamond.
Artists: Elizabeth Alexander, Teresa Faris, Piper Shephard, Justin Stewart, Lydia C. Thompson, and Michael Velliquette.

"A Different Light: Landscapes by Gwen Norton" Exhibition: July 26–August 25
2026-07-26 13:00 | Strohl Art Center 2nd Floor
“A Different Light: Landscapes by Gwen Norton” exhibition – July 26-August 25. Gwen Norton is currently in her thesis year of the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts in Photography, Video, and Related Media Department. Her work has been exhibited solo, two-person, and group shows in New York City and Martha’s Vineyard and is included in the collection of the Whitney Museum of Art Library. This exhibition is generously sponsored by the Friends of CVA. Curated by Judy Barie, the Susan & John Turben Director of CVA Galleries.

"Cutwork" Exhibition: July 26–August 25
2026-07-26 13:00 | Strohl Art Center: Main Galleries
“Cutwork” exhibition runs July 26-August 25. “Cutwork” is a broad exploration of work using methods of cutting into or removing material. Featuring hand-cut paper, metal, fibers, and ceramics, these artists explore the weight and gravity of their material and subject matter. Layered and lacy textures reveal what is built and what is left behind. This exhibition is generously sponsored by Brenda and Larry Thompson. Curated by Erika Diamond.
Artists: Elizabeth Alexander, Teresa Faris, Piper Shephard, Justin Stewart, Lydia C. Thompson, and Michael Velliquette.

Unitarian Universalist Service
2026-07-26 09:30, 2026-07-19 09:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Unity Service
2026-07-26 09:30, 2026-07-19 09:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

Quaker Worship Service
2026-07-26 09:30 | Quaker House

United Church of Christ Worship Service
2026-07-26 09:00, 2026-07-19 09:00 | Randell Chapel, UCC Headquarters

Song, Prayer, Communion & Meditation.
2026-07-26 08:30, 2026-07-19 08:30 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Carmina Burana
2026-07-25 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Rossen Milanov, conductor
The Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus joins the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra for a captivating performance of the iconic Carmina Burana. Carl Orff’s masterpiece is drawn from medieval texts exploring fate, love, and the unpredictability of fortune. Best known for its electrifying opening, O Fortuna, the piece unfolds as a series of vivid scenes propelled by driving rhythms and striking orchestration. Immediate and powerful, Carmina Burana captures the raw intensity of human experience.
Program:
Orff: Carmina Burana

Catholic Mass
2026-07-25 17:00, 2026-07-18 17:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby (Live Audio Descriptions & Pick-Your-Price)
2026-07-25 16:00 | Bratton Theater, Bratton Theater

Contemporary Issues Forum: Pedro Reis
2026-07-25 15:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Pedro Reis, Founder, Production & Artistry Strategist at The Circus Arts Conservatory

Shabbat Service, Rabbi Zalman Vilenken
2026-07-25 09:30, 2026-07-18 09:30 | Chabad Jewish House

Food Donation Drop Off Outside Turner Community Center
2026-07-25 09:00, 2026-07-18 09:00 | Turner Lobby
Every Saturday during season the Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative and Chautauqua Property Owners Association are collecting unopened non-perishable food items for donation to local food pantries. Outside front entrance of Turner Community Center. Help reduce waste and feed our neighbors in need.

CHQ Mystic Heart: Centering Prayer with Carol McKiernan
2026-07-25 07:15, 2026-07-18 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.

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Conservatory Improv Night!
2026-07-24 22:00 | Roe Green Theater Center

Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas with special guest Theo Lawrence
2026-07-24 19:30 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
For nearly four decades, Alison Krauss & Union Station have upheld their legacy as one of the most influential and widely celebrated acts in bluegrass and roots music. Known for an immaculately crafted but endlessly surprising sound that transcends the boundaries of roots, country, rock & roll, and pop, Alison Krauss & Union Station released their highly anticipated new album, Arcadia, in 2025. This marked their first studio album since the 2011 masterpiece Paper Airplane—a critically lauded, multiple Grammy Award winning LP that debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country, Bluegrass, and Folk Album charts. Over the years, Alison Krauss & Union Station have brought their phenomenal live show to sold-out performances at famed venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Greek Theatre, Radio City Music Hall, and London’s Royal Festival Hall, in addition to supporting Paul Simon in Hyde Park for his 2012 Graceland reunion. They now continue the celebration of their new music with the Arcadia 2026 Tour.
The players – Alison Krauss (fiddle, lead vocal), Jerry Douglas (Dobro, lap steel, vocals), Ron Block (banjo, guitar, vocals), Barry Bales (bass, vocals), and highly acclaimed and celebrated tenor vocalist Russell Moore (guitar, mandolin, lead vocal) – are five distinct personalities, each of whom enjoys a flourishing solo career. But when they come together, they transform into a peerless group of musicians who share a singular focus.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service
2026-07-24 17:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

School of Music: Violin Masterclass with Ilya Kaler
2026-07-24 15:30 | Fletcher Music Hall, Fletcher Music Hall

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-24 15:30, 2026-07-17 15:30 | Christian Science House

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-24 15:30, 2026-07-17 15:30 | Episcopal Cottage, Episcopal Cottage

CHQ Dialogues
2026-07-24 15:30, 2026-07-17 15:30 | Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Islam 101 Khalid and Sabeeha Rehman
2026-07-24 15:30, 2026-07-17 15:30 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
“Islam in America”

Masters Series Masterclass: A Dialogue with Rainn Wilson
2026-07-24 15:30 | Norton Hall, Norton Hall
Chautauqua Lecture Series keynote speaker Rainn Wilson hosts a workshop engaging the Chautauqua community with his journal-style Soul Boom Workbook: Spiritual Tools for Modern Living—written in collaboration with Wilson’s SoulPancake co-founder and writer Shabnam Mogharabi. It is filled with hands-on prompts, inspired reflections, and ingenious creative activities. The session delves deeper into the indispensable companion book, based on his New York Times bestselling book—now a hit podcast—Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. Wilson’s approach to spirituality is relatable and applies to people of all beliefs, even the skeptics. The journal enables readers to find more purpose, meaning, and spirituality in their hectic lives as they seek out practical and transformative answers to life’s biggest questions. Wilson posits that a “Soul Boom” is the potential for a spiritual revolution to instigate transformations, both individually and collectively. It’s the healing balm that our world needs in our contemporary mental health crisis.

Susan Choi
2026-07-24 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
The Chautauqua Prize Award Ceremony and Presentation – Flashlight by Susan Choi
Chautauqua Institution presents author Susan Choi with the 2026 Chautauqua Prize for her book Flashlight. Awarded annually since 2012, The Chautauqua Prize celebrates a book of fiction, or literary/narrative nonfiction, or a full length collection of poetry that provides a richly rewarding reading experience and to honor the author for a significant contribution to the literary arts.
Flashlight is an expansive, ambitious, multigenerational novel that is equal parts historical fiction, family saga and bildungsroman. It is a story of secrets, shadows and absences that reverberate across time and continents. As the novel progresses, shifting perspective from one character to the next, we learn more about a family who has not only lost a husband and father, but has been severed from their pasts in unfathomable ways.
Readers follow this family from Indiana, to Massachusetts, to North Korea and Japan across decades. Slowly, we learn more about Serk before his disappearance — an ethnically Korean man raised in Japan and a lonely academic who has lost touch with his family who chose to repatriate into North Korea following the promises of the postwar Pyongyang. We witness the choices his American wife, Anne, made in her youth that transformed her into a woman of acerbic attitudes, which alienate her daughter, Louisa, and illegitimate son, Tobias. We also experience Louisa’s struggles to understand and find a place within the world after the loss of her father, Serk, at ten and as she navigates her estrangement from her mother.
The 2026 independent jury declared the book “a sprawling, masterfully and meticulously written novel that deals with language, cultural alienation and political intrigue centering a family contending with distance, time and space.” During jury deliberations they called Flashlight “a triumph of narrative craft and an ode to the power of the stories within us all.”
Since first appearing on bookshelves in June 2025, Flashlight has been named a finalist for the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and longlisted for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal and the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. It has also been named one of President Obama’s Favorite Books of the 2025, a TeaTime and Get Lit Book Club Pick and a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, Time, New York, The Washington Post, NPR, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Elle, Town & Country, Oprah Daily, The New York Post, 48 Hills, Financial Times, The Economist, Esquire (UK), Kirkus Reviews, Electric Literature, PEN America, The Chicago Public Library and Los Angeles Review of Books.
Susan Choi is the author of Trust Exercise, which received the National Book Award for fiction, as well as the novels The Foreign Student, American Woman, A Person of Interest and My Education. She is a recipient of the Asian American Literary Award for fiction, the PEN/W. G. Sebald Award, a Lambda Literary award, the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. She teaches in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Rainn Wilson
2026-07-24 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Drawing on his experience as a cultural commentator and advocate for spiritual renewal, Rainn Wilson closes Chautauqua’s Week Four theme “Wasted: Our Era of Disposability” in conversation, weaving humor with a sense of moral urgency to discuss how disposability affects not only our environment but also erodes our sense of meaning, relationships and community.
Wilson is an Emmy-nominated and SAG Award-winning actor best known for playing Dwight Schrute on NBC’s “The Office.” A longtime environmental activist, Wilson co-founded Climate Basecamp in 2022. With the organization, he has been working on climate communications and serves as a member on the advisory board.
On his podcast, “Soul Boom,” Wilson hosts a series of intimate conversations with some of the most brilliant and heart-felt artists, thinkers and doers to bring the listener toward transformation on both a personal and spiritual level. In 2009, he founded the digital media company Soul Pancake. He is the author of four books including The Bassoon King, SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions, Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, and Soul Boom Workbook: Spiritual Tools for Modern Living.
Wilson is also known for “Lessons in Chemistry”; the unscripted travel series “Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss”; “Jerry & Marge Go Large”; “Utopia”; Roger Michell’s “Blackbird”; “The Meg”; “Star Trek: Discovery”; “Hesher”; “Super”; “Cooties”; “Juno”; “Galaxy Quest”; and “Almost Famous.” He has an MFA from New York University. On Broadway, Wilson was in The Tempest” and the Tony nominated “London Assurance.” He performed “Thom Pain (Based on Nothing)” at The Geffen and was the lead role in the political farce “The Doppelganger” at Steppenwolf Theater.
Later that afternoon, Wilson will host a Masters Series workshop engaging the Chautauqua community with his journal-style Soul Boom Workbook: Spiritual Tools for Modern Living — based on his New York Times bestselling book and hit podcast Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution.

CHQ Mystic Heart - Bhante Chipamong Chowdhury, Theravada Buddhism / Mindfulness Meditation
2026-07-24 07:45, 2026-07-23 07:45, 2026-07-22 07:45, 2026-07-21 07:45, 2026-07-20 07:45 | Presbyterian House, Presbyterian House
Originally from Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bangladesh), Bhante (Chipamong Chowdhury) is a contemplative teacher, researcher, storyteller and monastic activist. He became a monk at the age of 6 and received traditional Buddhist education, monastic training and meditation in Sri Lanka and Myanmar (1998-2006). He also studied at the University of Toronto Canada, Naropa University Colorado, Arizona State University, and was a Fellow at the Columbia University NY. He taught courses on Contemporary Buddhism Universities in Europe and US. He is a co-editor of the book: Human Dignity: Practices, Discourses, and Transformations. His essays and writings have appeared in the Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Journal of Contemporary Buddhism, Buddhist Studies Reviews, and Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, among other publications. Defining himself as a nomad monk or/ a global citizen, he travels extensively in North America, Europe and Asia, teaching nomad mindfulness, inner resources, active care, and human dignity. Bringing his experience as a Theravāda/nomad monk in South and Southeast Asia, besides daily mindfulness meditation, Bhante will be offering various aspects of Theravāda Dhamma reflecting on empathy, hopes, loves, forgiveness, healings, emotional intimacy, anger, and compassionate actions, among other topics.

POWER BALLAD
2026-07-23 20:30, 2026-07-23 15:30, 2026-07-22 18:00, 2026-07-21 20:30 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
When Rick (Paul Rudd), a past-his-prime wedding singer, meets fading boy-band star Danny (Nick Jonas) during a gig, the two bond over music and a late-night jam session. But when Danny turns one of Rick’s songs into the hit that reignites his career, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves. Writer-director John Carney (Sing Street, Begin Again, Once) brings us “another catchy valentine to the transcendent properties of music…full of native wit, warmth and generosity, play it on repeat.” -Ian Freer, Empire Magazine “A little bit familiar, a little bit unexpected and utterly, thrillingly satisfying.” -Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter (R, 98m)

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Hovhaness and Shostakovich
2026-07-23 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Rossen Milanov, conductor
The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra presents two notable symphonies of the twentieth century. Hovhaness’s Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain,” unfolds as a meditation on nature, drawing listeners into a sound world of serenity, chant-like melody, and rich expression. In contrast, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 12 is a work of momentum and scale, depicting history through bold orchestral force and intensity. Together, these symphonies highlight two distinct approaches to the symphonic form-one inward and contemplative, the other outward and declarative.
Program:
Hovhaness: Symphony No. 2 “Mysterious Mountain”
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12, “The Year 1917”

MARY OLIVER: SAVED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD
2026-07-23 18:00, 2026-07-22 20:30, 2026-07-22 15:30, 2026-07-21 18:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself—and her readers—to the known and unknowable world. “[Sacha] Waters’s documentary will set one pondering, then reaching for the bookshelf, or perhaps walking out into the woods.” -Zachary Barnes, Wall Street Journal (NR, 91m)

Islam 101 Khalid and Sabeeha Rehman
2026-07-23 15:30, 2026-07-16 15:30 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
“Shariah”

Chautauqua Opera Company Presents: An Afternoon of Song
2026-07-23 15:15, 2026-07-16 15:15 | Fletcher Music Hall, Fletcher Music Hall
Join us for an afternoon of song, featuring our 2026 Young Artists.

Leah Naomi Green
2026-07-23 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Leah Naomi Green is writer-in-residence at Washington and Lee University. She is the author of The More Extravagant Feast, selected by Li-Young Lee for the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets and named “one of the best books of 2020” by The Boston Globe. Green teaches English and environmental studies at Washington and Lee University as well as online creative writing workshops for Orion Magazine.
Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Paris Review, The Nation, Tin House, The Kenyon Review, “Poem-a-Day,” VQR, The Southern Review, Orion, The Georgia Review and Ecotone, among other journals.
Green has been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and supported by fellowships and awards from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Guilford College Sherwood Anderson Visiting Writer Program and the Lucille Clifton Legacy Award for compassion, courage, truth-telling and commitment to justice.

CHQ Mystic Heart - Bhante Chipamong Chowdhury, Theravada Buddhism / Mindfulness Meditation
2026-07-23 12:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

What's In Our Waters? A workshop on microplastics with Dr. Sherri Mason and Rachael Zoe Miller
2026-07-23 12:30 | Heinz Beach, Heinz Beach
Join Nat Geo Explorer Rachael Zoe Miller and leading microplastics researcher Dr. Sam Mason for a fun workshop about trash in our waters and what we can do about it.

Play CHQ: Bottle Print Flowers
2026-07-23 12:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza

Katharine K. Wilkinson
2026-07-23 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Katharine K. Wilkinson is a human on Earth. As a bestselling writer, teacher and climate expert, she has inspired hundreds of thousands of climate journeys through transformational projects that shift our cultural narratives about what’s possible and nurture engagement in renewing our world. Her books include Climate Wayfinding — called “invaluable” by frequent Chautauqua lecturer Bill McKibben — the bestselling anthology All We Can Save and the New York Times bestseller Drawdown. Her remarks contributing to Chautauqua’s exploration of “Our Era of Disposability” will draw from Climate Wayfinding, which was released in May 2026.
Wilkinson co-founded and leads The All We Can Save Project, where she shaped the much-beloved programs All We Can Save Circles and Climate Wayfinding. She also co-hosts the podcast “A Matter of Degrees” and writes the newsletter “Human on Earth.” Previously, Wilkinson was the principal writer and editor-in-chief at Project Drawdown. With a singular blend of warmth and rigor, she facilitates and speaks widely — including a TED Talk with more than 2 million views — and periodically teaches as a visiting professor.
Wilkinson holds a Ph.D. in geography and environment from the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and a B.A. in religion from Sewanee: The University of the South. In 2019, Time Magazine named her one of fifteen “Women Who Will Save the World.”

Cantor Olivia Brodsky
2026-07-23 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Cantor Olivia Brodsky serves as Cantor and Co-Clergy of East End Temple in Manhattan, alongside Rabbi Joshua Stanton. She is a vocalist dedicated to preserving Jewish culture and tradition while making it evermore applicable to daily life and accessible for people of all generations. Brodsky is passionate about engaging a diverse community of people with varying backgrounds and levels of religious and cultural observance, herself having been raised in the Conservative movement and now dually affiliated with both the Reform movement’s American Conference of Cantors and the Conservative movement’s Cantor’s Assembly.
Brodsky is deeply engaged in Jewish education, global Jewish travel, and interfaith
dialogue. In reaction to divisive politics plaguing both the US and the world at large, she founded an Adult Education series entitled “Complex Conversations with the Cantor,” where she facilitates respectful dialogue between people with a diverse array of views on controversial issues.
As an outspoken advocate for the Jewish community and a published writer, Brodsky contributes op-ed commentary to a variety of news outlets addressing Jewish identity, the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Zionism, and antisemitism. She brings a nuanced understanding of Jewish history, culture, Abrahamic faith traditions, Middle Eastern politics, social justice, and ethics to her ministry. Brodsky strives to create relevant, inclusive, intellectually engaging Jewish experiences for her community.
Brodsky attended a dual-degree program at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC), earning a B.A. in Judaic Studies and studying Classical Vocal Performance. She received her Master of Sacred Music and Cantorial Ordination from the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion.

Chautauqua Opera Company presents: The Music Shop / A.E. Reverie / Ida by Lamplight
2026-07-22 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
THE MUSIC SHOP / A.E. REVERIE / IDA BY LAMPLIGHT
Three operas light up the Amphitheater stage on July 22, bringing both side-splitting laughter and heart-melting nostalgia. In Richard Wargo’s zany one-act The Music Shop (last seen at Chautauqua where it premiered in 1993) Dmitri and Masha try to help the hapless Ivan remember the title of the song his wife must sing at a royal wedding, while visions of her haunt and strike fear in him. This four-character, 60-minute farce promises a lively romp in the Amphitheater! Two installments from The Summer Place round out the evening. A.E. Reverie, which received its world premiere at Chautauqua in 2024, reflects on Amelia Earhart’s 1929 lecture at the Amphitheater, and how it inspired another young woman’s dream of flight. To close out the evening, the world premiere of Ida by Lamplight takes us back to the Chautauqua Literary and Science Circle’s early years, celebrating Ida Tarbell and Kate Kimball, whose pioneering work galvanized Chautauqua Institution’s mission. Commissioned by Chautauqua Opera Company, Ida by Lamplight celebrates the 150th anniversary of The Chautauquan Daily in 2026. Stage Director Ned Canty (The Mikado, Don Giovanni, and Love and Longing by the Lake) brings everything to life in a celebration of Chautauqua which you will not want to miss.

CVA Lecture Series: Elizabeth Mooney, School of Art Faculty
2026-07-22 18:30 | Hultquist 101, Hultquist 101
Elizabeth Mooney is a visual artist that explores the construct of landscape through painting, printmaking, and kinetic sculpture. She received her MFA in Painting and Drawing from California College of the Arts, and her BFA from the Art Institute of Boston. Elizabeth was a Visual Artist Fellow at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, and has received grants from the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, the Sustainable Arts Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Elizabeth is currently an Associate Professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she teaches painting and printmaking.

Chautauqua Opera Company Operalogue: The Music Shop / A.E. Reverie / Ida by Lamplight
2026-07-22 17:00 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall

Play CHQ: Bottle Bubble Blower
2026-07-22 16:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

Islam 101 Khalid and Sabeeha Rehman
2026-07-22 15:30, 2026-07-15 15:30 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
“Shia-Sunni Sects and Religious Hierarchy”

UU Cultural Ethics Series: J. D. Stillwater, President of Religious Naturalists Unitarian Universalists
2026-07-22 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Rita Nakashima Brock
2026-07-22 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Rita Nakashima Brock is a scholar, editor and writer. From 2017-2025, she was senior vice president and director of the Shay Moral Injury Center at Volunteers of America and the co-author of Soul Repair: Recovering from the Moral Injury after War with Gabriella Lettini.
In 2012 she co-founded, with Col. (Chaplain) Herman Keizer, Jr., and directed the Soul Repair Center at Brite Divinity School. She is the co-author, with Rebecca Ann Parker, of Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering and the Search for What Saves Us and Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire.
From 2005-2008, she was senior editor in religion at The New Press book publisher in New York. Her first book is Journeys By Heart: A Christology of Erotic Power and her second, with Susan Thistlethwaite, is Casting Stones: Prostitution and Liberation in Asia and the U.S. She is also author of many essays and blogs.

Rachael Zoe Miller
2026-07-22 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Rachael Zoe Miller is a National Geographic Explorer, inventor, author and Explorers Club Fellow working to protect the ocean through expedition-based science, conservation and storytelling. She is the founder of Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean, a nonprofit addressing marine debris; co-inventor of the Cora Ball, the world’s first microfiber-catching laundry ball; creator of CSI for the Ocean, a global citizen science microplastic mapping and monitoring program; and author of Decision-Making in the Age of Plastics. Miller leads teams on expeditions whose scientific results are published in peer-reviewed journals and education programs that inspire thousands of all ages. She is a visiting scientist with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, joining expeditions to investigate microplastic and microfiber in the Arctic and Southern Oceans. She’s presented at myriad events, including TedX, MIT’s Water Summit, World Ocean Forum, at the Chautauqua Institution and in multiple countries as part of the U.S. State Department’s International Speaker Program. Miller captained the 60’ sailing research vessel, American Promise; trained Navy SEALS to use underwater robots; mentors young scientists at the New York Harbor School and is an ambassador for the Scottish Seabird Centre. She grew up in the lakes and rivers of upstate New York, lives in Vermont and loves human and wind-powered water sports.

School of Music: Opera Conservatory Masterclass with Kevin Murphy
2026-07-22 10:00 | McKnight Hall, McKnight Hall

Cantor Olivia Brodsky
2026-07-22 09:15, 2026-07-21 09:15, 2026-07-20 09:15, 2026-07-19 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven's "Eroica"
2026-07-21 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Timothy Muffitt, conductor
Under the baton of Timothy Muffitt, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra opens with Christopher Theofanidis’s Rainbow Body, a luminous work inspired by one of Hildegard von Bingen’s medieval chants. Closing out the night is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”, an evolutionary masterpiece that ushered in an era of new symphonic music. Equally expansive and bold, the Eroica transforms personal struggle into heroic expression.
Program:
Christopher Theofanidis: Rainbow Body
Beethoven: Symphony #3 “Eroica”

Chautauqua Opera Conservatory: Mozart's Die Zauberflöte
2026-07-21 17:00, 2026-07-18 14:00 | Norton Hall, Norton Hall
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Librettist: Original text by Emanuel Schickaneder, English dialogue translation by Nathan Troup
Stage Director: Nathan Troup
Conductor: Stephen Hargreaves
In Mozart’s comic opera The Magic Flute, Prince Tamino embarks on a journey to rescue Pamina, only to discover that the true battle isn’t between people, but between ignorance and understanding. Guided by elements both mystical and spiritual—and joined by the ever-hopeful, always-hungry, bird-catching Papageno as their trusty sidekick—Tamino and Pamina undergo trials of courage, integrity, and resilience. As the Queen of the Night spreads fear and misinformation, the wise Sarastro champions reason, compassion, and community. In a world that often feels divided by noise and uncertainty, The Magic Flute resonates as a timeless and timely tale of seeking truth, choosing empathy over fear, and finding harmony through connection.
Sung in German (with English supertitles) and spoken English dialogue.

Play CHQ: TP Roll Painting
2026-07-21 16:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

School of Music Piano Faculty Recital: José Ramón Méndez
2026-07-21 16:00 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall
Described as “an artist with a polished sound and tremendous constructive power” and hailed by the Hoja del Lunes de Madrid, as “the Spanish pianist of his generation,” José Ramón Méndez is one of the most exciting Spanish pianists of today.
Recent performances include Chopin’s first piano concerto with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra and Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain with the Nittany Valley Symphony, as well as numerous solo and chamber music performances in the United States, Europe, and Asia. His playing has been featured on WQXR’s “Performance Today” and on Classical KMFA. He has been a guest performer at many music festivals, including the Caramoor Festival, Barge Music Series, Festival Internacional de Piano de las Islas Canarias, Music at Penn’s Woods, Amalfi Coast International Music Festival, “Tocando el Cielo,” Musica en Compostela, the Stony Brook International Piano Festival, and the Santander International Music Festival, among many others. As a chamber musician, Méndez has collaborated with such distinguished artists as Karl Leister, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Tree, Pascual Martinez-Nieto, and Pinchas Zukerman.

Islam 101 Khalid and Sabeeha Rehman
2026-07-21 15:30, 2026-07-14 15:30 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
“Family Life and Women in Islam”

Sonya S. Cronin
2026-07-21 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Sonya S. Cronin, Ph.D., is a scholar of the New Testament and a public theologian whose work moves between the ancient text and the contemporary prison. She teaches in the Department of Religion at Florida State University, where she earned her doctorate, and leads courses for FSU’s International Programs in London and Florence.
She is the author of The Repentance of YHWH: Mark’s Gospel of Universal Inclusion (Fortress Press, 2025) and Raymond Brown, “the Jews,” and the Gospel of John: From Apologia to Apology (T&T Clark, 2015), a study of how Christian reading of the Fourth Gospel was reshaped in the long aftermath of the Holocaust. Across essays on Jewish-Christian dialogue, the foreign women of Ezra-Nehemiah, and the moral pull of fantasy literature. Her scholarship returns again and again to a single question: who belongs inside the circle of divine mercy, and who has been left outside it.
Cronin is the founder and executive director of The Carrier Pigeon Post, a nonprofit that delivers a free monthly newspaper of story, essay, and poetry into more than 180 prisons and reentry facilities, reaching tens of thousands of incarcerated readers each month. She is also the co-founder and past board chair of Joseph House, a home of welcome for men returning from prison. In classroom, on the page, and behind bars, her conviction is the same: that no one is beyond the reach of a story, or of hope.

School of Music: Open Recital
2026-07-21 14:00, 2026-07-17 15:30, 2026-07-14 14:00 | Fletcher Music Hall, Fletcher Music Hall

CHQ Mystic Heart - Bhante Chipamong Chowdhury, Theravada Buddhism / Mindfulness Meditation
2026-07-21 12:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

From Disposability to Ingenuity & Decision-Making in the Age of Plastics: Lecture and Book Launch.
2026-07-21 12:30 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
Bird, Tree & Garden Club lunchtime lecture series
In this combined presentation and book launch, Rachael will first share stories about the consequences of the Era of Disposability and innovative ways to address them. These will be based on Rachael and her team’s own experiences working around the world to address marine debris and are stories she has not yet told at Chautauqua! This presentation will include a new audience-participation game called “Source or Sink?!”
In the second part of the program, Rachael will officially launch Decision-Making in the Age of Plastics: Kitchens! This book follows the same choose-your-own-adventure style as book one launched last year here at Chautauqua but is dedicated to reducing your and your family’s exposure to microplastics and associated chemicals in your kitchen. The products in book 2 include: cutting boards, utensils, cookware, sponges, dishcloths and scrubbers as well as items used to make tea, coffee and hot drinks.
Following the talk/book launch and questions, there will be a book signing, with books available for purchase on-site. Both books, as well as Cora Balls will also be available at the Bookstore.
Rachael Zoe Miller is a National Geographic Explorer, inventor, author and Explorers Club Fellow working to protect the ocean through expedition-based science, conservation and storytelling.
She is the founder of Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean, a nonprofit addressing marine debris; co-inventor of the Cora Ball, the world’s first microfiber-catching laundry ball; creator of CSI for the Ocean, a global citizen science microplastic mapping and monitoring program; and author of “Decision-Making in the Age of Plastics.”

Aja Barber
2026-07-21 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Aja Barber is a writer and sustainability consultant focusing on the intersections of sustainability, fashion, and the textile industry. Her work explores the traditions of privilege, wealth inequality, racism, feminism, colonialism, and how these systems of power affect our buying habits.
Consumed is her debut book, a treatise on the state of fashion, climate change, and social justice. The book reveals the endemic injustices in our consumer industries, the uncomfortable history of the textile industry, and how oppressive systems help create a lack of diversity and equality in the fashion industry. Independent booksellers across the UK and Ireland voted to include Consumed on the non-fiction shortlist for the Indie Book Awards 2023.
Barber has written for The Guardian, CNN, Selfridges, Eco-Age, and a host of other sites. She contributed to “No Offence But…” by Gina Martin. She is currently working on a novel acquired by Brazen Books. Originally from Reston, Virginia, Barber currently lives in South East London. In addition to her other work, Barber is a contributing editor for Elle UK. Her Patreon newsletter has been going since 2018 and was the first slow fashion newsletter of this type.

Dr. John Atkinson: “Are Technical Improvements Actually Improving Recycling?”
2026-07-21 09:15 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary
Chautauqua Science Group Weekly Lecture
John D. Atkinson is an environmental engineering professor at the University at Buffalo, where he created the University’s most popular study abroad course and has been recognized as an Early Career Teacher of the Year, Outstanding Director, Experiential Learning Faculty Fellow, and Best Undergraduate Mentor.
His work is driven by an overarching desire to more sustainably produce and consume, resulting in a diverse portfolio of publications and seminars. With on-going funding from New York State and the U.S. National Science Foundation, as well as local industry, he is currently researching within the broad field of waste management, using life cycle analysis tools to investigate plastics and tire recycling, waste disposal options, and energy recovery. His work targets real-world problems that impact everyday life, aiming to make engineering more thoughtful and accessible.
Atkinson emboldens lifestyle changes that promote sustainability. He encourages his students to expand their comfort zones, holistically problem solve, and embrace their creativity through engineering design.​
He received a BS in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 2007, a MS in Environmental Engineering in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in 2009 and a Ph.D in Environmental Engineering in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois (UIUC) in 2013.

Unscripted! An Evening of Musical Improv
2026-07-20 22:00, 2026-07-18 22:00 | Roe Green Theater Center
Unscripted! An Evening of Musical Improv features a collection of improv comedians and singers from Brooklyn, New York. By day, they are the Chautauqua Institution Young Playwrights Project’s Lead Teaching Artists, teaching in public schools throughout Chautauqua County. By night, they grace the stages of New York City’s premiere comedy venues.

SENTIMENTAL VALUE
2026-07-20 20:30, 2026-07-20 13:45, 2026-07-19 17:15, 2026-07-18 20:30, 2026-07-17 13:15 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) reunite with their estranged father, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgard), a charismatic, once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star (Elle Fanning). Written and directed by Joachim Trier (The Worst Person In The World). “A subtle yet sweeping tapestry of art, family and connection.” -Chase Hutchinson, TheWrap “This might be the best movie of the year.” -Christy Lemire, FilmWeek (LAist) (R, 133m. In Norwegian, English, French and Danish with subtitles.)

Music School Festival Orchestra
2026-07-20 20:00, 2026-07-13 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.

DISCLOSURE DAY
2026-07-20 17:00, 2026-07-19 20:30, 2026-07-19 13:45, 2026-07-18 17:00, 2026-07-17 19:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to eight billion people. Today is…Disclosure Day. “Emily Blunt amazes in a new Steven Spielberg alien close encounter that probes his classic earlier work…Lucky for us, the master still hasn’t forgotten how to deliver full-body chills that knock you sideways.” -Peter Travers, The Travers Take “A summery sci-fi thriller, and a close encounter with classic-era Spielberg.” -Rafer Guzman, Newsday (PG-13, 145m)

CHQ Travels Reception
2026-07-20 17:00 | Athenaeum Porch
Join Chautauqua Travels for an hour of wine and conversation at 5 p.m. this evening on the porch of the Athenaeum Hotel.
This informal travel information session offers an opportunity to learn about upcoming Chautauqua Travels experiences, including journeys to Singapore, South Africa and Santa Fe, while hearing directly from travel experts about each destination. Whether you’re considering your next adventure or curious about the program, stop by to meet fellow travelers, ask questions and discover where Chautauqua Travels may take you next.
No registration is required.

CHQ Mystic Heart - Sound Meditation with Suzanne Watters
2026-07-20 16:45 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
Suzanne Watters is a Pratt Institute MFA graduate with a concentration in painting/drawing. Her art practice centers around woven pieces made with found textiles painted with pigments and/or dyed with food waste and other organic matter. She has attended training in New York City and received a certification in sound meditation from the Sound Healing Academy. She has also done additional sound healing training at a retreat and session with Wyatt Mylius at Rooted In Sound in Pittsburgh, PA (trained with Peter Hess) and with indigenous sound healing practitioner Moises Tort in Mandarina, Mexico. Watters sees her sound meditation sessions as being led by an artist and guided with the relaxation tools and techniques of poetry, breath, and sound

Chautauqua Chamber Music: Del Sol Quartet
2026-07-20 16:00 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall
Experience the adventurous Del Sol Quartet in a powerful concert that explores how generational knowledge helps us heal our world. Known for their bold artistry and commitment to diverse voices, Del Sol presents a brand-new quartet, Moananuiākea by composer Leilehua Lanzilotti, a work that honors the vast Pacific Ocean and the interconnectedness of all who cross it. The program highlights the quartet’s signature blend of innovation, beauty, and cultural storytelling. Join us for a performance that expands the boundaries of the string quartet tradition.

Play CHQ: Upcycle Buffet
2026-07-20 16:00 | Heinz Beach, Heinz Beach

Concessions Community Listening Session
2026-07-20 16:00 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
Join us for an opportunity to connect with the team working to bring concessions to Chautauqua and share your thoughts. Stop by to ask questions, offer feedback, and let us know how your experience has been so far this summer. We’d love to hear from you and continue shaping this effort together.

Islam 101 Khalid and Sabeeha Rehman
2026-07-20 15:30, 2026-07-13 15:30 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary
“The Quran and What is Says About Other Faiths”

Bill McKibben
2026-07-20 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Bill McKibben is a contributing writer to The New Yorker and a founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 to work on climate and racial justice. He founded the first global grassroots climate campaign, 350, and serves as the Schumann Distinguished Professor in Residence at Middlebury College in Vermont.
He has written more than twenty books about the environment including, The End of Nature and The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at his Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened. His latest book is titled Here Comes the Sun.
In 2014, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes called the “alternative Nobel,” in the Swedish Parliament. He also won the Gandhi Peace Award and honorary degrees from 19 colleges and universities.

Moving Beyond Our Era of Disposability: How a Reuse Economy Benefits People, Planet, and Profit.
2026-07-20 12:15 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
Hear from three Western New York innovators about how we move beyond an economy based on waste to one based on reusing what we’ve already produced. Panel discussion with Dr. John Atkinson, chair in engineering sustainability at University at Buffalo; Diane Cohen, CEO of Finger Lakes Reuse; and Kenneth Omeruo, creator of UpcycleCHQ.
This program is presented in collaboration with the Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable.

Play CHQ: Water Bottle Fish
2026-07-20 12:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza

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.

School of Music: Opera Conservatory Masterclass with Dominic Armstrong
2026-07-20 10:00 | McKnight Hall, McKnight Hall

Hebrew Congregation, Shirley Lazarus Sunday Evening Lecture Series- Kristen McMahon
2026-07-19 19:00 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall

Children's Worship
2026-07-19 16:30, 2026-07-12 16:30 | Hall of Philosophy Grove

Angela May and Mary Alice Monroe
2026-07-19 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading & CLSC Young Readers Author Presentation — Angela May (Children’s Literature) and Mary Alice Monroe (Prose)
Angela May is the co-author of The Islanders, a New York Times bestselling series created with Mary Alice Monroe. All three books in their middle grade series are rooted in the magic of nature and set on a remote barrier island off the coast of South Carolina. The first book in the series, The Islanders, earned several honors, including the South Carolina Children’s Book Award nominee and the Triple Crown Award.
Angela is a South Carolina Lowcountry native and a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a degree in broadcast journalism. Prior to her career in the book publishing industry, she worked as an award-winning reporter, producer, and news anchor.
She lives in Mount Pleasant with her husband, who is an educator, and their two children. You can connect with her at www.angelamaybooks.com.
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.

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.

Bosco Short Leg Dog Race
2026-07-19 14:00 | Athenaeum Hotel, Athenaeum Hotel

The Great American Picnic
2026-07-19 12:00 | Literary Arts Grove

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: Holst's The Planets
2026-07-18 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Embark on a thrilling musical journey across galaxies with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. The evening opens with John Williams’ iconic “Main Theme” from the Star Wars Suite filled with energy, heroism, and familiar melodies. Holst follows with “The Planets”, a monumental suite exploring Roman gods and goddesses through sound. From Mars’ ferocious ostinato to Neptune’s mysterious beauty, the orchestra will explore a full range of characters. Together, these pieces bring exhilarating celestial energy to the amphitheater.
Program:
Williams: Star Wars, “Main Theme”
Holst: The Planets

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents Best for Baby (Pick-Your-Price)
2026-07-18 17:00 | Bratton Theater, Bratton Theater

Contemporary Issues Forum: Eunice Nichols
2026-07-18 15:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Eunice Nichols, Co-CEO, CoGenerate

Piano Program Student Recital
2026-07-18 13:00 | Sherwood-Marsh 101

Harry Connick Jr.
2026-07-17 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
A consummate performer, Harry Connick, Jr. has exemplified excellence in the entertainment world for decades—be it music, film, television or Broadway. His prodigious talent has earned him Grammy, Emmy and Tony recognition, plus album sales in excess of 30 million and sold-out concerts around the world.
Backed by his stellar band, this special concert will showcase the full breadth of Connick’s artistry—from jazz standards and New Orleans classics to his masterful originals and career-defining hits.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service
2026-07-17 17:00 | Hall of Christ: Sanctuary

THE EXTRAORDINARY CATERPILLAR
2026-07-17 16:30 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Climate Change Initiative–Bird Tree and Garden Club Event! Free Admission! Featuring dazzling macro-videography to magnify these tiny, fantastical creatures, filmmaker Jeff McKay’s fascinating documentary takes viewers on a journey to understand why the famously “very hungry caterpillar” is a key player in maintaining biodiversity. CWC Director of Conservation Twan Leenders will host discussion to follow the film. (NR, 60m)

Marie Arana
2026-07-17 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle — LatinoLand: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority by Marie Arana
LatinoLand is an exceptional, all-encompassing overview of Hispanic America based on personal interviews, deep research, and Marie Arana’s life experience as a Latina. At present, Latinos comprise twenty percent of the US population, a number that is growing. By 2050, census reports project that one in every three Americans will claim Latino heritage.
But Latinos are not a monolith. They do not represent a single group. The largest groups are Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Salvadorans, and Cubans. Each has a different cultural and political background. As LatinoLand shows, Latinos were some of the earliest immigrants to what is now the US—some of them arriving in the 1500s. They are racially diverse—a random infusion of white, Black, indigenous, and Asian. Once overwhelmingly Catholic, they are becoming increasingly Protestant and Evangelical. They range from domestic workers and day laborers to successful artists, corporate CEOs, and US senators. Formerly solidly Democratic, they now vote Republican in growing numbers. They are as culturally varied as any immigrants from Europe or Asia.
Marie Arana draws on her own experience as the daughter of an American mother and Peruvian father who came to the US at age nine, straddling two worlds, as many Latinos do. “Thorough, accessible, and necessary” (Ms. magazine), LatinoLand unabashedly celebrates Latino resilience and character and shows us why we must understand the fastest-growing minority in America.
Marie Arana was born in Lima, Peru. She is the author of the memoir American Chica, a finalist for the National Book Award; two novels, Cellophane and Lima Nights; the prizewinning biography Bolivar; Silver, Sword, and Stone, a narrative history of Latin America; The Writing Life, a collection from her well-known column for The Washington Post; and LatinoLand, an exceptional, all-encompassing overview of Hispanic Americans. She is the inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress and lives in Washington, DC, and Lima, Peru.

Kevin R. Kosar and Kathryn Dunn Tenpas
2026-07-17 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Kevin R. Kosar and Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, two of the nation’s leading experts in the workings of the U.S. federal government, governance, and interbranch relations, will present in tandem on the state of the federal government, federalism and U.S. elections. The program concludes the Chautauqua Lecture Series weeklong exploration of “The 2026 Election: What’s at Stake?,” a five-part series at Chautauqua in partnership with the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution, with each program featuring experts from both organizations.
Kathryn Dunn Tenpas is a visiting fellow in Governance Studies and director of the Initiative on Improving Interbranch Relations and Government. She also serves as a practitioner senior fellow at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center and on the Advisory Board of the White House Transition Project. Tenpas’ research addresses the intersection between the presidency and politics, focusing on presidential personnel, Senate-confirmed appointments, transitions, re-election campaigns and trends in presidential travel and polling. Her studies of White House staffing include an original database that tracks turnover rates among senior staffers. In addition, she has written or coauthored pieces on key units within the White House (Office of Political Affairs, Staff Secretary, Counsel’s Office, Faith-based and Community Initiatives and the Office of the First Lady).
Tenpas is author of Presidents as Candidates: Inside the White House for the Presidential Campaign, and has published articles, book chapters, blog posts, op-eds and papers on a variety of presidency-related topics. Her insights on the presidency have been quoted in major newspapers, and she has appeared on numerous television and radio outlets in the United States and abroad.
Tenpas’ academic positions have included the directorship of the University of Pennsylvania’s Washington Semester Program, senior fellow at the Weidenbaum Center at Washington University in St. Louis, and an associate professorship in the Department of Government and International Affairs at the University of South Florida. While there, she won an undergraduate teaching award, directed the Political Science Honors Program and the Washington, D.C. internship program. Tenpas earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in 1985, and her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Virginia.
Kevin R. Kosar is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies the U.S. Congress, the administrative state, American politics, election reform, and the U.S. Postal Service. He edits UnderstandingCongress.org and hosts the “Understanding Congress” podcast. Before joining AEI, Kosar was at the R Street Institute, where he served as vice president of policy, vice president of research partnerships, and senior fellow and director of the Governance Project. He also cofounded the Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group, a transpartisan project to strengthen the legislative branch.
Earlier, Kosar spent more than a decade working for the Congressional Research Service, where he focused on a wide range of public administration issues. He has also taught public policy at New York University and lectured on public administration at Metropolitan College of New York. His books include Congress Overwhelmed: The Decline in Congressional Capacity and Prospects for Reform; Unleashing Opportunity: Policy Reforms for an Accountable Administrative State; Moonshine: A Global History; Ronald Reagan and Education Policy; Whiskey: A Global History; Failing Grades: The Federal Politics of Education Standards; and Bridging the Gap: Higher Education and Career-Centered Welfare Reform. He also wrote the prefaces to the recently republished The Unheavenly City Revisited and Government Project by Edward C. Banfield.
Kosar has testified before Congress and has been widely published in scholarly journals; his articles and opinion pieces have appeared in a number of popular press outlets and he has made a number of broadcast appearances. He earned a doctorate and a master’s in politics from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Ohio State University.

CHQ Mystic Heart- Cantor Julie Newman, Jewish Mindfulness Meditation
2026-07-17 07:45, 2026-07-16 07:45, 2026-07-15 07:45, 2026-07-14 07:45, 2026-07-13 07:45 | Presbyterian House, Presbyterian House
Cantor Julie Newman founded and serves as President of the Tiferet Project. Tiferet has been a source for Jewish spiritual practices in Pittsburgh such as twice weekly Jewish mindfulness meditation groups. She has been crafting and leading innovative Jewish worship services in the Pittsburgh area for 25 years. Passionate about heart-opening Jewish contemplative practices, she has been an active participant, worship leader, yoga teacher, and consultant with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality since 2004. She received Cantorial ordination and earned a Master of Jewish Education from Hebrew College in Boston in 2017. She is a member of the New Community Chevra Kadisha of Pittsburgh. Raised in Southern California, Julie originally came to Pittsburgh for graduate school where she received her MBA from the Tepper School of Business in 1982 and met her husband of 37 years, Bill Klingensmith (a 3rd generation Chautauquan.) They raised their kids, Jake (31) and Ben (25) in Pittsburgh where Julie & Bill still live with their rescued greyhound, Yogi.

Chautauqua County Day
2026-07-17 07:00 | Chautauqua Institution
Explore locally and come to Chautauqua Institution on Chautauqua County Day. Residents of Chautauqua County have free admission and parking from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Our Chautauqua County Day includes access to all events in the Amphitheater and Hall of Philosophy that day, beaches, and so much more!
Please bring proof of residency for entry. Youth 12 and under are always free at Chautauqua!
Chautauqua County Day: Featured Events
9:15 a.m. (Hall of Philosophy) Morning Worship: Ecumenical Communion Service
10:45 a.m. (Amphitheater) Morning Lecture: Kevin R. Kosar and Kathryn Dunn Tenpas (Brookings Institution)
2 p.m. (Hall of Philosophy) CLSC Author Presentation: Maria Arana (2026 Chautauqua County Book Read Selection)
3:30 p.m. (Fletcher) School of Music Open Recital
3:30 p.m. (Hall of Christ) Department of Religion: Islam 101 Khalid and Sabeeha Rehman
8:00 p.m. (Amphitheater) Evening Program: Harry Connick Jr. **Admission to this event requires purchase of a separate ticket, available at tickets.chq.org
Tickets are available starting June 1, 2026 by calling the Chautauqua Institution Ticket Office at 716-357-6250.
Parking is complimentary for Chautauqua County Day when tickets are purchased in advance—online, by phone, or in person before July 17. On the day of the event, a credit card will be required for parking lot entry. Guests wishing to pay with cash should proceed to the Main Gate before entering the parking lot.

TUNER
2026-07-16 20:30, 2026-07-16 15:15, 2026-07-15 17:45, 2026-07-14 20:30 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
Leo Woodall stars as a gifted young piano tuner whose heightened sense of hearing draws the attention of criminals, who see his talents as useful for opening safes as well as for tuning Steinways. Co-stars Dustin Hoffman and Havana Rose Liu. Director Daniel “Roher knows that in crime flicks, as in jazz, pacing is everything: he reveals just enough but allows the audience to fill in the gaps.” -Wendy Ide, Observer UK “Warmhearted, genre-mixing and romantic, Tuner is wonderfully harmonious.” -Thelma Adams, AARP Movies for Grownups (R, 109m)

One Night Only: Late-Night at Strohl
2026-07-16 20:00 | Strohl Art Center: Main Galleries
Stop by Strohl Art Center from 8 to 9 p.m. to explore the galleries, enjoy refreshments and spend time in conversation with fellow Chautauquans. Take in the exhibitions, discover something new and enjoy an evening surrounded by art.

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra with Mak Grgic, guitar
2026-07-16 20:00 | Norton Hall, Norton Hall
Due to current air-quality conditions and out of an abundance of caution, this concert has been moved from the Amphitheater to Norton Hall.
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Mak Grgic, guitar
The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to welcome guitarist Mak Grgic in an evening of symphonic storytelling. Stravinsky’s “Song of the Nightengale” opens the program with visceral motion, bringing to life the enchanting world of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale. Grgic then takes the stage in a powerful work that explores the deepest personal struggles of an artist. The evening concludes with the charm of Poulenc’s “Les Biches” Suite, brimming with wit and Parisian flair.
Program:
Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale
Abels: Borders
Poulence: Suite from “Les Biches”

STATE OF FIRSTS
2026-07-16 18:00, 2026-07-15 20:30, 2026-07-15 15:15, 2026-07-14 18:00 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
With incredible access, State of Firsts follows Congresswoman Sarah McBride’s history-making campaign as the first transgender person to ever be elected to Congress. During this time of heated political opposition to the trans community, “McBride’s grace, steadfastness, and perseverance are the stuff of true heroism. Director “Chase Joynt captures this essential moment of LGBTQ+ history with dignity and respect.” -Frank J. Avella, Edge Media Network· (NR, 93m)

Play CHQ: Paper Chain Challenge
2026-07-16 16:00 | Heinz Beach, Heinz Beach

Piano Faculty Master Class: Alexander Kobrin
2026-07-16 16:00 | Sherwood-Marsh 101

E.J. Dionne, Jr.
2026-07-16 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Dionne is a senior fellow and the W. Averell Harriman Chair in American Governance in the Governance Studies program at Brookings. He is also a Distinguished University Professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at Georgetown University, affiliated with the McCourt School of Public Policy, and a contributing columnist to The New York Times.
Dionne began his career with The New York Times, reporting on state and local government, national politics, and from around the world, including stints in Paris, Rome, and Beirut. In 1990, Dionne joined The Washington Post as a reporter covering national politics, and was a columnist for The Post from 1993 to 2025, when he became a Times contributor. He was an NPR commentator for two decades.
His 1991 best-selling book, Why Americans Hate Politics, won The Los Angeles Times book prize, and was a National Book Award nominee. He is the author and co-author of eight other books, editor and co-editor of six volumes published by the Brookings Institution Press and co-editor of a collection of the speeches made by Barack Obama.
Dionne has received numerous awards, including the American Political Science Association’s Carey McWilliams Award, Volunteers of America Empathy Award, the National Human Services Assembly’s Award for Excellence by a Member of the Media and the Sidney Hillman Foundation’s Hillman Award for Career Achievement. He has been named among the 25 most influential Washington journalists by the National Journal and among the capital city’s top 50 journalists by the Washingtonian magazine. He was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dionne grew up in Fall River, Mass. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard University and received his doctorate from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
He will also be speaking at the 10:45 a.m. Chautauqua Lecture Series platform earlier the same day.

CHQ Mystic Heart -Cantor Julie Newman, Jewish Mindfulness Meditation
2026-07-16 12:30, 2026-07-14 12:30 | Hall of Missions, Hall of Missions

CTC Theater Chats
2026-07-16 12:15 | Women’s Club

Play CHQ: News Paper Construction
2026-07-16 12:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza

E.J. Dionne, Jr. and Christine Emba
2026-07-16 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Leading the fourth installment of a five-part weeklong deep dive into “The 2026 Election: What’s at Stake?,” renowned scholars E.J. Dionne, Jr. and Christine Emba join in conversation for a deeper look into the role of culture in American public and political life, particularly addressing the generational differences and divides that show up in these deeply intertwined components of our national dialogue. The program is presented at Chautauqua in partnership with the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution, each featuring experts from both organizations.
Later in the day at 2:00 p.m., Dionne will be speaking at the Hall of Philosophy for the Interfaith Lecture Series.
E.J. Dionne, Jr. is a senior fellow and the W. Averell Harriman Chair in American Governance in the Governance Studies program at Brookings. He is also a Distinguished University Professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at Georgetown University, affiliated with the McCourt School of Public Policy, and a contributing columnist to The New York Times.
Dionne began his career with The New York Times, reporting on state and local government, national politics, and from around the world, including stints in Paris, Rome, and Beirut. In 1990, Dionne joined The Washington Post as a reporter covering national politics, and was a columnist for The Post from 1993 to 2025, when he became a Times contributor. He was an NPR commentator for two decades.
His 1991 best-selling book, Why Americans Hate Politics, won The Los Angeles Times book prize, and was a National Book Award nominee. He is the author and co-author of eight other books, editor and co-editor of six volumes published by the Brookings Institution Press and co-editor of a collection of the speeches made by Barack Obama.
Dionne has received numerous awards, including the American Political Science Association’s Carey McWilliams Award, Volunteers of America Empathy Award, the National Human Services Assembly’s Award for Excellence by a Member of the Media and the Sidney Hillman Foundation’s Hillman Award for Career Achievement. He has been named among the 25 most influential Washington journalists by the National Journal and among the capital city’s top 50 journalists by the Washingtonian magazine. He was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dionne grew up in Fall River, Mass. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from Harvard University and received his doctorate from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
Christine Emba is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where her work focuses on gender and sexuality, feminism, masculinity, youth culture and social norms. She is concurrently a contributing writer at The New York Times and a senior fellow at the Georgetown University Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.
Emba is a contributing editor at Comment Magazine, a board member at the American Institute for Boys and Men and an editor-at-large at Wisdom of Crowds. She is the author of Rethinking Sex: A Provocation.
Before joining AEI, Emba was a staff writer at The Atlantic, a columnist and editor at The Washington Post, a Hilton Kramer Fellow in Criticism at The New Criterion and a deputy editor at The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Emba has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University. She was named one of the world’s top-50 thinkers by Prospect Magazine in 2022 and received the National Press Club’s Nell Minow Award for Cultural Criticism in 2024.

Michael Chan
2026-07-16 09:15 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Dr. Michael Chan joined the Concordia College community in June 2022 as the executive director for faith and learning. Prior to that, he was associate professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He joined Luther Seminary after completing his Ph.D. at Emory University and a year of research and teaching at the University of Helsinki. He is a graduate of Luther Seminary (M.A. in biblical theology) and Pacific Lutheran University (B.A. in elementary education). Dr. Chan provides leadership and support for the Campus Ministry team; the Dovre Center for Faith and Learning; and the Lorentzsen Center for Faith and Work.

Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano
2026-07-15 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
A stunningly virtuosic pianist, Alexander is internationally recognised for his electrifying and poetic performances. His performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 at the BBC Proms was described as “revelatory” by The Times and “electrifying” by Limelight. Alexander was Artist-in-Residence at Wigmore Hall for the 23/24 season.
Highlights of the 2025-26 season include debuts with Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Tonkünstler Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Opera North orchestra and i Solisti di Pavia. Alexander will also return to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonia. Recent highlights also include Hamburger Symphoniker, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liege, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony, Phil Zuid, Enescu Philharmonic and Taiwan National Symphony. This season also sees returns to Baerum Kulturhaus and the Piano Masters Series in Stoke-on-Trent as a recital artist along with his recital debut at Theater Heerlen.
Alexander collaborates regularly with conductors including Rafael Payer, Thomas Sondergard, Kirill Karabit, Edward Gardner, Sir Donald Runnicles, Juraj Valcuha and Gustavo Gimeno.
Born in Ukraine in 1984 and holding Australian citizenship, Alexander began his piano studies at the age of seven and gave his first concerto performance when he was nine years old. At the age of 13, Alexander moved to Sydney where he lived until 2006. He won First Prize and Gold Medal at the Horowitz International Piano Competition (1999), First Prize at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition (2000), and Gold Medal at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition (2005).
As a recitalist Alexander has performed at the Musikverein in Vienna, Tonhalle Zurich, Victoria Hall Geneva, Southbank Centre’s International Piano Series, Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Master Pianists Series, Suntory Hall, Tokyo Opera City Hall, Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Cologne Philharmonie, Tokyo City Concert Hall, San Francisco, City Recital Hall in Sydney and Melbourne Recital Centre. Gavrylyuk has appeared at many of the world’s foremost festivals, including the Hollywood Bowl, Bravo! Vail Colorado, Mostly Mozart, the Ruhr Festival and the Kissinger Sommer International Music Festival. Alexander is currently Artist in Residence at Chautauqua Institution.

School of Music: Vocal Chamber Concert
2026-07-15 18:30 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall

CVA Lecture Series: Stephanie Pierce, School of Art Faculty
2026-07-15 18:30 | Hultquist 101, Hultquist 101
The Chautauqua School of Art proudly welcomes Stephanie Pierce as a member of our 2026 visiting faculty. Stephanie Pierce will participate in the School’s Summer Lecture Series, sharing insights and practices with our artistic community.
Stephanie Pierce’s paintings explore relationships between light, time, and perception as it is reconsidered over time. Her work has been exhibited at The Henry Art Gallery, Seattle; The Staten Island Museum, NY; and Asheville Art Museum, NC. Her work is represented by Jupiter Contemporary in New York City and Miami, Alpha Gallery in Boston, and Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects in NYC. Stephanie received a Peter S. Reed Foundation Grant in 2018 and a Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant in 2014. Her work has been published in the New Yorker Magazine, Harper’s Magazine, and is included in the collections of William Dreyfus, The Boston Public Library, and The Museum of Fine Arts Boston among others. Stephanie is an Associate Professor of Painting at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Play CHQ: Parachute Challenge
2026-07-15 16:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

UU Cultural Ethics Series: Dr. Elías Ortega, President and Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Leadership, Meadville Lombard Theological School
2026-07-15 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy

Terrence Johnson
2026-07-15 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Terrence L. Johnson is Charles G. Adams Professor of African American Religious Studies, professor of African and African American studies, and director of religion and public life at Harvard Divinity School. He is also a faculty associate of the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard and a member of the Corporation at Haverford College. His research interests include African American political thought, ethics, American religions and the role of religion in public life. Johnson’s interdisciplinary research agenda is historical, critical and constructive. He weaves together African American religions, political theory and American history to paint broad conceptual schemes for imagining religion, democracy, ethics, liberalism, justice and freedom.
In 2024-25, he was an inaugural Steven M. Polan Fellow in constitutional law and history at the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. The Polan Fellows program provides a platform for debates on the meaning and promise of the U.S. constitution.
He is the co-author of Blacks and Jews in America: An Invitation to Dialogue, winner of the 2023 Outstanding Book award by the Association for Ethnic Studies; We Testify with Our Lives: How Religion Transformed Radical Thought from Black Power to Black Lives Matter; and Tragic Soul-Life: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Moral Crisis Facing American Democracy. He also serves as co-editor of the Duke University Press Series “Religious Cultures of African and African Diaspora People.” He is currently completing a manuscript entitled Torn Asunder: Race and Religion in the Shadow of Law and Justice, which is under contract with Columbia University Press. He is also co-writing a book on ethics and law with M. Cathleen Kaveny tentatively entitled Christian Ethics and the Trump Court.
A graduate of Morehouse College, Johnson received his M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School and Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Brown University.

Imagining a Future Beyond Climate Change: Lessons from the Haitian Revolution, with Sony Ton-Aime
2026-07-15 12:30 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
Poet, author and former director of literary arts at Chautauqua, Sony discusses and reads from his debut poetry collection Konbit, accompanied by vivid imagery and music.
The title of Ton-Aim’s book comes from Haitian Creole, where ‘konbit’ is a communal labor practice in which neighbors gather to plant, harvest, rebuild, or respond to sudden need. The poems braid the Haitian revolution with contemporary migration and ecological collapse linked to climate change, drawing parallels between a people who could only imagine a world beyond slavery but who nonetheless persevered until they achieved a better future, and people today who must imagine a better world beyond climate change.
In this program Ton-Aime will explore three questions: (1) What does a better world beyond climate change look like? (2) What will it take to get there? And (3) what can each individual do to advance toward that future?

Ben Harris and James Pethokoukis
2026-07-15 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Chautauqua Lecture Series continues a weeklong exploration of “The 2026 Election: What’s at Stake?” with scholars Ben Harris and James Pethokoukis, sharing their expertise on the state of the economy and economic policy in the United States. The program is the third in a five-part weeklong series presented at Chautauqua in partnership with the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution, each featuring experts from both organizations.
Ben Harris is the vice president and director of Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, where he also holds the Bruce and Virginia MacLaury Chair. As a scholar, Harris focuses on public finance and macroeconomics, and is widely published in academic journals, policy outlets and the popular press — including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post — and is a regular guest on cable television. With Martin Baily, he is the author of the book The Retirement Challenge: What’s Wrong with America’s System and a Sensible Way to Fix It.
Harris has extensive experience in senior public sector roles. Most recently, he was assistant secretary for economic policy and chief economist at the Treasury Department, chief economist and economic adviser to the Vice President of the United States, and a senior economist with the Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama administration. Harris was also the senior economist with the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee.
In addition to his public service, Harris has worked extensively in think tanks, academia and the private sector. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from George Washington University, a Master’s degree in economics from Cornell University, a master’s degree in quantitative methods from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University. He was also a Fulbright Scholar to Namibia in 2000. For his Treasury Department service, Harris was awarded the prestigious Alexander Hamilton Award by Secretary Janet Yellen.
James Pethokoukis is a senior fellow and the DeWitt Wallace Chair at the American Enterprise Institute, where he analyzes U.S. economic policy, writes and edits the “AEIdeas” blog, and hosts AEI’s “Political Economy” podcast. He is also a contributor to CNBC and writes the “Faster, Please!” newsletter on Substack. Before joining AEI, Pethokoukis was the Washington columnist for “Breakingviews,” the opinion and commentary wing of Thomson Reuters. Earlier, he was the business editor and economics columnist for U.S. News & World Report.
Pethokoukis is the author of The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised. He has also written for many publications, including The Atlantic, Commentary, Financial Times, Investor’s Business Daily, National Review, the New York Post, The New York Times, USA Today and The Week. His numerous broadcast appearances include CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fox News, MSNBC, and PBS.
A graduate of Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism, Pethokoukis is a 2002 Jeopardy! champion.

School of Music: Opera Conservatory Masterclass with Rachel Calloway
2026-07-15 10:00 | McKnight Hall, McKnight Hall

Michael Chan
2026-07-15 09:15, 2026-07-14 09:15, 2026-07-13 09:15 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater

Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra: An Evening of Brahms
2026-07-14 20:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Sharon Roffman, violin
Jolyon Pegis, cello
An Evening of Brahms brings together two of the composer’s most expressive works, pairing the lyrical intimacy of the Double Concerto with the concentrated power of Symphony No. 3. Written late in Brahms’s career, the Double Concerto unfolds as a rich conversation between violin and cello, as CSO concertmaster Sharon Roffman and principal cellist Jolyon Pegis share the spotlight. The program concludes with Brahms’s Third Symphony, a work of striking emotional depth. Together, these works reveal Brahms at his most personal and compelling.
Program:
Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello
Brahms Symphony No. 3

Play CHQ: Bird Feeders
2026-07-14 16:00 | Miller Park, Miller Park

School of Music Piano Faculty Recital: Ilya Itin
2026-07-14 16:00 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall
Audiences throughout the world revere Ilya Itin’s unique artistry. Playing to sold out houses in Japan and in the US, he is known for his extraordinary range, power, quality of sound, and command of the piano. His Princeton recital was singled out by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “top ten musical moment of the year” and The New York Times critic described him as “…a brilliantly insightful pianist who offered a superb recital.” Since capturing the gold medal, BBC Audience Award, and Contemporary Music Prize at the 1996 Leeds International Piano Competition, Itin has performed throughout the world bringing his powerful musical imagination and mastery to wide ranging repertoire.

Najeeba Syeed
2026-07-14 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
El-Hibri Endowed Chair and executive director of the Interfaith Institute, Augsburg University
2:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, 2026 · Hall of Philosophy
Najeeba Syeed is the Inaugural El-Hibri endowed chair and executive director of the Interfaith Institute and is a tenured and full professor of religion at Augsburg University. She is also a senior fellow at the Oxford Interfaith Forum.
Syeed has served as a visiting professor at Yale and Mercer University. She is an expert on Muslim-Jewish relations and has worked extensively on Evangelical Christian and Muslim relations throughout the country. She served as associate professor of interreligious education and director of the Center for Global Peacebuilding at Claremont School of Theology from 2010-2020.
Syeed also brings significant executive experience with organizations as an executive director focused on conflict resolution in community, higher education and government settings, including the Western Justice Center Foundation and the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center. In 2021, she served as chief of staff to an elected member of the Los Angeles City Council. She holds a law degree from Indiana University.

Bob Jeffrey: Architecture of the 2026 House and Garden Tour
2026-07-14 12:30 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall
Bird, Tree & Garden Club lunchtime lecture series
Bob Jeffrey is an Historic Preservationist who redevelops historic properties in Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania. He holds an undergraduate degree in architecture from Miami University of Ohio and a master’s degree of architecture from Kent State University. He is a lifelong Chautauquan who started coming back for the full season in 2007. He has served on the Board of Trustees and chaired the Architectural Review Board. He currently sits on the Athenaeum Hotel Board. In St. Petersburg he sits on the Community Planning and Preservation Board. Bob’s hobbies include watercolor painting and gardening.

Play CHQ: Paper Bag Puppets
2026-07-14 12:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza

James C. Capretta and Matthew Fiedler
2026-07-14 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
The Chautauqua Lecture Series continues its theme dedicated to “The 2026 Election: What’s at Stake?” with scholars James Capretta and Matthew Fiedler in conversation, sharing their expertise on the state of health care and health policy in the United States. The program is the second in a five-part weeklong series presented at Chautauqua in partnership with the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution, each featuring experts from both organizations.
James C. Capretta is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where he studies and comments on U.S. health care, entitlement, and fiscal policy. He also serves as a senior adviser to the Bipartisan Policy Center. He previously held senior staff positions at the Office of Management and Budget and in Congress, primarily at the Senate Budget Committee. He is the author of US Health Policy and Market Reforms: An Introduction, published by AEI Press in 2022, along with numerous other book chapters, papers, and articles.
Matthew Fiedler is the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow in Economic Studies and a senior fellow with the Center on Health Policy at Brookings. His research examines a range of topics in health care economics and health care policy. Prior to joining the Brookings Institution in January 2017, Fiedler served as Chief Economist for the Council of Economic Advisers, where he oversaw the Council’s work on health care policy, including implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance and health care payment reforms. Fiedler holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and a B.A. in mathematics and economics from Swarthmore College.

Chautauqua Science Group Weekly Lecture. JD Stillwater: One Song: The Science of Oneness
2026-07-14 09:15 | Hurlbut Church sanctuary, Hurlbut Church sanctuary
JD Stillwater moves and inspires thousands of people all over North America and the globe with science-centered messages of awe and deep kinship, from Chautauqua Institution to a Sinai and Synapses Fellowship to The Parliament of the World’s Religions to academic conferences and civic clubs.
With a gift for making difficult science concepts graspable for average people, JD continues his decades-long career as a science educator, sharing insights from mainstream conventional science as a source of unifying inspiration, from stages, webinars, pulpits, and workshops. He offers insights from how nature works that help us discern who we are and our place in the world.

Chautauqua Opera Conservatory Late-Night Cabaret
2026-07-13 22:00 | Roe Green Theater Center
Step into a different side of opera training with an evening of crossover favorites featuring jazz standards, Broadway classics, and beloved American songs performed by the singers of the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory. In a relaxed cabaret setting inspired by downtown New York nightlife, this performance offers audiences a rare chance to hear classically trained singers explore music beyond the opera stage. Warm, funny, touching, and spontaneous, the evening celebrates storytelling, personality, and the joy of live performance.

PRESSURE
2026-07-13 20:15, 2026-07-13 14:20, 2026-07-12 21:15 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, and with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) and Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott) face an impossible choice–launch the largest and most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether. “Less of a traditional war flick than a satisfying chamber piece about how people use and communicate information when the stakes are sky high and groupthink is kicking in. Your dad already has his ticket booked.·”-Philip De Semlyen, Time Out “Smashing!” -Thelma Adams, AARP Movies for Grownups (PG-13, 100m)

THE SHEEP DETECTIVES
2026-07-13 17:00, 2026-07-12 18:10 | Chautauqua Cinema, Chautauqua Cinema
George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can’t possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. “Accessible enough for younger viewers without condescending to them, yet complex enough to engage an adult audience.” -Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com “Tickles the funnybone, touches the heart and just may end up as the summer’s sweetest surprise.” -Peter Travers, The Travers Take (PG, 109m)

Chautauqua Chamber Music: WindSync
2026-07-13 16:00 | Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall, Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall
Dynamic wind quintet WindSync returns to Chautauqua for an unforgettable afternoon of energetic and engaging chamber music. Celebrated for their virtuosity, warmth, and creative programming, WindSync performs everything from classical masterpieces to newly commissioned works. Their interactive style and seamless ensemble playing create a vibrant connection with audiences of all ages. Experience why WindSync is hailed as one of the most exciting and original wind ensembles performing today.

Play CHQ: Vegetable Print
2026-07-13 16:00 | Heinz Beach, Heinz Beach

Patron Housing Listening Session
2026-07-13 15:00 | Alumni Hall Ballroom, Alumni Hall Ballroom
Patron Housing Listening Session:
A shortage of on-grounds housing across a range of sizes and price points is one of the factors limiting Chautauqua’s ability to sustain and grow attendance.
Interim CEO Kyle Keogh, together with staff and a Patron Housing Working Group composed of Chautauquans with significant real estate experience, has developed
an initial multi-year plan to encourage the development of affinity housing (such as denominational houses), condominiums and single-family homes. Community members are invited to learn more about the proposal, discuss the plan and provide feedback.

Randall Balmer
2026-07-13 14:00 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Randall Balmer, an Episcopal priest, is the John Phillips Professor in Religion at Dartmouth College. A prize-winning historian and Emmy Award nominee, he has published eighteen books, including Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right, Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter and The New York Times bestseller, America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State.
His second book, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America, now in its fifth edition, was made into a three-part documentary for PBS. His commentaries on religion in America appear in newspapers across the country, including The Los Angeles Times, The Santa Fe New Mexican, The Concord Monitor, and The Des Moines Register.

Masters Series Masterclass: The Art of Listening with Rossen Milanov - Week 3
2026-07-13 12:30 | Fletcher Music Hall, Fletcher Music Hall
Maestro Rossen Milanov, music director of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, will teach participants to develop an understanding of how to actively listen to music and answer important musical questions. Join Maestro Milanov on this musical journey, exploring works from the CSO’s repertoire — no prior musical knowledge required.

Play CHQ: Rainbow Fish Weaving
2026-07-13 12:00 | Bestor Plaza, Bestor Plaza

Marcela Escobari and Charles Lane
2026-07-13 10:45 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
Marcela Escobari and Charles Lane are two of the nation’s leading experts in immigration, migration and asylum policy. The pair will present in tandem, building on the Chautauqua Lecture Series theme of “The 2026 Election: What’s at Stake?,” with an examination of our national dialogue on immigration as the election approaches — and, ultimately, the impact of immigration politics and policies on real people. The program opens a five-part weeklong series presented at Chautauqua in partnership with the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution, each program featuring experts from both organizations.
Marcela Escobari is a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings. She has been twice confirmed by the U.S. Senate under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and most recently served in the White House National Security Council as special assistant to the president and coordinator for the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. In this role, Escobari led efforts to promote safe, orderly and humane migration and advance a collaborative, regional response to the displacement of more than 8 million people across Latin America and the Caribbean. This regional response contributed to a more-than-70% decrease in irregular migration at the U.S. border in 2024, helping stabilize and integrate over 4.5 million migrants and refugees within Latin America.
From 2021 to 2024, Escobari was assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, a position she also held from 2016 to 2017 as the first woman to serve in this role. Previously, as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, she launched the Workforce of the Future initiative focused on identifying policies to restore opportunity and enable inclusive growth in U.S. cities and states in the wake of globalization and COVID-19.
Before joining government, Escobari was the executive director of Harvard’s Center for International Development. Her honors include Freedom House’s 2024 Mark Palmer Prize for diplomats and civil servants whose work has advanced democracy and human rights.
Charles Lane is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on American politics, American culture, and asylum policy. He also serves as a columnist for The Free Press. Before joining AEI, Lane held several positions at The Washington Post, where he was a staff writer covering the United States Supreme Court, an editorial board member and columnist, and the deputy opinion editor. He was previously the editor of The New Republic and the Berlin bureau chief, the general editor, and a San Salvador-based correspondent for Newsweek.
Lane’s writing has appeared extensively in the popular press, including in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, City Journal, National Affairs, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal. He is also the author of Freedom’s Detective: The Secret Service, the Ku Klux Klan and the Man Who Masterminded America’s First War on Terror; Stay of Execution: Saving the Death Penalty from Itself; and The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court, and the Betrayal of Reconstruction.
Lane has a master’s degree in law from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Harvard University.

Hebrew Congregation, Shirley Lazarus Sunday Evening Lecture Series: Dr. Robert Wilson-Black
2026-07-12 19:00 | Smith Wilkes Hall, Smith Wilkes Hall

Chautauqua Theater Company Presents FutureNow New Play Lab 1: The Bone Wars
2026-07-12 18:00 | Roe Green Theater Center
Paleontologists O.C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope race against each other to uncover the secrets of the prehistoric world. Between them, they discover and named 136 new species of dinosaurs, including Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Coelophysis, and Allosaurus. Their rivalry also led to their professional and personal ruin. The Bone Wars brings to life the explosive true story of the legendary rivalry between two American paleontologists in the late 1800s.

Sony Ton-Aime and Lauren Francis-Sharma
2026-07-12 15:30 | Hall of Philosophy, Hall of Philosophy
Chautauqua Writers’ Center Faculty Reading — Featuring Sony Ton-Aime (Poetry) and Lauren Francis-Sharma (Prose)
Sony Ton-Aime is a Haitian poet, essayist, translator, and Executive Director of Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures. He is the author of the poetry collection, Konbit (2026, CMU Press), the chapbook, LaWomann (2019), the Haitian Creole translation of Olympic Hero: The Lennox Kilgour’s Story, and co-founding editor of ID13. His work has appeared and is forthcoming in Artful Dodge, Cream City Review, Idaho Review, Hunger Mountain Review, and Cleveland Review of Books, Consequence Forum, among others.
A child of Trinidadian immigrants, Lauren Francis-Sharma is the author of the critically acclaimed novels ’Til the Well Runs Dry (Picador, 2014), and Book of the Little Axe (Grove Atlantic, 2020), which was the 2020 American Library Association’s “Libraries Transform Book Pick” and finalist for the Hurston/Wright Award in Fiction. Casualties of Truth (Grove Atlantic, 2025), her most recent book, is a riveting literary novel with the sharp edges of a thriller about the abuses of history and the costs of revenge, set between Washington, D.C., and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Francis-Sharma was a MacDowell fellow and is the Assistant Director of Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference at Middlebury College. She holds a BA from UPENN, a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, and an MFA from the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. She resides near Washington, DC, with her family.

Troupe Vertigo
2026-07-12 15:00 | Amphitheater, Amphitheater
