Welcome to Week Four of Chautauqua’s 150th Anniversary Season. What an exciting week we have in store, starting with the Crafts Alliance Fine Craft Show at Chautauqua on Bestor Plaza. Our returning patrons always look forward to seeing those white tents magically appear overnight, expanding our artistic offerings for three much-too-brief days on two weekends each summer.
This week, we explore the theme “Eight Billion and Counting: The Future of Humankind in a Crowded World,” which follows the November 2022 world population milestone — the most of us ever alive at the same moment in our world. While the trend of accelerating growth is projected to plateau, even taper, with a slowing growth rate of humankind, we are still faced with unprecedented strain on our shared resources, both natural and created. What does this mean for our planet and our people? We look for ways to not just survive together, but thrive together — beyond borders and geopolitical constructs, to ensure that every child of the human family can flourish. Our Interfaith Lecture Series theme, “World Religion and a Shifting Population,” builds on the morning conversations by considering the implications of our growing global population for climate, human rights and civil society.
With more people on the planet, these thematic areas provide us with ample opportunity to build our civil dialogue muscles, which calls us to listen deeply with the intent to understand and to share perspectives with an openness to the perspectives of others. Helping us to frame these topics are many speakers, preachers, and performers — some of whom may challenge long-held beliefs, and that’s where Chautauqua shines the brightest. I encourage you to take advantage of the Chautauqua Dialogues invitation to unpack your experiences with the week’s programs in a facilitated dialogue setting. Just connect with one of the program representatives who make themselves available at the Amphitheater and Hall of Philosophy lecture events. We express appreciation for their volunteer leadership that makes these offerings possible.
People often ask me how we decide who to invite to Chautauqua and what topics to explore. We receive input from a nearly limitless number of sources, including long-time partners, subject matter experts, and our community members. All are invited to make suggestions for future themes, speakers, preachers and performers at our program input portal, available at 2025.chq.org.
Please also join us in welcoming our chaplain of the week, the Rev. Leyla King, a Palestinian-American Episcopal priest, writer and founding member of both Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies and the Small Churches Big Impact Collective. Currently, she serves as the Canon for Mission in Small Congregations for the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas.
Among our artistic offerings this week is the return to Chautauqua of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons — fulfilling a promise they made last year when they unfortunately had to cancel a performance due to the poor air quality in our region resulting from the 2023 Canadian wildfires. We are happy to welcome this beloved band back to Chautauqua on Friday. We begin our week with one of Chautauqua’s most cherished performing arts traditions: The Chautauqua School of Dance Gala I at 2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon in the Amphitheater. This week also brings us our final opportunity to see the trio of chamber operas, Love and Longing by the Lake, staged on the lawn of the historic Athenaeum Hotel. Tickets to this performance are available online at tickets.chq.org or at one of our ticketing locations on the grounds.
The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle book of the week is Lost Children Archive, by Valeria Luiselli. You can participate in the community-led book discussion at 12:15 p.m. Monday at the Literary Arts Center at Alumni Hall, and meet Valeria at her CLSC presentation Thursday in the Hall of Philosophy.
Our 150th Anniversary celebration continues this week with our second of five “Pillar Talks” that take a close look at the history of our program pillars: Education, Recreation, Religion and the Arts. This week, we welcome Marty Merkley, former vice president and director of programs at Chautauqua, who will look back at our rich history in the performing and visual arts when he speaks at 3:15 p.m. Monday in the Hall of Christ.
There is always much to explore at Chautauqua. Take in every bit of the goodness we have to offer — and thank you for the goodness you will bring to the Chautauqua experience this week!
