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Week Five Letter from the President

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COLUMN BY MICHAEL E. HILL

Knock, knock. Who’s there? You are! OK, so clearly I’m not the one to author or deliver jokes, but I don’t have to do that heavy lifting as we enter Week Five at Chautauqua — a week in partnership with our friends at the National Comedy Center. 

Traversing some of our themes at Chautauqua can occasionally feel heavy: trust, democracy, empathy, resilience, divides — and while they are incredibly important topics to explore during our Summer Assembly, sometimes we just need to laugh. We promise you laughter and more this week as we explore “The Authentic Comedic Voice: A Week in Partnership with the National Comedy Center.” The art of comedy is deeply personal, requiring artists and creators to tap into their own experience to hone a unique, resonant and authentic voice. In this week, we examine how comedians working in an array of genres, media and styles have found their voices, developed their voices and mobilized their voices to communicate with audiences in impactful — and entertaining — ways. 

From comedians to comedy commentators, we bring out some great voices to help us this week. I’m thrilled to welcome back to Chautauqua our dear friend Lewis Black, not only for a special performance and a staged reading of one of his plays, but also for a Friday master class. This king of comedy has seen and done it all, and over these past years of partnership with our friends at the nearby National Comedy Center has himself become a friend to Chautauqua. We’re thrilled to have him and them here. 

In our companion Interfaith Lecture Series, we look at “The Authentic Comedic Voice: Truth Born of Struggle.” What we expect from the art of comedy is something silly, foolish, witty, or an unexpected twist or deviation from expected reality. It has been posited, however, that authentic comedic articulation, while producing laughter and hilarity, frequently arises out of struggle, out of pathos and the need to speak truth. “We laugh because it’s funny; we laugh — or cry — because it’s true.” In this week, we invite the voices of the healers who make us laugh. 

Speaking of “funny men,” we resurrect the great comedic master Charlie Chaplin this week as our very own organist, Jared Jacobsen Chair and director of sacred music, Joshua Stafford, presents the second Massey Memorial Organ movie with Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush.” Even if you’re not a fan of Chaplin, you cannot help but be a fan of the master of Massey. Josh is in his first year as our permanent organist, and having taken in the first Massey Organ movie, I can attest to the great treat it is to relive the era of silent movies with accompaniment.  

If part of the goal of comedy week is to hold up the value of joy, then you’ll understand the reasons we invited Straight No Chaser back to the Amphitheater on Friday. Some know that I spent more than a decade singing in an a cappella group, Potomac Fever, with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington. I had the pure joy of singing many of Straight No Chaser’s arrangements during those years, so I hope you’ll indulge me if I show up in full “fanboy” mode that night. I hope you’ll join me — even if you don’t geek out as much as I will.  

This past week saw a transition in our student life, as our incredible School of Music cohort departed, while the schools of Dance and Visual Arts came to life for their 2021 sessions. While it’s unusual to not have all the students here together, living in community with each other and all of us, I’m grateful to them for their dedication and commitment, and to our faculty and staff team who poured all of themselves into ensuring a safe and satisfying experience. To see the effect that Chautauqua can have on the next generation of artists, I hope you’ll attend Sunday evening’s special Alumni All-Star Ballet Gala. These remarkable dancers, all of whom spent part of their formative years here, now represent top-tier national companies such as New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Joffrey Ballet. It’s a performance not to be missed. 

Finally, I hope you’ll notice how our performing and literary arts programs have picked up on our comedy theme, with Chautauqua Theater Company’s performances of Commedia, Chautauqua Opera Company’s Scalia/Ginsburg on Friday and the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle’s Week Five selection of Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. Nowhere but Chautauqua can a theme be so deeply and naturally threaded through the overall experience. 

In a recent planning meeting for the future of Chautauqua, someone reminded me that while we often explore the great issues of the day in depth, one of our strongest assets is that we want that exploration to bring joy. People are more inclined to do good in the world when they feel joyful and hopeful. I hope this week delivers both to you as we enter the midpoint of our season. I hope to experience it alongside you in community. Have a great week, Chautauqua! 

A grand finalé: MSFO, Voice Program conclude season with timeless ‘Marriage of Figaro’

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KRISTEN TRIPLETT – STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Timothy Muffitt conducts the Music School Festival Orchestra during the Student Opera’s production of Marriage of Figaro Monday July 19, 2021 in the Amphitheater. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

After a few short, busy weeks of rehearsals, recitals and performances, Music School Festival Orchestra and Voice Program students joined forces for one final show: a collaborative production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, performed Monday in the Amphitheater.

The opera, which traditionally spans four hours, was shortened to 90 minutes with narrative sequences marking jumps in the story — but the Voice Program opted to keep in as many large ensembles, trios and duets as possible, giving as many students as possible their chance in the Amp’s spotlights.  

  • From left, Evan Lazdowski as Figaro, Seonho Yu as Count Almaviva, and Lydia Graham as the Countess during the Student Opera's production of Marriage of Figaro Monday July 19, 2021 in the Amphitheater. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Amanda Batista as the Countess during the Student Opera's performance of Marriage of Figaro Monday July 19, 2021 in the Amphitheater. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Lucy Evans, as Cherubino, and Nicoletta Berry, as Susannah performs Marriage of Figaro in the opera student's final performance at Chautauqua Monday July 19, 2021 in the Amphitheater KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Seonho You, as Count Almaviva, Nicoletta Berry, as Susannah, and Adam Catangui, as Don Basilio perform during the Student Opera's production of Marriage of Figaro Monday July 19, 2021 in the Amphitheater KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Maria Consamus, as Cherubino, during the Student Opera's production of Marriage of Figaro Monday July 19, 2021 in the Amphitheater KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Bass-baritone, Evan Lazdowski performs the role of Figaro during the Student Opera's production of Marriage of Figaro at Chautauqua Monday July 19, 2021 in the Amphitheater KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Carlos Arcos, as Antonio, performs during the Student Opera's production of Marriage of Figaro Monday July 19, 2021 in the Amphitheater KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Timothy Muffitt conducts the Music School Festival Orchestra during the Student Opera's production of Marriage of Figaro Monday July 19, 2021 in the Amphitheater KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

At general meeting, CPOA nominates 4-generation Chautauquan Rick Evans for Class B trustee; forum explores Chautauqua Lake/Jefferson Project

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JORDYN RUSSELL – STAFF WRITER

At 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 17, The Chautauqua Property Owners Association general meeting took place in the Hall of Philosophy, followed by the Institution’s Leadership Open Forum.

The CPOA currently has over 700 members and is actively engaged in supporting homeowners, while simultaneously facilitating a sense of community here in Chautauqua. 

At the general meeting, the CPOA discussed the nomination of a Class B trustee candidate for the Institution’s board of trustees election in August. 

As laid out in the 1902 Chautauqua charter, four of the 24 members of the Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees are elected to the board by a vote of members of the Chautauqua Corporation, or property owners (one vote per property). These four members are classified as Class B trustees, though there is no substantive difference in their participation on the board. While any corporation member can run for these elective seats, the candidate nominated by the CPOA is typically elected.

The CPOA’s nominating committee for 2021 included Mary Henderson, Paul Perry, Jake Zeigler, Jenn Flanagan and Johanna Sholder, choosing to nominate Rick Evans, a fourth-generation Chautauquan.

“As a member of the nominating committee, we originally had 14 people that showed interest in becoming the Class B trustee,” said Paul Perry, CPOA president and committee chair. “We ended up interviewing 10 people before we decided on Rick Evans.”

Perry further discussed the nomination process as a member of the nominating committee, as well as the benefits of CPOA membership. 

“We found (Evans) was a strong candidate, he has a real understanding of how the Institution works,” Perry said. “He has a focus on property owners and their concerns, as he has been on the grounds in Chautauqua for around 30 years — he gave us confidence that he would be a good trustee.”

As an all-volunteer organization, the CPOA works to build a community among Chautauqua property owners through various celebrations, events, and other activities. Its mission is to enhance the Chautauqua experience, quality of life, and sense of community of Chautauqua property owners. 

The CPOA also serves as a voice of advocacy in Chautauqua — relaying major issues and concerns to Chautauqua’s property owners toward the goal of information and education. 

“We were really excited about the level of community involvement and applications received for the Class B position, with the most applications we have ever had,” said Erica Higbie, CPOA secretary. “It is a huge indication of interest in the community, as well as the CPOA in general. 

The open forum featured a presentation by John Shedd, Chautauqua’s vice president of campus planning and operations, with representatives of The Jefferson Project on Chautauqua Lake. 

The Institution recently announced a $1 million investment in research initiatives to better forecast and mitigate water quality issues on Chautauqua Lake. 

Institution President Michael E. Hill announced that he had signed the new lake Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with several other lake entities. Hill said he signed it because he believes “that collaboration is crucial” to reversing the negative trends on the lake.

“We hope to potentially forecast when we are going to see harmful algal blooms, large algal growths on the lake,” Shedd said regarding the project. “(This will) help us to determine if there is a way to mitigate those actions of the lake and make the lake water better and improve it.” 

Concerns and comments alike are gathered and used towards research for Chautauqua’s renewed promise 150 Forward, the strategic plan for the Institution.

Members of the board invite Chautauquans to engage with trustees at any time by adding suggestions at one of the open forum meetings or by contacting the administration.

Campaign Zero co-founder DeRay Mckesson to discuss actions people can take at local level

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NICK DANLAG – STAFF WRITER

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DeRay Mckesson has been a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter movement for over six years. In the movement’s early stages, Mckesson went from news organization to news organization to spread their work, but he also took to social media, especially Twitter.

“In 2014, Twitter was really big,” Mckesson said. “It was one of the only ways that we were able to tell people what’s going on. There was no Instagram Live. There was no Facebook Live. There was no Twitter video.”

But now, Mckesson said, more technology gives people greater opportunities to connect. 

“One of the important things about this moment is that we’re able to connect with each other in ways that we’ve never been connected before,” Mckesson said. 

As well as being a leading voice for the Black Lives Matter movement, Mckesson is a co-founder of Campaign Zero, an American police reform campaign. At 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 23 on the CHQ Assembly Video Platform, Mckesson will discuss what he has learned over the last six years around policing and around the data around it, as well as actions people can take. His lecture is part of the African American Heritage House 2021 Lecture Series.

Much of Mckesson’s work focuses on the local level, and President Barack Obama has praised his work as a community organizer. Mckesson said with issues like policing and mass incarceration, the problem mostly lies within local powers. 

“In states, in cities, it’s your city councilperson, it’s your mayor, that’s actually where the problem is,” Mckesson said. “The federal government incarcerates the least amount of people in the system — state and local incarcerate way more than anybody.”

And the same goes for policing. He said though many of the stories told focus on killings by police in big cities, police kill more people in suburbs than almost all other communities combined.

One of the important things about this moment is that we’re able to connect with each other in ways that we’ve never been connected before.”

DeRay Mckesson, Co-founder, Campaign Zero

To help spread information and tools to local communities, Mckesson co-founded Campaign Zero, an organization dedicated to making data accessible on issues like over-policing and mass incarceration. Some of the organizations and websites he is involved in include End All No-Knocks, 8 Can’t Wait, Nix the 6, Mapping Police Violence and Police Scorecard.

8 Can’t Wait in particular saw a lot of support and debate online. The movement revolves around eight restrictive use of force policies that supporters want implemented in cities and states to reduce killings by police officers. The policies range from banning chokeholds to requiring de-escalation and comprehensive reporting. 

8cantwait.org has an interactive map of all 50 states and Washington, D.C., showing which states’ legislatures proposed or passed which policies. So far, according to the website, 19 states have at least one policy enacted, with New Jersey being the only state to enact all eight policies and New York enacting the ban on chokeholds and proposing three other 8 Can’t Wait policies.

“We did 8 Can’t Wait, which was one of the biggest reductions of the power of the police in American history,” Mckesson said. “That really helped me see that change is possible — you just need to map it out for people so they know exactly what to do. That really helped me believe again.” 

Mckesson said he was also helped by those closest to him.

“I’m super blessed to have great friends and family. That’s where I go when I need to step away from this work that is so rooted in death,” he said. “I’m always reminded that we’re never alone; community makes us strong. So we push back on this idea of self-made. I’m not self-made. A community made me. A community of people helped me be strong and thoughtful.”

On a federal level, Mckesson said people should pay close attention to the Biden administration.

“Biden, today, could let people out of jail at the federal level,” he said. “He could model and signal things that are actually really important, instead of waiting for Congress to do them, and he has not, so that is something that people should be paying attention to.”

And, looking to the future, he has hope. 

“I think that we can win,” Mckesson said. “That’s like the most exciting thing I can think of: That we can win in this lifetime.”

Award-winning journalist Amanda Ripley to discuss book on high conflict

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NICHOLE JIANG – STAFF WRITER

Ripley

As human beings, it’s hard to avoid any conflict. Yet conflict and disagreement can actually be beneficial for people, according to Amanda Ripley. However, the line between good conflict and high conflict is thin, and getting trapped in high conflict can become all-consuming. This is what investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author Ripley will be discussing at 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 19 in the Amphitheater as the first presentation of the Chautauqua Lecture Series’ Week Four theme, “Many Americas: Navigating our Divides.”

Ripley graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in government. At the time, Ripley wanted to go into political journalism, so she started writing for the Congressional Quarterly on Capitol Hill. 

“I remember vividly going to my first congressional hearing, and there were 10 other reporters there, and we were all writing down the same thing,” Ripley said. “And I just felt like, ‘Is this really adding value?’ Particularly at the national level, it’s kind of an echo chamber.”

Ripley realized she wanted to make a bigger impact, and she began freelancing. 

“I worked with a great editor named David Carr, who had these young writers and taught us about literary journalism. … It was a great way to learn and experiment,” Ripley said. “That blew my mind. It was a great way to develop a voice and get out of what my idea was of what journalism should be.” 

From there, Ripley worked for Time magazine for 10 years, reporting on topics such as disaster, terrorism and crime. Each book she’s written has stemmed from trying to uncover something for a magazine, when she would come to a wall about whether or not there was any sort of hope for that particular problem. This was the case for her study on high conflict, which will not only be the center of Ripley’s lecture, but is also the center of her most recent bestselling book High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out.

Ripley describes high conflict as being a situation where people, once drawn in, find themselves stuck. People become increasingly certain that they are right and will be quick to make negative assumptions about those who have different opinions. 

This all-consuming feeling can at times even lead to war. Each side doesn’t realize how much the conflict is negatively affecting their own lives or the lives of those around them. 

In today’s lecture, Ripley will be telling stories about people and communities who found themselves stuck in this dysfunctional conflict, both personal and political, all over the world, who were then able to make a shift into some kind of good conflict. 

“There’s a distinction between high conflict, which is all-consuming and ultimately destructive, and good conflict, (which) is stressful and difficult but generally healthier and productive,” she said.  

Ripley highlights that one doesn’t need to necessarily give up what they’re fighting for, but rather to shift into a more productive manner of advocating. An important aspect of doing so is recognizing what leads to high conflict. 

“There’s four forces that reliably lead to high conflict, and I’ll be talking about them,” Ripley said. “One example is probably the most underappreciated force, which is humiliation. You also have another force, which is the presence of conflict entrepreneurs. These are people or platforms that exploit conflict for their own ends. And they will often frame every loss as a humiliation, no matter how small. There are patterns that you want to watch out for if you want to stay out of high conflict.”

Ripley will apply this concept to present day incidents.

“I’ll talk about a synagogue in New York City that almost imploded in high internal conflict over Israel,” Ripley said. 

What sparked Ripley’s initial interest in this issue of high conflict occurred five years ago, in 2016. 

“My motivation was after Donald Trump won the election in 2016,” Ripley said. “It started to feel like journalism wasn’t working the way it had in the past. It started to feel like it just didn’t matter what facts you managed to dig up and how pretty you made them look, because people weren’t changing their mind, and I couldn’t really understand what was going on until I started learning from people who study intractable conflict as a system. And then it was like a light bulb moment, where I realized this is not normal; traditional journalism just doesn’t function in high conflict.”

One example of this is  perception. 

“Democrats think there are twice as many Republicans with extreme views as there actually are. And the same with Republicans. Both sides think the other side hates them much more than they do,” she said. “And you get into this kind of feedback loop of fear and resentment that really kind of perpetuates itself, so it becomes conflict for conflict’s sake.”

Ripley will also highlight the importance of understanding the root of what is being argued about in the first place. 

“You want to find ways to help people get underneath the conflict, so to speak — to understand what are we really arguing about — because in every conflict, there’s the thing we fight about endlessly and then the thing it’s really about,” Ripley said.

In today’s lecture, Ripley will also discuss how one can escape high conflict once in it. Though not an easy task, Ripley says it is possible. 

“The best defense against high conflict is to never get into it,” she said. “Once started it’s very hard to get out of. It’s just really magnetic for totally understandable human reasons.” 

She said that humans are also wired for good conflict, and that it can be a productive force in the world.

“Most major achievements of civilization have been in good conflict,” Ripley said, “but it helps a lot if you cultivate the rituals and rules that lead to good conflicts.” 

Timeless beauty: As students’ season ends, Voice Program and MSFO come together for Mozart’s classic ‘The Marriage of Figaro’

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NICHOLE JIANG & DAVID KWIATKOWSKI – STAFF WRITERS

Stage director John Giampietro, center, works to set the staging for a scene with Chautauqua Voice Program students during a rehearsal of “The Marriage of Figaro” Sunday, July 18, 2021 in the Amphitheater. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR

Generations both young and old can recognize the timelessness and beauty of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. However, the Voice Program, accompanied by the Music School Festival Orchestra, looks to perform this classic opera in a way it hasn’t been done before. 

One big obstacle was the time limit constraint from COVID-19. The opera had to be cut down from four hours to just an hour and a half. Yet this time limit also opens up opportunities, as it allows the audience to experience the full glory of the opera at 8:15 p.m. Monday, July 19 in the Amphitheater — without having to sit in the benches for as long.  

“We’re picking a lot of the arias that people know which makes the entire production accessible,” said Voice student Evan Lazdowski, who’s portraying Figaro. “This is a great introduction for anybody that has a curiosity to try something new in their pursuits of the arts.”

Stage Director John Giampietro was able to accomplish keeping the essence of what makes this particular opera so loved, while staying within the time limit in a unique way. The Voice Program decided to keep in as many large ensembles, trios and duets as possible to make sure the Voice students get more opportunities to sing in a group.

“We always figured that I’d need to insert some narration between numbers to keep the storytelling going,” Giampietro said. “Although it was painful to cut the Count’s aria and Figaro’s fourth-act aria, we knew a real benefit would be that singers would be able to sing with each other again.”

What makes tonight’s performance different is the incorporation of modern aspects from our everyday lives, mixed with the grand masterpiece of both the drama and the music. 

“I like the standard productions, but I also very much enjoy innovation. We’re in a process of development and in a process of discovering new ways to increase interest in operas that were composed centuries ago,” said Carlos Arcos, who’s portraying Antonio. 

“If our director wants to try a new (concept) and it’s in line with the plot and the music, I’m open. It creates something new as long as the music and the story is respected. I personally do enjoy new productions and the challenge of creating something that is contemporary.” 

Lazdowski agreed that Giampietro was able to find the balance between old and new. 

“It’s inventive without being over the top,” Lazdowski said. “It introduces modern concepts while at the same time not straying too far away from what’s traditional. It’s kind of the Goldilocks effect — you get a little bit of this and a little bit of that, so it’s just right.”

The cast emphasized the importance of adding these elements into operas. 

“I think opera is timeless,” Acros said. “We as performers and artists honor the music, and we honor the creation of the composer, but we also must honor the timing that we live in today. Part of our creative expression is to use the tools that we have in our modern day. I don’t think opera is exclusively for an older crowd, I think opera is for everybody.” 

The Marriage of Figaro also allows the audience to connect with the opera on a deeper level. 

“There’s so many characters, so everyone in the audience can connect with a character or different parts of each,” said Makenzie Jacquemin, who’s portraying Marcellina. 

Though the opera itself was written in the 1700s, the themes can still leave a lasting impact on the audience. 

This deeper connection goes both ways as the cast themselves can find pieces of themselves within the roles that they play. 

“The Countess wants her love back that she once got from the Count,” said Lydia Graham, who plays the Countess. “I’ve been navigating a long-distance relationship for over a year now and the sorrows I feel from that, I can grab a lot of those things. I can pour those real emotions into my arias. A couple of times in rehearsal I find myself even tearing up.”

Because parts of the opera had to be cut down, there will be narrators who will come on stage and explain what happened in these excluded parts. While this is happening, there will be a dancer interpreting what is being narrated. 

“It’s really fun and fresh,” Graham said. “Since it’s 90 minutes, we have to make up for what got cut. There’s a lot of energy on stage. It’s a really good first opera experience. If you’ve never seen an opera before, this is it.”

Since the opera was originally to be performed as the full four hours, two students were cast for the roles of the Countess (Graham and Amanda Batista) and Cherubino (Lucy Evans and Maria Consamus). To still give each student the opportunity to perform, this will still be the case and there will be a role change for these two roles. 

What draws people to this opera time and time again is not just the drama itself, with its funny and relatable aspects, but also the musical masterpiece that Mozart created. The MSFO performing alongside the Voice Program will amplify the opera experience for the audience and elevate the performance making. 

“I’ve gotten to perform with the MSFO before and it’s something that you just can’t describe,” Graham said. “After a year and a half with just tracks, now singing with an orchestra — it’s just glorious. It really lets you connect.”

From left, Mackenzie Jacquemin, as Marcellina, Evan Lazdowski, as Figaro, and Henry Griffin, as Bartolo, run through a scence during a rehearsal of “The Marriage of Figaro” Sunday, July 18, 2021 in the Amphitheater. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR

The MSFO and Voice Program working together not just creates an unforgettable experience for the audience, but allows them each to build off of each other. 

“It’s always great for our instrumentalists to work intimately with singers. They learn a lot about music making from each other. There’s wonderful cross pollination,” said Timothy Muffitt, MSFO music director and conductor. “Everyone comes away from the experience from taking a deep dive into a true masterpiece. This is truly one of the great ones.”

Performing together for the first time this season and in the MSFO’s last performance of 2021,  the students from both programs are looking forward to presenting such a well-known opera side by side. 

“We’ve seen the orchestra around in the dorms and developed friendships with them, so it feels like a culmination of events and we finally get to come together and collaborate, which I think brings a really cool energy to the stage,” said Adam Catangui, who’s portraying Don Basilio. 

For the MSFO musicians, this performance is special as they not only get to accompany the Voice Program but will conclude their 2021 season.

“It’s hard to believe we’re already at that point,” Muffitt said. “Time has been very strange this summer. It feels like we just got started, but then, our concert on Monday night feels like a week ago.”

Even though the MSFO has had a shortened season this summer, the members have flourished together as musicians. 

“We’ve all gotten to know each other,” Muffitt said. “We have less rehearsal time than normal so we had to work at a greater degree of efficiency. But we’ve learned how to bridge some of those gaps and our awareness of each other has increased with every week. We’re a tightly knit unit right now.” 

Looking back on their season, the members of the MSFO were grateful to be able to produce live music once again. 

“I am so grateful we had the opportunity to play a concert every week,” said Justine Teo, MSFO violinist. “The setup is a little different, making it harder to hear each other, so that’s something we have had to get used to. I think we’ve been able to overcome these little challenges and perform well together. We’ve also become a lot closer from our time here together, and that makes the rehearsal and performance experience even more meaningful.”

With this beloved opera’s modern twists, tonight’s performance is both familiar and innovative.

“Mozart and (librettist) de Ponte talk about aspects of life that were true 100 or 200 years ago, and even though our environments are rapidly changing, I think that we as humans will always experience joys and love and forgiveness whether we are behind a screen, on Zoom or we are meeting in person,” Acros said. “I think that the composer speaks about the human experience and that is something you can’t put a date to. When you fall in love a hundred years ago or today, for humans, it’s something we can relate to.”

AAHH leaders Davis, First, with IDEA officer Taneja, to discuss inclusion efforts at Chautauqua in online panel

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LAURA PHILION – COPY & DIGITAL EDITOR

Taneja

Following the last-minute cancelation of Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock’s lecture, Chautauqua’s African American Heritage House will present a talk titled “Imagining A More Inclusive Chautauqua” at 1 p.m. Friday, July 16 on the CHQ Assembly Video Platform. On the panel will be Senior Vice President and Chief Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Officer Amit Taneja, AAHH President Erroll Davis, and AAHH board member Ted First. Amy Oshier of “CHQ for U,” Chautauqua’s virtual morning talk show, will moderate the discussion and subsequent Q-and-A.

Taneja will describe his work and the position he holds within the Institution. The job of an IDEA officer was first provided for within the Institution’s 150 Forward strategic plan, and Taneja’s hiring was announced on March 8 of this year by Institution President Michael E. Hill. Taneja is the first to hold the position for Chautauqua, and will outline his efforts for the 2021 season and beyond. 

Davis

Davis, president of the African American Heritage House, will detail the work that he and his team are doing this summer, including upcoming events such as the unveiling of the Phillis Wheatley House plaque at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall. He will also touch on this season’s in-person porch chats, held on the porch of the Athenaeum Hotel, and the need they serve — the need to know each other and to foster fellowship.

Ted First, who is a member of the AAHH board, will also speak on the efforts of the AAHH around Chautauqua. 

Also on the program is a discussion of the AAHH’s support of the archival efforts around uncovering and preserving records of the Black experience of Chautauqua throughout its history. 

Like many institutions of its day, Chautauqua was segregated until the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, and while its mission now reflects inclusivity, more efforts are underway to document earlier experiences.

First

“In the first few weeks in my new role, I’ve been impressed with the number of Chautauquans who have expressed a desire for a more welcoming, diverse and inclusive Chautauqua community,” Taneja said. “This conversation is a starting point for us to dream together of possibilities and pathways to get there. It’s an honor to have this dialogue with two trusted and respected leaders within the grounds who have been committed to diversity and inclusion for a long time.”

Following the discussion, Oshier will moderate a live Q-and-A session. Virtual attendees are invited to participate by submitting questions via questions.chq.org. The event will be archived to both CHQ Assembly and to AAHeritageHouse.org following its conclusion.

In talk, Morehouse, Emory scholar Franklin offers questions, answers on regaining moral leadership

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MAX ZAMBRANO – STAFF WRITER

Robert M. Franklin Jr., author of “Moral Leadership: Integrity, Courage, Imagination” delivers his lecture “Does Moral Leadership Still Matter? How America Can Repair” Monday, July 12, 2021 in the Amphitheater. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR

Does moral leadership matter? Can the United States repair? The Rev. Robert M. Franklin Jr. wants to know.

These were questions he asked to open his 1 p.m. Interfaith Lecture in the Amphitheater on Monday, July 12. The lecture, named after those questions, was the first of three Interfaith Lectures in Week Three, themed “The Ethical Foundations of a Fully Functioning Society.” 

Franklin is the James T. and Berta R. Laney Professor in Moral Leadership and a Senior Advisor to the President at Emory University, and President Emeritus of Morehouse College in Atlanta. 

Addressing a familiar Chautauquan crowd — he was director of religion here from 2014 to 2017 and presented his first Chautauqua lecture in 2000 — Franklin shared his answers to questions at hand. 

Discovering what moral leaders do for communities galvanizes Franklin — he spent the last year writing a new book, Moral Leadership: Integrity, Courage, Imagination, based on notes, lectures and reflections from Chautauqua, Morehouse College and other experiences.

“This is the work that I think is the great challenge for us in this hour in history,” Franklin said.

Robert M. Franklin Jr., author of “Moral Leadership: Integrity, Courage, Imagination” delivers his lecture “Does Moral Leadership Still Matter? How America Can Repair” Monday, July 12, 2021 in the Amphitheater. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR

In 2020, Franklin ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, aiming to fill the remainder of the late Rep. John Lewis’ term. He ultimately lost that race, but took away valuable lessons for himself. 

One thing he learned, he said, was that there existed a public demand for leaders of integrity, courage and imagination, and for people who inspire others to become better versions of themselves.

Another lesson he learned was that individuals can change the narrative of life. 

“We may not be able to change the past, and there are a lot of painful stories, histories and facts that are a part of America’s past, and so much still a part of America’s present,” he said. “We cannot change the past, but we can change the value of the past. … The past can offer us gifts and can speak to us.”

Franklin said people can ask themselves what they can do for the good of their town, organization, congregation or nation to help influence or change the narrative. People need to be willing to say “no,” he said. 

A third lesson Franklin learned from the campaign was people perceive politics as a land of transaction. He believes, however, that it can be based on transformation. Instead of exchanging votes for promises, Franklin said he stepped out of the religious and academic circles where he was most familiar and listened to other communities.

He also took away the notion that ordinary citizens are more important than celebrity leaders, such as Gandhi or Nelson Mandela — which is why he thinks anyone can make a difference. 

Franklin looked back at the earliest of American politics. He said the early founders believed in moral leadership and virtues. 

These leaders were trained in classical traditions, he said, and the works of Plato and Aristotle. In this tradition, Franklin said the smartest, strongest minds were given power and celebrated, akin to how the world’s best athletes will be celebrated at the Tokyo Olympic Games later this month.

Conversely, these founders also believed in covenant traditions, or that God promised to love no matter what. Here, one doesn’t have to be the best in any category to participate, Franklin said. 

Robert M. Franklin Jr., author of “Moral Leadership: Integrity, Courage, Imagination” delivers his lecture “Does Moral Leadership Still Matter? How America Can Repair” Monday, July 12, 2021 in the Amphitheater. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR

“It’s wonderful we have these two vast storehouses of intellectual resources to draw from,” he said.

When thinking of celebrity leaders, Franklin wants people to consider beyond the most famous names and think of those in their communities who have said “no,” or resisted the status quo when they spotted wrongdoing. 

“What are you going to do next?” he asked. “What will you do with what you learn here at Chautauqua for a week devoted to trust and restoring trust? What is required for a fully functioning society in Pittsburgh, Erie, Orlando, Los Angeles or Atlanta? What’s required, and how can I contribute?”

Franklin discouraged simply waiting for an electable moral leader, and instead encouraged being the moral leader. In this, he referenced Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermon based on transformed nonconformists.

“This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists,” wrote King. “The saving of our world from impending doom will not come from actions of an adjusted majority, but from creative maladjustment of a transformed minority.”

Franklin acknowledged it is sometimes difficult, even for himself, to take on such pressure. He read a quote from Oscar Wilde that he said helps him get out of bed every morning.

“ ‘Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future,’ ” he read. “We get back out there because we all have a future.”

Franklin then turned to one of the United States’ most well-known monuments to leaders: Mount Rushmore. 

Mount Rushmore was designed in the early 20th century, when the country wasn’t building much, Franklin said. He noted the four presidents on the mountain — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln — were not the only four leaders considered. 

When carving the mountain was being considered, Franklin said, builders wanted to invite people to visit the American West, or to go beyond the Mississippi River and Chicago at a time when automobiles and the family road trip were newly accessible to the American public. 

Lewis and Clark and their companion Sacagawea were considered as faces to blast into the mountainside. Oglala Lakota Chief Red Cloud was also considered because of his willingness to negotiate and share land. Susan B. Anthony, one of the pioneers of women’s suffrage, was also seriously considered, Franklin said. 

Instead, four presidents were selected.

“An interesting narrative emerged there,” he said. “Washington represented the founding of the nation, Jefferson the growth of the nation, Roosevelt the development, and Lincoln for his preservation of the nation.” 

Franklin also expressed his disappointment in this choice: “Women and people of color could have been carved into (that) mountain.”

Mount Rushmore’s sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, was originally asked to carve three “colossal” Confederate leaders into Stone Mountain, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. Borglum, Franklin said, “had something of a prickly personality.” He did not get along with the Stone Mountain Memorial Commission or Daughters of the Confederacy, Franklin said, so he was fired and eventually picked up to design Mount Rushmore — the project he is most remembered for.

Robert M. Franklin Jr., author of “Moral Leadership: Integrity, Courage, Imagination” delivers his lecture “Does Moral Leadership Still Matter? How America Can Repair” Monday, July 12, 2021 in the Amphitheater. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR

A few miles from Mount Rushmore, however, sits an uncompleted monument, the Crazy Horse Memorial, depicting Oglala Lakota warrior and leader Crazy Horse pointing to his land.

“Sometimes local memorials can be more inclusive and honest than national ones,” Franklin said.

Beyond inspiring others to be better versions of themselves, moral leaders hold people accountable, Franklin said. He mentioned Ella Baker, the only woman on the board of King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 

“She was the only person who could hold King accountable,” Franklin said.

Baker would push back on some of King’s ideas. She felt students should have more autonomy than what King originally wanted, and after he agreed, they formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Franklin said. 

In Franklin’s book, he said he wrote about the importance of institutions for students who did not have moral leaders. 

“Many kids are growing up in spaces with no reliable sources of authority — few caring adults or parents,” he said. “I watched, as president of Morehouse College, young men who said, ‘I grew up in a place where nobody cared that I was good at physics. It wasn’t until I arrived at Morehouse somebody noticed and celebrated.’ Institutions matter.”

Now, with a decline in trust of religious institutions and in the government, Franklin said, the business sector is emerging. He said, especially with younger people, consumers want to purchase products that express their values. 

One business leader he mentioned was Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, who several years ago began sending annual letters to other CEOs saying businesses needed to step up if the government would not. 

Fink, according to Franklin, wrote that businesses should care more about communities, climate change and race relations. Over time, more shareholders have agreed, Franklin said.

Another example was John Lewis’ New York Times letter, published on the day of his funeral, writing to young people, “Together, you can redeem the soul of our nation.”

Franklin closed his lecture asking if the U.S. can repair. There are troubling signs, he conceded by showing a map from the Southern Poverty Law Center illustrating a rise in hate groups across the country. 

He sees signs of hope, however. 

“One large-scale national survey showed that 77% of Americans believe that our differences are not so great that we cannot come together,” he said. “Seems to me that’s a lot to build on.”

Within the survey, he said, people on the far left or right will not soon join any unifying discussions, but the 77% in the middle are already at the table.

Turning to Americans’ understanding of democracy, he quoted W.E.B. Du Bois, the first Black man to earn a doctoral degree from Harvard University, in 1896, from Du Bois’ book The Souls of Black Folk. 

“This is a beautiful world,” Franklin read. “This is a beautiful America, which the founding fathers dreamed until their sons drowned it in the blood of slavery and devoured it in greed. Our children must rebuild it.”

Mark Wenzler heads new Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative

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SARAH VEST – STAFF WRITER

Mark Wenzler is the inaugural director of the newly launched Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR

Mark Wenzler has had a long career combating climate change, most recently serving as senior vice president at the National Parks Conservation Association. He now steps into the role of inaugural director of the Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative. 

“This job is bringing me back to the actual work that I love,” Wenzler said.

According to Wenzler, his role at the National Parks Conservation Association was “completely different” from what he has brewing for the Initiative. There he was in a managerial position running conservation programs around the country — while in Chautauqua he is going to have the opportunity to be more hands-on.

Wenzler said he learned a lot from his work with the National Parks Conservation Association. The more he is at Chautauqua, the more crossover he notices between the organizations’ approaches.

The National Park Conservation Association not only advocates for the conservation of places like Yosemite, Yellowstone and Acadia, but also works to  inform and inspire the public on issues that affect their protection. This model of educating people is one that Wenzler sees working well for the Institution. He wants to harness all the goodwill and love Chautauquans have for the grounds to consider ways to protect this land and the planet for the long term.

“I love that model because it takes it out of the realm of politics, where I think climate change (conversation) often gets stopped,” Wenzler said. 

The Initiative is designed to elevate climate change as a key issue that the Institution is uniquely positioned to address through interdisciplinary and multigenerational programs. It is the first major initiative that will be active not only during the traditional Summer Assembly but year-round and for multiple years, and it launches with three primary areas of focus: education, stewardship and justice. 

These last few weeks have been Wenzler’s first on the grounds; he has been spending his time listening, learning and absorbing as much as he can. 

“I want to get to know the community here, because I think it’s really going to help me design a much more effective program collaboratively with my colleagues — here with the community — if I have a better understanding of the work that they do, the concerns that they have and the hopes that they have for this initiative,” Wenzler said. 

He wants to get a feel for the environment at Chautauqua before he begins to establish any firm ideas and plans about what the Initiative should do and be. However, this doesn’t mean he has no idea what he wants to do moving forward. 

The framework of Wenzler’s plan folds out into three levels that come together to create a cohesive vision for the future.  

The first level includes setting roots on the grounds by seeing what the Institution can do within its own operations to be a model of sustainability. For example, he is thinking about how the Institution can reduce emissions from transportation vehicles, how to achieve zero net energy expenditure and how to be stewards of Chautauqua Lake.

“If we are going to communicate well beyond the grounds about climate change, then let’s make sure that we are doing what we can do here,” Wenzler said.

The Institution and community already have sustainability practices in place, and Wenzler said he was surprised and thrilled that there was already such a strong foundation for him to build on. When people take a walk around the grounds, they see purple martin houses and bat boxes. They can go sit in the rain gardens, butterfly gardens and down by the lake. There are even practices in place that are not obvious at first glance. For example, Wenzler said, the Institution purchases all of its energy from renewable resources. 

“This is clearly a place that cares about … being good stewards of the environment,” Wenzler said. “Just because you don’t see solar panels everywhere doesn’t mean that Chautauqua isn’t deeply committed to renewable energy.”

Wenzler’s plans don’t stop there, though. The Initiative aims to bring in the larger community around the Institution, so he’s actively reaching out to and engaging with stakeholders around the lake.

Wenzler wants to establish this relationship so that all of the communities that rely on Chautauqua Lake can work together to restore it to good ecological health. While some communities rely on the lake for drinking water, the entire county relies on it for recreation and as an economic driver. 

Wenzler wants to get  surrounding communities involved for the long term by looking at current environmental models so that the lake can be enjoyed for generations to come. It is important to begin thinking ahead so that everyone can be making decisions that are in the interest of protecting this natural resource. 

The third level involves the national, and even the international audiences that the Institution is able to reach with the current programming through the CHQ Assembly Video Platform. Wenzler wants to engage these audiences on climate change and use the Institution’s voice to inspire action to address the existential threat to the planet. 

Wenzler is looking forward to unfolding this framework with the help of his colleagues and to building components in each level. He won’t be able to do it all on his own and ultimately what they are able to create together will be “more powerful and more sustainable.”

“From our very first conversations, it was clear Mark saw the Climate Change Initiative as an opportunity to mobilize all of Chautauqua,” said Matt Ewalt, vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker Chair for Education, “from colleagues and programs across departments, to dedicated Chautauquans on grounds and across the country, so that we bring all of our resources and energy to this most important effort.”

The initial phases of the Chautauqua Climate Change Initiative have been funded by philanthropic gifts to Chautauqua from Peter Nosler, Julie Veitch and Jane Batten.

“It’s really good to see how deeply committed people are, no matter what their role is in the organization,” Wenzler said.

He has already started working on getting himself involved with the programming on the grounds. On Tuesday he moderated Elizabeth Kolbert’s morning lecture, then held a special conversation with the environmental journalist for Special Studies. Last weekend, Wenzler planned the CLSC Young Readers activity based on Week Two’s book Bridge to Terabithia, where the kids had the opportunity to head down to the ravine and create their own kingdoms. 

“Talk to any parent, and they will tell you that it’s often their kids who bring home ideas about recycling, about how we need to be more sustainable in our households,” Wenzler said. “They’re really concerned about our future and their future.”

Wenzler thinks that engaging kids who are “naturally curious” is a great way to work toward the educational goals of the Initiative, and engage Chautauqua families in sustainable living. 

He said he is optimistic for the future of the Initiative because the nature of Chautauqua inspires people to think bigger and better for so many other aspects of the world we live in. The Initiative brings issues from spanning the world right to the steps of people’s front porches.

“When it becomes about the place that you love, and that we all care about, I think we have a much greater ability to bring people together around that positive action,” Wenzler said. “We saw that in the national parks, time and time again, and I think we will see that here at Chautauqua. We do see it here.”

Week Three Letter from the President

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COLUMN BY MICHAEL E. HILL

Welcome to Week Three at Chautauqua. I cannot believe we will close out the first third of our Assembly at the conclusion of this week. It proves the old adage: “Time flies when you’re having fun!” For those who have been with us the entire season, thanks for being a part of the fun. For those just coming to Chautauqua this week, thanks for joining us. 

This week, we cover one of the most important themes of this Summer Assembly as we explore “Trust, Society and Democracy.” While recent work from the Pew Research Center had previously indicated our growing distrust in social institutions and of each other in making democratic decisions, the past year has brought this crisis of trust to a critical inflection point. In this week, we’ll ask some big questions: How can trust be restored, and how do we maintain a healthy level of skepticism that doesn’t devolve into something worse? The internet and social media have clearly accelerated and inflamed this troubling trend — what role can they play in reversing it? What do we do with institutions that society has declared broken, and what must institutions do to rebuild trust with those they serve? Perhaps most importantly, how can we work to regain trust with one another? This is a vintage Chautauqua set of questions that go to the heart of what we believe here: that we cannot fully discover the truths of life in isolation. This week we put our convening authority to the test, and I implore all who join in the conversation to enter into each lecture, encounter and artistic expression — and all the conversations that follow on Bestor Plaza, at the Athenaeum and on our porches — truly seeking to understand before being understood. Last week’s lecturer R. Alta Charo referred to Chautauqua as a “big tent community.” I couldn’t agree more, and that’s the reason that we will look at “The Ethical Foundations of a Fully Functioning Society” in our companion Interfaith Lecture Series. Socrates and his student Plato entered the discourse on ethics by way of a question that became central in Greek thought and is still relevant today: What is the relation between virtue, excellence of character, and personal and societal happiness? For the flourishing of a society, the Greek philosophers believed in reverence and justice, as well as the objectivity of goodness, as the links for knowing what is good and doing it. In this week we will discern the ethical foundations of a fully functioning society, and we will use Chautauqua as our lived experiment. I’m excited about the ways that these two sets of conversations intersect and push us to explore the best in human values. 

This is also a big week in the arts, as Saturday night our beloved Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra makes its return to the Amphitheater stage. I’m grateful for the flexibility and creativity demonstrated by Maestro Rossen Milanov and these musicians in preparing for an unusual but greatly meaningful season of music-making. The CSO will also combine with our incredible Music School Festival Orchestra on Thursday for a joint performance not to be missed. That same night in the Performance Pavilion on Pratt, the students of Marlena Malas’ Voice Program stage the opera Hansel & Gretel, and elsewhere in the week Chautauqua Theater Company and Chautauqua Opera Company continue runs of the thought-provoking productions Blood at the Root (Wednesday) and Scalia/Ginsburg (Friday). And don’t forget to find your way to our amazing Chautauqua Visual Arts galleries, or to watch our Piano Competition winners in Sunday’s recital. It’s a remarkably rich week of artistic offerings. 

Please allow me to close this week’s letter to Chautauquans with an emphasis on the first word of this week’s theme: trust. Each year I receive letters sent to my office and via email from Chautauquans who wish to express either delight or dismay about something happening on the grounds. I take each of these letters very seriously as a conduit into what you’re experiencing, and I endeavor to provide each one a response: sometimes from me and very often from a member of my team who is better suited to address a specific concern. I’m grateful to all who take the time to express an opinion. Each summer, however, I receive a very small batch of “anonymous” letters that are simply addressed to me with either no signature or a cryptic descriptor such as “a homeowner” appended. I received two such letters this week. I’d like to respectfully ask Chautauquans to lean into the word “trust” and to always sign your letters. Anonymous letters aren’t actionable, as they eliminate the ability to have a dialogue. Please trust that we value your opinions, but please also know that unactionable letters will unfortunately be that: unactionable. 

Lastly, I want to express my deep thanks for the trust that so many Chautauquans have placed in our team to manage our beloved Chautauqua through the pandemic and into this first season assembly in person again. I recently came across this sign in my social media feed: 

So many of you have stopped members of our team to share your gratitude for simply “showing up” this summer. We feel the same deep appreciation for you. As we enter Week Three, please know that I’m aware that lines are longer than we’d all like at the Brick Walk Cafe, that menus are more limited because of staffing shortages. At Chautauqua, we are down hundreds of seasonal employees compared to our usual summer. Thank you to all who have shown kindness to our front-line colleagues. Know that they are hustling as fast as humanly possible to make your Chautauqua experience a magical one. Know we are all grateful for your patience and understanding. 

Trust, Society and Democracy. I can think of no better place to practice each than at Chautauqua. Welcome to Week Three! 

Ceramic creations: Special Studies courses offer colorful outlet

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KRISTEN TRIPLETT – STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

  • From left to right, Fran Goodwin, Colleen Law, Sue Eluard, Sophie Van Seventer, Camille Van Seventer, and Adilene Rosales talk while putting wax on their clay creations during a beginner ceramics class on Thursday June 30, 2021 in the Art Quad. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Ceramic instructor Wes Hart unloads the kiln after firing students work overnight on Friday July 1, 2021 in the Art Quad. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Ceramic instructor Adilene Rosales holds one of the student's finished pieces on Friday July 2, 2021 in the Art Quad. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Ceramic instructors Wes Hart and Adilene Rosales unload the kiln that the student's creations fired in on Friday July 1, 2021 in the Art Quad. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Merel Latour studies the various colors before glazing her clay work on Thursday June 30, 2021. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Glaze samples sit on one of the countertops at a beginner ceramics class July 1st, 2021. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • A beginner class works on ceramics in the art quad July 1st, 2021. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Instructor, Wes Hart, shows student, Colleen Law, how to dip her bowl into the glaze during a beginner class on Thursday July 1, 2021 in the Art Quad. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Each weekday, people of all ages and skill levels come together to learn ceramics in the Arts Quad. This is a time for Chautauquans to learn a new skill, express their creativity, and make new friends. Whether they want to make a dish, a pencil holder, or a custom creation, the opportunities are limitless.

The classes, offered through Chautauqua Special Studies, are held Monday through Friday. Students are guided through the entire ceramics process, from throwing to glazing, then take home their finished creation.

For AAHH talk, Heber Brown to discuss the role Black churches can play in fighting food insecurity

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NICK DANLAG – STAFF WRITER

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When the Rev. Heber M. Brown III was 9 years old in a social studies class, he remembers learning about many notable figures, like Napoleon Bonaparte and King Louis XIII, but he knew something was missing.

“As a little boy, I’m like, ‘OK, that’s nice — but I don’t see nobody that looks like me. Where are we?’ ” said Brown, founding director of Orita’s Cross Freedom School, an African-centered youth educational program based out of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Baltimore, where he is also senior pastor. 

So Brown asked his teacher, whose face went red, “beet red.” The teacher stammered and stumbled over his words.

“I didn’t even realize fully what I said,” Brown said. “It was an honest question from a 9-year-old boy. I wanted to hear about myself in the stories.”

Brown knew from his teacher’s response that there was a lot more to the story. As Brown grew older, he continued to ask questions and examine the education system in the United States. 

“We’re often taught history from the perspective of the conquerors, from the perspective of the warlords and from the perspective of the oppressor,” Brown said.

At 1 p.m. EDT Friday, July 9 on the CHQ Assembly Video Platform, Brown will talk about the role Black churches can play in addressing food insecurity and advancing society. He will present his talk as a part of the African American Heritage House 2021 Lecture Series.

Eventually, Brown said, he was introduced to many different perspectives of history, mainly through books like Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed; bell hooks’ Teaching to Transgress; Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States; and James W. Loewen’s The Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong.

“I began to wonder,” Brown said, “what if we take the traditional Sunday school idea, baptize it into a liberatory educational process, and produce something that speaks to spiritual formation, racial pride and self esteem? Out came Orita’s Cross Freedom School.”

When the Pleasant Hope Baptist Church building and local schools are closed, Brown and others open the church doors and make it a school for the community’s children. They focus on elementary to middle school students, with older students assisting in lessons: Black history, African history, home economics, sewing, herbalism, auto mechanics, gardening, coding, field trips, dance and much more.

“The children love it,” Brown said. “The parents love it because they have somewhere for their children to go when school is closed. And we love it because we’re taking what we already have: a sanctuary, classrooms, a parking lot and kitchen, and putting it to good use during the week when we’re not using it. We’re helping our community and growing with our children along the way.”

Brown believes a freedom school can have far-reaching effects.

“I’m talking about more than just an ethical food system,” Brown said. “I believe that spiritual ethics and religious underpinnings can help us to dream about what that looks like in ways that cold, hard capitalism restraints and restricts us from.”

Brown also said he wants to give people the chance to reimagine what church is.

“If our faith-based institutions and organizations are nothing else,” Brown said, “they are spaces that curate sacred stories that help to feed our imagination, of not only what happened prior to us coming, but also what’s happening next.”

When Brown gives Zoom interviews, a row of picture frames stand directly behind him, with many candles of various sizes behind the photos. He said these were photos of his ancestors and his “heroes and sheroes.”

“I try to keep them close as a source of inspiration,” Brown said.

One of his heroes is the Rev. Vernon Johns, who is largely overlooked because his work came right before the more famous civil rights movement.

“He’s one that really ranks very high for me,” Brown said. “Johns has a powerful legacy of ministry that intersects with farming and food and really getting closer to the land.”

Like Johns, Brown works to combat food insecurity within the Black community. He said that many people tend to view the challenges the Black community encounters from a deficit mentality.

“While all of that can be valid, I think it’s equally important to consider: What does the African American community already have in its hand that can be useful to addressing whatever the challenges (are)?” said Brown, who in 2015 founded the Black Church Food Security Network. 

In terms of food availability, Brown said, Black churches bring a lot of resources to the table. He said in the United States, much of the land that Black people owned was lost, through gentrifying neighborhoods and redlining practices — what is referred to as Black land loss.

“I began to think about, well, where is the land that Black folks have that we can (use)? The bottom line is, we need to eat and we need nutrient-rich produce,” Brown said. “We know that the corner stores are oftentimes not the best option to promote flourishing in our community.”

This is where churches come into play — with land, kitchens, organized people and many basic ingredients. 

“I’m not arguing that Black churches all by themselves can create food systems completely detached from other important inputs and outputs. But it can be a space where we can generate some momentum,” Brown said.

He said this momentum can attract other partners and ideas, and Black churches can be the starting point for a “dignifying way to address the challenge of food apartheid and food insecurity.”

Some organizations, Brown said, take a paternalistic stance when trying to address problems of food insecurity in different communities. Sometimes these organizations will have rules and practices, such as limits on food a person can take and strict identification requirements, that Brown said “can corrode a person’s dignity.”

“Now imagine,” Brown said, “parents walking into a food pantry with their children and being treated as if they are less than human when they need food, what I believe is a basic human right.”

An American moment: Chautauqua celebrates being together again for July 4

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  • Alex Mathews, bass-baritone, performs during the Independence Day celebration on Saturday July 3, 2021 in the Amphitheater. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • The American Flag unfurls from the Amphitheater ceiling as guest conductor William Eddins leads the Music School Festival Orchestra in “Stars and Stripes Forever” during the Independence Day Celebration Saturday. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Guest Conductor Williams Eddins interacts with the crowd during the Independence Day Celebration on Saturday July 3, 2021 in the Amphitheater. KRISTEN TRIPLETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
  • Parks Zachry, 6, waves her flag high above the crowd Sunday, July 4, 2021 while listening to the Chautauqua Community Band’s Fourth of July Concert with her dad Andrew Zachry on Bestor Plaza. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR
  • From left, Dan Reeder, Maddy Reeder, 5, Amina Hagner, 6, and Carol Reeder show their patriotic spirit Sunday, July 4, 2021 while listening to the Chautauqua Community Band’s Fourth of July Concert on Bestor Plaza. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR
  • Chautauquans fill Bestor Plaza Sunday, July 4, 2021 for the Chautauqua Community Band’s Fourth of July Concert. DAVE MUNCH/PHOTO EDITOR

The conductor raises his baton to the ceiling, the orchestra comes to the crescendo of “Stars and Stripes Forever,” and the American Flag unfurls above the stage as the audience rises to its feet in applause. For many Chautauquans it is the quintessential Fourth of July moment, one they look forward to each year. While this year’s Independence Day festivities were a bit different than years past — with guest conductor William Eddins holding the baton, and the Music School Festival Orchestra and Chautauqua Voice Program taking the stage for the annual Independence Day Celebration in the Amp — the weekend signaled a joyous return of some of Chautauqua’s most beloved traditions, of families and fireworks, of celebration and community, in a gathering that President Theodore Roosevelt once described as “typical of America at its best.” 

Week Two Letter from the President

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COLUMN BY MICHAEL E. HILL

Welcome to Week Two of our 2021 Summer Assembly. It was so invigorating to be with many of you as we explored the role of China in the world. If you were with us last week, I hope you left with a greater understanding of the ways in which China in its many manifestations — politically, economically, culturally — is part of the very complex fabric of our world. From artistic expression to our various lecture platforms, Week One was an example of Chautauqua at its finest. It was made all better by having you here. 

For those joining us for Week Two, you come during the exploration of a fascinating topic, as we look at “New Frontiers: Exploring Today’s Unknowns.” If COVID taught us nothing else, it was that we can’t always see what’s around the corner. In this week, we acknowledge that there is so much left to explore and discover — and the more humans explore, the more we learn how much remains undiscovered. On the Chautauqua Lecture Series platform, we consider throughout the week these new frontiers in science, health, technology and the environment, and look to where new insights are being gained every day. I’m excited that we get a chance to welcome the new explorers, the next generation of innovators, to learn what work they’re doing on the cutting edge of these fields, exploring the extraordinary and making the unknown, known. 

In our companion Interfaith Lecture Series, we explore “New Frontiers: Exploring the Future of Religion in America.” Long regarded as one of the most religious countries in the world, America is showing signs of losing that distinction, as successive generations begin to claim more spirituality and less religiosity, and with greater frequency self-identifying as neither, indeed as “none of the above.” In this week we look toward what a changing religious landscape in America would look and act like. 

This is also a week of traditions here at Chautauqua, as we celebrate the Fourth of July — this year with the Music School Festival Orchestra and the Chautauqua Community Band. From parades and picnics, we celebrate the founding of our nation, with all its imperfections and accomplishments. One of the reasons I love Chautauqua is that we know that loving something doesn’t mean that we don’t challenge it, and I’m excited that our speakers, preachers and artists will continue in this week to ask questions about the American ideal as we celebrate the very founding of the nation. 

Speaking of using the arts to look more deeply at our society, if you haven’t seen Chautauqua Theater Company’s production of Blood at the Root, please be sure to take in a performance of it at our new Performance Pavilion on Pratt. Stori Ayers, CTC’s associate artistic director, is one of my favorite storytellers, and you won’t want to miss her direction that asks whether justice is really blind. 

We welcome a great preacher to unpack our week, as well, with the Rev. Zina Jacque, the lead pastor at Community Church of Barrington in Illinois. She has served on the staffs of multicultural, urban and suburban churches, and has done extensive work in the areas of education, counseling and support programs. Rev. Jacque was the founder and first executive director of the Pastoral Counseling Center of Trinity Church (Episcopal) in Boston. In this role she implemented training on mental health issues for local pastors and led the center in the delivery of direct service hours to economically disenfranchised people across greater Boston. Now in its 18th year, it remains a unique center serving the greater Boston area. She is a prophetic voice for our time and a great guide for the week. 

Elsewhere in the week, we celebrate the beginning of the Chautauqua Opera Company’s mainstage season with the premiere of Scalia/Ginsburg on Friday at the Pavilion. I commend General and Artistic Director Steven Osgood and his entire team for pulling together a creative season that will surprise and delight. This opening operatic comedy lifts up an unlikely friendship that proves that our disagreements, however deep, don’t have to define how we relate to each other. It’s a message that many of us, and many of our leaders, would do well to hear and heed.  

Finally, if you’re just arriving on the grounds, I hope you’ll take time to check out our newest food and drink venue, 3 Taps and The A Truck, lakeside at the Pier Building and Miller Bell Tower. It has already proved to be a popular space for friends and family to reunite, reacquaint and reminisce. Perhaps you’ll find it to be a similarly accommodating space for you and yours this celebratory holiday week. Please also remember to tune into CHQ Assembly at 10:20 a.m. weekdays just prior to the morning lecture as host Amy Oshier previews the day’s events live on CHQ for U. If you miss the live presentation, it’s also available each day on demand through the end of the week.  On Friday mornings, we present an extended version of the show, looking ahead to the week to come.

As I mentioned in my opening Three Taps address, this summer is still one of experimentation for us as we emerge from COVID-19. I want to thank all of you for your understanding as we operate Chautauqua in new and sometimes augmented ways. As we go through this second week of our season, I ask all to remember the tremendous joy of gathering in community again. When we get it right, let’s celebrate with one another. When we miss the mark, I’d ask your understanding and forgiveness, allowing frustration to be tempered by the joy of gathering in the first place. That is the best of Chautauqua shining through, and your return is the greatest sign of joy we all feel. Welcome to Week Two!

Chautauqua Theater Company season opens with Morisseau’s ‘Blood at the Root’

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  • The cast of Chautauqua Theater Company’s production of Blood at the Root rehearse Monday in the Performance Pavilion on Pratt. The production opens at 4 p.m. today in the Pavilion.
  • CTC Conservatory Actors Jada Owens, as Raylynn, and Daphne Kinard, as Asha, perform during the final dress rehearsal for Blood at the Root.
  • The cast of Chautauqua Theater Company’s production of Blood at the Root rehearse Monday in the Performance Pavilion on Pratt. The production opens at 4 p.m. today in the Pavilion.

DAVID KWIATKOWSKI – STAFF WRITER

With months of preparation, weeks of rehearsal and almost two years of anticipation of getting on stage, the time has come.

Chautauqua Theater Company’s first production of the season, Blood at the Root, has its debut at 4 p.m. June 29 at the Performance Pavilion on Pratt. The show was written by Dominique Morisseau and will be directed by Associate Artistic Director Stori Ayers, who also originated the role of Raylynn in the original run of the show in 2014. 

The play was written for the 2014 acting class at Pennsylvania State University to huge success, which led to tours in South Africa and Australia. 

The show is based on the true story of the “Jena Six,” six Black teenagers convicted in the beating of a white student at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana, on Dec. 4, 2006. 

However, the play is set in the present day. While it is about the events in 2006, the show’s script allows the director to have it be set in the present day, as well.

“This play is built on the idea of devised production. What this means is that the work on the page is really only half, and the ensemble is intended, along with the director, to put their own signature on the work in a more defined and pronounced way,” Morisseau noted in the script.

Ayers said oftentimes when looking at scripts there will be heavy stage directions. She said this play is not like that. 

“So every production of it you see can look and be drastically different to how people build out the world,” she said. 

The show follows six characters’ journeys, and is less about the events themselves than about the effects they have on the students and how they deal with the racial and social hierarchy of their school.

This is Ayers’ second time directing Blood at the Root and every time she has participated in a production, the show has always been slightly different.

“The first time I directed, I think I did a lot of mimicking what we did in our (original) production,” Ayers said. “This time I approached it with my own idea of who these characters are, what the story is and allowing these artists to bring their interpretations to the room. What I once thought what we originally did with this moment, is now completely different. Because these artists are different. And the time, the moment now, is different.”

Sarah Clare Corporandy, managing director of CTC, said Morisseau’s writing perfectly encapsulates six different perspectives on one singular event.

Ayers believes the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States can be traced back to the Jena Six case and its handling in both the courts and the media. 

“I think (this show) is worth two things: going back and looking at the genesis of this movement, by telling their stories, (and) then there’s also something to getting the truth from the people involved,” Ayers said. “Getting that narrative, adding that to the mix. Because when you Google it, you don’t get their narrative. People understand it as six young Black boys jumped a white boy at school. And that was wrong.”

Corporandy believes this show is the best way to start the 2021 season in engaging with Chautauqua’s principles.

“This play is very much a call to action,” Corporandy said. “This play is not, ‘Just go home and talk about it on your porch,’ even though that’s a really important part of Chautauqua. This play is asking us to go beyond talk. This is the first time we’re speaking on a racial reckoning in our country after George Floyd was murdered, and the whole country stopped and is dealing with it. And our industry is dealing with it in a very direct way. This play is another way for us to help our community deal with it in an honest and vulnerable way.”

Human Rights Watch’s Fong to discuss China’s ‘radical experiment’ of one-child policy for CLS

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FONG

NICK DANLAG – STAFF WRITER

Mei Fong’s writing is far-reaching and deeply personal. Her book, One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment, covers how the one-child policy still impacts economic growth and families in China, with one-fourth of the population over 65 and the younger generation being predominantly male. In this chronicle of the practice that started in the 1980s, Fong weaves in her own story of striving to have a child. 

Fong’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and many other newspapers. As well as winning the 2006 Human Rights Press Award from Amnesty International and the Hong Kong Correspondents Club, Fong is now the Chief Communications Officer at Human Rights Watch. 

At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 29 at the Amphitheater, Fong will discuss the worldwide impact of China’s one-child policy as part of the Chautauqua Lecture Series theme “China and the World: Collaboration, Competition, Confrontation?” 

“We welcome Mei Fong to the Amp this week to speak to what was, in her words, the world’s most radical experiment,” said Matt Ewalt, vice president and Emily and Richard Smucker chair for education, “and has had devastating cultural and economic consequences.”

In a 2017 editorial for Think, Fong delved into her experience of sending her 6-year-old son to school with leftovers, only for him to come home, ashamed, saying that the other children bullied him for his “stinky” food.

“My first instinct when my son told me his lunchbox story was anger,” Fong wrote. “I wanted to send him back into his classroom armed with pride and an indifference to playground slurs. But I also wanted to shield him. He’s only 6! Why should lunch be a battlefield?”

Fong, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, then journeys with the audience through the far-too-big rabbit hole of “lunchbox shaming,” when children, and adults, are hazed for bringing in their culture’s foods. 

In that brief article, she finds American news organizations writing about which foods not to take into the workplace, with one listing Mexican food at the top; depictions of shaming in popular media like “Fresh Off The Boat;” and how some immigrant families protect their children from the shaming they experienced as children. 

At 16, Fong met Queen Elizabeth II after winning an essay writing competition. 

“Nothing so exciting had ever happened in my dull life until then,” Fong wrote on her website.

Pursuing journalism and writing after meeting with Her Majesty, Fong graduated from the National University of Singapore and earned a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University. 

She also produced a podcast called “The Heist’’ that documents power in former President Donald Trump’s America and is in Foreign Policy’s Top 50 U.S.-China Influencers in the Media & Culture section.

One of the things that Fong has continued to raise alarm bells about is China’s declining number of career-age adults. 

“China needs to desperately increase its number of working adults,” said Fong in an interview with CCTV. “China will be adding about 10 million pensioners every year, but adding about seven million working adults. That’s obviously not great in the long term.”

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