August 25, 2012 
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The moment I got it into my hands, my life changed forever,” said Roger Hodgson, legendary musician and songwriter, about the guitar his father gave to him.
Hodgson, formerly of the progressive rock band Supertramp, will rock the grounds 8:15 p.m. Saturday evening in the Amphitheater.
Hailing from Portsmouth, England, Hodgson was 12-years-old at the time his parents got divorced and he received that bittersweet parting gift.
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August 24, 2012 0 Comments
A cappella is making a comeback.
In a world of the technically enhanced, society still has a fondness for purity. Raw talent takes the Amphitheater stage tonight in the form of 10 male voices who make up the a cappella group Straight No Chaser.
“I love seeing audience reactions,” said tenor Ryan Ahlwardt. “I love providing something that, in a way, allows an escape from daily realities.”
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August 23, 2012 1 Comment
In almost 50 years of performances with The Lettermen, Tony Butala has received a standing ovation every single show. But when the popular vocal group was formed in 1958, the members were paid $125 a week for 14 performances, and nobody knew their name.
“We could have been called The Three Ashtrays,” Butala said. “It meant nothing, absolutely nothing.”
Having recently completed their 76th album, The Lettermen are certainly more than nothing. The group became a hit in the 1960s, known for its love ballads such as “The Way You Look Tonight,” “When I Fall In Love,” and “Goin’ Out of My Head / Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” Overall, the group has 16 Top 10 singles and five Grammy nominations.
The Lettermen will perform at 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater as part of the evening entertainment series.
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August 22, 2012 0 Comments
To Larry King, “they’re the best. There’s no one like them, no one in their league.” And according to President George H. W. Bush, “the Capitol Steps make it easier to leave public life.”
With endorsements like that, who needs an introduction? At 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater, the Capitol Steps will prove, once again, that politics does not take a holiday where humor is concerned.
No matter who or what is in the headlines, the Capitol Steps will tackle both sides of the political spectrum and all things equally foolish. What more would you expect from the group that puts the “mock” in “democracy”?
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August 20, 2012 0 Comments
While the Beatles were making their American television debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964, The New Christy Minstrels were performing in the White House.
Forty-eight years later, the folk group will hold another presidential audience, performing during Chautauqua’s “Presidents Club”-themed week at 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater.
Reminiscent of a band out of Christopher Guest’s A Mighty Wind, The New Christy Minstrels under the direction of Randy Sparks had great success as a folk ensemble in the 1960s, went through several restructured phases, and now resemble their original group again. Randy Sparks founded the group in 1961 in order to perform his music, following the example of composer Stephen Foster in the 19th century, who, when having trouble getting his music played, handed his repertoire over to the Christy Minstrels.
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August 17, 2012 0 Comments
To kick off this season’s penultimate weekend, country music prince Vince Gill will return to the Chautauqua Institution at 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater.
With a record 20 Grammy awards and 17 Country Music Association honors, including four “Song of the Year” titles, Gill is a legend far beyond his Nashville home. His more than 30-year career has traversed several genres, including a substantial tryst in bluegrass. Though his voice is not quite as high or lonesome as so many bluegrass stars, his tenor range and gentle but impressive talent with the guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and dobro make him an ample partner for the genre’s royalty, including Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless and newcomer Sarah Jarosz, who he performed with in June.
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August 15, 2012 0 Comments
Jim Walker has played the flute in more than 750 motion pictures. He spent eight years as the principal flutist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic. But, he enjoys himself most when he’s onstage with his golden Burkart flute, dazzling an audience alongside his band, Free Flight.
“Free Flight is still by far the most fun thing I ever did,” Walker said.
“You’ll see me smiling all night, because I truly love the music we play, and I love the connection we inevitably get with an audience.”
Tonight, Walker and Free Flight will take over the Amphitheater stage at 8:15 p.m. and delight the audience with a setlist that draws inspiration from classical works, jazz numbers and pop hits from the past 80 years.
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August 10, 2012 0 Comments
When country music legend K. D. Lang made her latest album with a whole new band, she called it Sing It Loud, and that is just what Chautauquans hope she will do tonight.
At 8 p.m. tonight, after having won more than four Grammys, having sung at the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony and having a career spanning more than 25 years, Lang is bringing the Siss Boom Bang to the Amphitheater stage for the first time.
Lang, who started her music career with a Patsy Cline cover band called k.d. lang and The Reclines in 1983, grew to popularity on her own as a country and pop artist known for her strong, crooning voice. Sing It Loud, released by k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang just last year, shows that Lang’s music is still going strong.
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Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. Over the course of nine weeks, more than 170,000 visitors will participate in programs, classes and community events for all ages—all within the beautiful setting of a historic lakeside village. Learn more →
