The Chautauquan Daily

Denise Bibro has a case for the arts. Bibro, owner of Denise Bibro Fine Art in Chelsea, N.Y., will lecture at 7 p.m. tonight in the Hultquist Center. She will talk about the lessons she’s learned and experience she’s garnered from the 25-plus years she’s spent in the art business and the current art market — a market that, she admits, is difficult. Economic situations worldwide have changed what buyers and collectors are looking for and what types and quantities of pieces are selling.

Last year was the bicentennial celebration of two great classical composers, Frédéric Chopin and Robert Schumann. The pair, both born in 1810, left a legacy of some of the most masterful works in the piano repertoire.

Normal guests for the Tuesday night Family Entertainment Series performances are children and their parents, but tonight’s two shows will have some guests of a different species attending and performing. These guests are the animals of Nickel City Reptiles and Exotics, and they will be the focus of tonight’s performances.

Christopher Seaman was music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for 13 years but has never been to Chautauqua — until tonight. Seaman will conduct the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra at 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater.

Psalms is the book in the Bible containing 150 chapters of verse. Some sing to praise God and give thanks, while others lament misfortune and ask for guidance. Jacqueline Osherow said she sees the Psalms as some of the most beautiful poetry ever written.

Stanley Fish likely will stand out from this week’s other speakers with his unconventional “case for the arts” at his lecture at 10:45 a.m. today in the Amphitheater. Fish said his appreciation for the humanities is the antithesis of the traditional “justification” for the arts.

Although Ethan McSweeny and Vivienne Benesch have known each other personally and professionally for 15 years, there’s still more to learn. At 2 p.m. today in the Hall of Philosophy, the two will interview each other about “Art and Soul,” the theme of this week’s Interfaith Lecture Series, as it relates to the theater, in “Soul and Story: Choosing a Life in the Theater.”

When Rocco Landesman was young, his uncle would give his brother and him $5 for every F they got in school. His uncle, after all, went on to found a personal management company, its motto being, “We take the sting out of success and put the fun back in failure!”

Light is a part of everyone’s daily life, regardless of age, religion or location. Noah Craft sees the beauty and inspiration in this universality of light. This is what led him to enter and become a finalist in the Philips 2011 Light World Tour, a competition that allows one person with a passion for lighting to travel for three months finding new lighting inspirations.

Many people on the grounds may have heard of the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, but few have had an opportunity to learn about its programs firsthand from its founders. A presentation at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the covered porch at Heinz Beach Fitness Center on South Lake Drive at the corner of South Avenue will offer that opportunity.

Every year, the Chautauqua Fund recognizes its volunteers with a luncheon in the Athenaeum Hotel. At this year’s luncheon, which took place last Tuesday afternoon, the Chautauqua Fund volunteers gathered not only to celebrate their own work but also to acknowledge that of David Williams. After 21 seasons in the Colonnade, Williams, the director of the Chautauqua Fund, is retiring.

The kids of Children’s School will participate in various activities related to the “Wild, Wild West” this week. Children will be making all kinds of western-themed crafts, “Wanted” posters, hobbyhorses, sheriff badges and cowboy hats. They also will be learning square dances and a hoedown.

Magic flutes, valkyries, rampant consumption — some themes in opera can be hard to relate to, and not just for the audience. Singers, like actors, perform best when they can lose themselves in a character — when they can find that common thread that connects them with their role. But how do you find something in common with a 13th-century family in Florence?

Chautauqua Institution is the jewel in the crown of the county known as Chautauqua. “Chautauqua County is a beautiful, safe, rural area; it is also poor,” said Jane Becker, who has held leadership positions in many county organizations since coming to the area 27 years ago.

Variety is the spice of life. For Calmus, it also is an important part of the group’s musical philosophy. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a pop arrangement, a Bach motet or a Brahms setting or a secular piece,” baritone Ludwig Böhme said. “To bring the music to life is the most important thing that we do.”

What do Pompeii, jazz, the Information Age and art have in common? Interruption. And this interruption inspires the kind of creativity seen in some of the most ambitious and successful pieces of art, said Don Kimes, the artistic director of Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution.