And just like that, we reach the conclusion of our momentous sesquicentennial season! There are so many people to thank; countless amazing events that surprised and delighted; and a few important “firsts” that we hope will not be “lasts.”
First things first:
During “Week Zero,” we hosted the first Kwame Alexander Writers’ Lab.
The 2024 Summer Assembly brought us our first commission under Jade King Carroll’s leadership to manifest a Chautauqua Theater Company world premiere, Kate Hamill’s The Light and The Dark (the life and times of Artemisia Gentileschi). It is also exciting that our production is headed to New York City.
Chautauqua Opera Company presented its first opera written for and about Chautauqua. Love and Longing by the Lake enjoyed four performances on the lawn of the Athenaeum Hotel, also a first!
We hosted Chautauqua Lake’s first drone display on our 150th birthday on Aug. 6. We are hopeful we can make this part of our annual Old First Night tradition!
Our Music School Festival Orchestra performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, which will be featured in a documentary titled “Chautauqua at 150: Wynton Marsalis’ All Rise.” The program will air nationally on PBS and the full-length concert will be available online.
We welcomed 39 speakers for their first visit to Chautauqua for the morning Chautauqua Lecture Series and Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle presentations.
Building on these and so many other delightful experiences and happy surprises, we now look to the 2025 Summer Assembly. You can stay up to date on all our program announcements at 2025.chq.org, where you can also enter your ideas for speakers, pastors, artists and other program opportunities. We welcome your collaboration.
As you prepare to shift to your post-Summer Assembly life, whether that be here at Chautauqua or elsewhere, please join me in expressing thanks to our staff and community volunteers — some of whom have departed for the season, but others who will soon depart, and still more who remain with us year-round. I am so proud of this amazing team that leads the animation of our mission. Chautauqua is fortunate to attract incredibly dedicated and talented people to serve here. It has been a true pleasure to walk (and sometimes run!) through this anniversary season with them. My hope is that amid their work and volunteer service, Chautauqua provided many opportunities for learning, respite and reflection that served to restore and invigorate. Chautauqua’s 150th anniversary season represented the best of the past century-and-a-half while providing a window on a future that has Chautauqua making even greater contributions to the arts and democracy, standing as a beacon for the power of interfaith dialogue, and sustaining this special community composed of friends and families that celebrate the best in humanity. Thanks go to all Chautauquans for making this season-long sesquicentennial celebration possible. We look forward to welcoming you back for Chautauqua’s 152nd Summer Assembly in 2025. In the meantime, we hope to see you on a Chautauqua Travels journey or at one or several of our programs and activities hosted here on the grounds or around the country. Watch your email and our web and social media pages for news of upcoming events and activities!
