Chautauqua Season Events 2019

Interfaith Engagement

Recognizing the moral imperative of fostering deeper, more meaningful dialogue among people of different faith traditions, Chautauqua continues programs throughout 2019 that engage religious leaders and communities in public and private dialogue. We continue to build upon Chautauqua’s historic convening power and 20-year Abrahamic Program, and its growing role as a lived interfaith community, with perennial work that brings leaders and scholars into conversation — with one another and with the broader community — and challenges us all toward interfaith learning and understanding.

Week One :: June 22 – 28

Moments that Changed the World

How did we get to now? The answers may surprise you. In this week, Chautauqua asks five historians to each choose a little-known moment when the ground shifted beneath humanity’s feet, and examine how those moments impacted the world of today.

  • We look at unsung heroes — and villains — as well as unsung moments that altered the course of history.
  • History often offers surprises, revealing how and why certain stories are obscured, erased or lesser-known.
  • How can those surprises be instructive? How can our newfound knowledge of these moments be useful in our time?

COMMUNITY | Three Taps of the Gavel address
OPERA | ¡Figaro! (90210)
ORCHESTRA | Opening Night
THEATER | The Christians
VISUAL ARTS | 62nd Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art; Small Sculptures: Big Impact; From Matrix to Paper: Contemporary Prints; 2019 Emerging Artists Exhibitions

Week Two :: June 29 – July 5

Uncommon Ground: Communities Working Toward Solutions

In an age of divisive posturing at the national level, are communities uniquely positioned to come together on the toughest issues, to find a way forward for the common good? We recognize the role of communities in effecting real change, and present a solutions-focused week of power and promise.

  • Each day, we highlight case studies of communities at work, finding sustainable solutions to society’s most pressing problems.
  • What conditions must exist for community stakeholders to engage one another, and who needs to be at the table? What’s possible when there isn’t a shared sense of community? Do differences need to be bridged in order for solutions to be found and sustained?

CHAMBER MUSIC | ChamberFest Cleveland; Aaron Berofsky and Alexander Gavrylyuk in Recital
COMMUNITY | Annual Community Band concert
OPERA | ¡Figaro! (90210); Il barbiere di Siviglia
ORCHESTRA | Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano; Independence Day Pops Celebration. Stuart Chafetz, conductor
THEATER | The Christians
VISUAL ARTS | 62nd Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art; Small Sculptures: Big Impact; From Matrix to Paper: Contemporary Prints; 2019 Emerging Artists Exhibitions

Week Three :: July 6 – 12

Partnership with National Geographic Society

Week title and description in progress

CHAMBER MUSIC | JCT Trio
CLASSICAL | An Evening Piano Recital with Alexander Gavrylyuk
OPERA | ¡Figaro! (90210); Il barbiere di Siviglia
ORCHESTRA | Stefan Jackiw, violin; Jay Campbell, cello; Conrad Tao, piano
THEATER | The Christians
VISUAL ARTS | 62nd Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art; Small Sculptures: Big Impact; From Matrix to Paper: Contemporary Prints; 2019 Emerging Artists Exhibitions

Week Four :: July 13 – 19

The Longevity Opportunity: How Longer Lives Are Changing the World

Do we really want to live forever? While being “forever young” may still be the stuff of dreams, longer lifespans are a reality of modern life. Living to 110 years old — at least — means new challenges for both individuals and society; how we meet those challenges will have lasting ramifications.

  • What issues do longer lifespans present? We examine the political, the financial, the biological, the emotional.
  • Where the scientific meets the ethical, we ask: We can live longer, but should we? Will longer lives exacerbate existing inequities?
  • This isn’t a question for future generations — this is a question for us, right now. How are you going to adapt in this changing reality?

CHAPLAIN | Richard Rohr, OFM, founder, Center for Action and Contemplation
CHAMBER MUSIC | Venice Baroque Orchestra
OPERA | ¡Figaro! (90210)
THEATER | The Christians
VISUAL ARTS | 62nd Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art; Small Sculptures: Big Impact; Getting Real; 2019 Emerging Artists Exhibitions

Week Five :: July 20 – 26

The Life of the Spoken Word

As consumers, creators and critics, we are experiencing a renaissance of the spoken word. We join together the history and modernity of compelling oratory to explore broader themes of social and intergenerational connectedness and the ways that our speech, our stories, bring us together.

  • The week begins with “This American Life” host and storyteller extraordinaire Ira Glass, in a Saturday evening Amphitheater special.
  • From political rhetoric and civil discourse, to the arts of theater and poetry, to podcasts and stories told around the campfire, what is the power of the spoken word?
  • Throughout the week, as we look to the future of the spoken word, we present ways to use technology to preserve our past, our history, our stories.

CHAPLAIN | The Rev. Otis Moss III, senior pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago
ENTERTAINMENT | Ira Glass
MUSIC | Trinity UCC Sanctuary Choir
OPERA | ¡Figaro! (90210); Il barbiere di Siviglia
THEATER | One Man, 2 Guvnors; The New Play Workshop
VISUAL ARTS | Chautauqua School of Art Annual Student Exhibition; Getting Real; Cumbrian Blues: New Works by Paul Scott; Reconstructing Identities; 2019 Emerging Artists Exhibitions

Week Six :: July 27 – August 2

What’s Funny?

In Partnership with the National Comedy Center

Come learn and laugh with us as Chautauqua Institution again partners with the National Comedy Center for a week exploring how comedy changes us and, in turn, society.

  • Comedy can do more than hold up a mirror to our world; it can, in fact, change it. We look at the potential of comedy — particularly political comedy — to change minds and influence decision-making.
  • Among the topics to explore are: What does your sense of humor reveal about you? How can we be challenged by things we don’t find funny?
  • We look at the challenging intersection of free speech, political correctness, and humor, and what we can learn from that uncomfortable space.

CHAMBER MUSIC | Augustin Hadelich and Orion Weiss
ENTERTAINMENT | The Capitol Steps
OPERA | The Ghosts of Versailles
ORCHESTRA | Augustin Hadelich, violin; Orion Weiss and Shai Wosner, piano, with JoAnn Falletta, conductor (world premiere of Jeremy Gill composition)
THEATER | One Man, 2 Guvnors
VISUAL ARTS | Chautauqua School of Art Annual Student Exhibition; Stroll Through the Arts; Getting Real; Cumbrian Blues: New Works by Paul Scott; Reconstructing Identities; 2019 Emerging Artists Exhibitions; 2019 Chautauqua Members Exhibition

Week Seven :: August 3 – 9

Grace: A Celebration of Extraordinary Gifts

Be it emotional, physical or spiritual, grace takes many forms. It exists in the way we treat one another, the way in which we move through the world, and the way in which we use our gifts, our grace, to lift up others.

  • Grace, as defined by religious terms, is the means by which we receive an unearned gift, one we’re not worthy of. Beyond religion, what does grace look like in the secular world?
  • When is grace difficult? In talking across differences? In compromise? In the face of adversity? We look at the moments in which grace is most needed.
  • How can we go out into the world, actively moving with more grace throughout our own lives?

COMMUNITY | Old First Night Run/Walk; Old First Night; CLSC Recognition Day
DANCE | Paul Taylor Dance Company
ENTERTAINMENT | Brian Regan
OPERA | Opera Pops concert with the CSO. Stuart Chafetz, conductor
THEATER | One Man, 2 Guvnors
VISUAL ARTS | Open Studio Night at School of Art; Getting Real; Cumbrian Blues: New Works by Paul Scott; Reconstructing Identities; 2019 Chautauqua Members Exhibition

Week Eight :: August 10 – 16

Shifting Global Power

Power is shifting on the international stage. It always has been. In this week we focus on the geopolitical hot-spots of the moment, examining the new holders, and even the new definitions, of global power.

  • Each day, we explore one topic or definition of power, and identify the major players in that arena.
  • How is power even defined, beyond money and military might? Is it natural resources, technology, education, diplomacy and aid, culture?
  • As power shifts, so too do identities and values. Are there ways power ought to shift?

DANCE | Paul Taylor Dance Company
CHAMBER MUSIC | Donald Sinta Quartet
ORCHESTRA | Inbal Segev, cello
THEATER | The New Play Workshop
VISUAL ARTS | Getting Real; Cumbrian Blues: New Works by Paul Scott; Reconstructing Identities; 2019 Chautauqua Members Exhibition

Week Nine :: August 17 – 25

Exploring Race and Culture in America with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center

CHAPLAIN | The Rev. Miguel A. De La Torre, professor of social ethics and Latinx studies, lliff School of Theology
CHAMBER MUSIC | Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Ensembles
COMMUNITY | Three Taps of the Gavel address
ENTERTAINMENT | Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, “The Ever Fonky Lowdown”
ORCHESTRA | Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
THEATER | The New Play Workshop
VISUAL ARTS | Getting Real; Cumbrian Blues: New Works by Paul Scott; Reconstructing Identities; 2019 Chautauqua Members Exhibition

Week Nine also features the third annual Chautauqua Food Festival on Bestor Plaza