Chautauqua - An American Narrative

(BELL CHIMING) THIS PLACE IS ABOUT AS AMERICAN AS ANYTHING GETS. TRULY, I THINK THERE IS NO REPLICA OF CHAUTAUQUA. IT STARTED IN 1874 AS A PLACE TO EDUCATE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. THE PEACE OF GOD BE WITH YOU.

CHAUTAUQUA WOULDN'T BE CHAUTAUQUA IF IT DIDN'T HAVE THAT KIND OF A RELIGIOUS FOUNDING. WHAT BEGAN IN A REMOTE CORNER OF WESTERN NEW YORK, GREW INTO A NATIONAL MOVEMENT. WHEN THAT MOVEMENT ENDED IN THE 1930'S, THE ORIGINAL GATHERING PLACE CARRIED ON. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A PLACE THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT FOR CREATING MODERN AMERICAN CULTURE HAS BEEN SO LARGELY FORGOTTEN IN THE COUNTRY.

CHAUTAUQUA EMBRACES EDUCATION AS A LIFELONG PURSUIT. FIRST OF ALL... YOU'RE EXPOSED NOT SIMPLY TO ONE THING, BUT IT'S ART, IT'S ALSO EDUCATION, IT'S CURRENT EVENTS... THESE KINDS OF INCENTIVES HELP FUEL ECONOMIC GROWTH.

RELIGION, RECREATION. I THINK THERE ARE OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE SOME OF THE ELEMENTS OF CHAUTAUQUA, BUT NOT ALL OF THE ELEMENTS. DURING ITS 135 YEAR HISTORY, CHAUTAUQUA'S IDEALS HAVE BEEN TESTED. SEVERAL TIMES, IT FACED FINANCIAL RUIN.

IT STRUGGLES WITH AN IMAGE AS A PLACE FOR THE WEALTHY AND LACKING DIVERSITY. IT SEARCHES FOR RELEVANCE AT A TIME WHEN PEOPLE RELY MORE ON ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION THAN FACE-TO-FACE ENGAGEMENT. THE GREATEST ASPECT OF THIS PLACE IS ITS VISCERAL QUALITY. AT THE HEART OF IT, I MEAN, THE REAL OPPORTUNITY IS THAT EXPERIENCE OF PRESENCE AND TO EMBRACE THE WORLD AROUND YOU AND REALLY ENGAGE IT.

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THERE WAS SUCH A THING AS A GNOSTIC GOSPEL. WE DIDN'T EITHER. THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT, AND TALKING ABOUT... PEOPLE NO LONGER HAVE THAT CHANCE TO SIT DOWN WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND HEAR THE SAME LECTURE OR SIT DOWN AND LISTEN TO THE SAME CONCERT OR SEE THE SAME DANCE PERFORMANCE.

AND THEN SHARE THAT EXPERIENCE WITH ONE ANOTHER. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) CHAUTAUQUA IS A PLACE THAT STARTED OUT A LONG, LONG TIME AGO PARTLY AS A PLACE WHERE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS WERE TAUGHT. RENEWABLE ENERGY HERE... WHERE PEOPLE REALLY WANTED TO COME OUT AND HEAR LECTURES.

WHAT DREAMS AND IDEALS ARE TO INDIVIDUAL LIVES. I THINK IT'S A REAL KICK THAT SOMEHOW A PLACE DEVOTED TO THOSE WHAT SEEM LIKE VERY OLD THINGS MANAGED TO SURVIVE ALL THE WAY INTO OUR TIME. (APPLAUSE) IT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO SOMEONE EXACTLY WHAT CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION IS. IS IT A SCHOOL?

NO. IS IT A VACATION SPOT? NO. UH, THE ONLY WAY TO EXPLAIN IT IS THIS WAY.

IT IS A MOTHER'S LOVE, A PROFESSOR'S DISCIPLINE, AND A PREACHER'S PASSION ALL ROLLED TOGETHER. AND THAT IS CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION. (APPLAUSE) CHAUTAUQUA PRIDES ITSELF ON BEING DIFFICULT TO DESCRIBE. IT DOESN'T HAVE A SNAPPY MARKETING SLOGAN, AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE LOOKING FOR ONE.

CHAUTAUQUA IS A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL, A SUMMER DESTINATION WITH A MIX OF ARTISTIC, EDUCATIONAL, SPIRITUAL AND RECREATIONAL PURSUITS. THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE. (CHEERING) AND WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT. (APPLAUSE) OTIS MOSS VISITED CHAUTAUQUA AS A CHILD WITH HIS PARENTS.

HE RETURNED TO PREACH WITH HIS FATHER AND THEN TO PREACH ON HIS OWN. I THANK YOU, CHAUTAUQUA COMMUNITY, FOR ALLOWING MY FAMILY AND MYSELF TO RETURN BACK AGAIN TO THESE SACRED GROUNDS. CHAUTAUQUA IS A THROWBACK TO AN ERA THAT IS NOW LONG GONE IN AMERICA... GO!

YOU DON'T HAVE TO FEAR FOR YOUR CHILDREN, SO THEY CAN GO OFF AND RIDE AND PLAY, AND YOU KNOW THAT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS KIND OF LOOKING AFTER CHILDREN. I THINK THAT CHAUTAUQUA'S A GREAT SYMBOL TO HAVE OF WHAT, UH, WE WANT AS A COMMUNITY. HELLO, EVERYONE. YOUR FIRST OF SEVERAL OFFICIAL WELCOMES TO THE 26TH SEASON OF THE CHAUTAUQUA THEATER COMPANY, AND THE 135TH SEASON OF THE CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION.

MY CHAUTAUQUA STORY IS THAT I CAME AS A STUDENT HERE 20 YEARS AGO, AND THAT WAS THE SUMMER THAT MADE ME WANT TO ENTER THIS LIFE PROFESSIONALLY AS AN ARTIST, AS A THEATER ARTIST. VIVIENNE BENESCH RETURNED TO CHAUTAUQUA AS AN ACTOR, DIRECTOR AND TEACHER... BUT WE MAKE IT WORK... AND SINCE 2005, AS CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE CHAUTAUQUA THEATER COMPANY.

IN THAT SAME CONVERSATION... AND THERE WAS SORT OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY FEELING OF CHAUTAUQUA IS MY ARTISTIC HOME, AND IT'S WHERE I HAVE GROWN UP AS AN ARTIST. IT HAS GIVEN ME MORE OPPORTUNITIES THAN I CAN DREAM OF, AND SO I CAME BACK MANY, MANY TIMES. (APPLAUSE) WOW.

THIS IS AWESOME. (LAUGHTER) I MIGHT OVERUSE THAT WORD, BUT GOOD MORNING.

CROWD

GOOD MORNING. OH, I LOVE IT. (LAUGHTER) KOBIE BOYKINS IS A NASA ENGINEER WHOSE FIRST TRIP TO CHAUTAUQUA WAS PART OF A WEEK-LONG COLLABORATION WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. CAN WE LEARN SOMETHING FROM MARS TO TELL US ABOUT WHAT MAY HAPPEN HERE ON EARTH?

I HAD TO LOOK IT UP. I HAD TO GOOGLE. I, I ADMIT I GOOGLED CHAUTAUQUA. HERE, IT SEEMS REAL EASY...

BUT I STARTED TO READ ABOUT WHAT THIS PLACE IS ABOUT, AND I'M THINKING, WOW, THAT'S GOING TO BE PRETTY FUN. I DON'T THINK YOU ACTUALLY GET THE FULL EFFECT UNTIL YOU'RE HERE. IT'S ALMOST LIKE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SEARCHING FOR MARS. YOU CAN DO THE RESEARCH, BUT UNTIL YOU'VE DONE IT AND YOU'VE BEEN THERE, IT'S NOT THE SAME AND SO READING ABOUT THE HISTORY AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS PLACE WAS ABOUT, IT WASN'T TANGIBLE.

YOU CHANGED MY THINKING ABOUT SPACE. OH, THANK YOU... NOW THAT I'VE BEEN HERE. IT STARTS TO SINK IN A LITTLE BIT.

WONDERFUL TALK. THANK YOU. AND I DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET THAT BY GOOGLING. OKAY.

WHERE DO WE GET TO GO? (WAVES LAPPING) (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) THIS PLACE WAS FOUNDED IN 19TH CENTURY AMERICA, AND BOTH OF THOSE QUALIFICATIONS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. IT WAS THE 19TH CENTURY, AND IT WAS AMERICA. THE CHAUTAUQUA LAKE SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSEMBLY BEGAN IN 1874 AT A TIME WHEN RELIGION, SCIENCE AND POLITICS WERE MERGING WITH A NEW SOCIAL ACTIVISM.

WHEN CHAUTAUQUA STARTED, IT WAS STILL IN THE WAKE OF THE CIVIL WAR. THERE WERE MANY CHANGES TO THE DEMOGRAPHICS, CHANGES TO THE ECONOMY, CHANGES TO THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE. IN RESPONSE TO THOSE CHANGES, JOHN HEYL VINCENT, A METHODIST MINISTER AND LEWIS MILLER, AN OHIO INDUSTRIALIST, STARTED CHAUTAUQUA AS AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIMENT. THESE WERE PROGRAMS TO TEACH SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS HOW TO TEACH SUNDAY SCHOOL BETTER.

IT WAS PART OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT OF THE TIME, WHICH WAS MUCH MORE THAN JUST SIMPLY TEACHING PEOPLE ABOUT THE BIBLE. THEY BELIEVED THAT IF DEMOCRACY WAS TO SUCCEED, YOU HAD TO HAVE AN EDUCATED ELECTORATE, AND THEY BELIEVED THAT THE CHURCHES HAD SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT. CHAUTAUQUA BENEFITED FROM THE INCREASED LEISURE TIME THAT MANY AMERICANS WERE BEGINNING TO EXPERIENCE. PEOPLE WERE WORKING VERY HARD IN 19TH CENTURY AMERICA, AND IT WAS CONSIDERED NOT QUITE APPROPRIATE FOR AMERICANS TO TAKE A VACATION, PARTICULARLY IF YOU JUST WENT OFF AND DID NOTHING.

BUT IF YOU WENT ON VACATION WHERE YOU HAD ELEVATING LECTURES GIVEN OR RELIGIOUS SERVICES OR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, THEN IT BECAME A LITTLE MORE ACCEPTABLE. FOR THEIR SUMMER ENCAMPMENT, MILLER AND VINCENT SETTLED ON A REMOTE AREA OF WESTERN NEW YORK. AND BOTH MEN CAME TO REALIZE THAT ACTUALLY BY MOVING IT AWAY FROM THE CITIES AND HOLDING THESE EVENTS IN A NATURAL SETTING, IT ACTUALLY MADE FOR A BETTER CLASSROOM. SO HERE WAS A CHANCE TO COME TO A PLACE WHERE IT WAS OKAY TO BE ON VACATION BECAUSE YOU HAD THESE ELEVATING, EDIFYING EXPERIENCES EVERY DAY.

IN THE BEGINNING, ACCOMMODATIONS WERE MINIMAL. VISITORS SAT ON WOODEN BENCHES BEFORE AN OUTDOOR STAGE. BY THE SECOND YEAR, MILLER AND VINCENT ADDED A COVERED STAGE FOR SPEAKERS AND CONCERTS. A VISIT BY PRESIDENT GRANT IN 1875 CREATED A NATIONAL AWARENESS OF CHAUTAUQUA.

IN TIME, VINCENT PARTICULARLY WANTED TO EXTEND THE PROGRAM TO THOSE WHO COULDN'T COME TO CHAUTAUQUA, AND SO THEY BEGAN THE CHAUTAUQUA LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC CIRCLE IN 1878. THE CLSC WAS A STRUCTURED, FOUR YEAR CORRESPONDENCE COURSE. IT WAS ESPECIALLY POPULAR AMONG WOMEN AND IN RURAL AREAS. MANY OF THOSE WHO COMPLETED THE COURSE CAME TO CHAUTAUQUA DURING THE SUMMER FOR AN ELABORATE GRADUATION CEREMONY.

CLSC READING CIRCLES FLOURISHED AROUND THE COUNTRY. IN TIME, THOSE CIRCLES BEGAN TO PUT ON CHAUTAUQUA-LIKE PROGRAMS IN THEIR AREA. THESE BECAME THE DAUGHTER CHAUTAUQUAS. THESE REGIONAL CHAUTAUQUAS WERE ONLY LOOSELY TIED TO THE ORIGINAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK.

IN 1904, ANOTHER EXPANSION KNOWN AS THE CIRCUIT CHAUTAUQUAS TOOK THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT EVEN FURTHER FROM ITS ROOTS. THEY TRAVELED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND IN FACT MOST PEOPLE WHEN THEY THINK OF CHAUTAUQUA TODAY, THEY'RE PROBABLY THINKING OF THESE CIRCUITS. THE CHAUTAUQUA MOVEMENT BECAME POPULAR, AND CHAUTAUQUA BECAME A WORD. WHAT THIS PLACE REPRESENTED BECAME A WORD IN COMMON USAGE.

THE ADVENT OF RADIO AND MOVIES AND THE FREEDOM PROVIDED BY THE AUTOMOBILE ERODED THE POPULARITY OF THE TRAVELING CHAUTAUQUAS. BY 1932, THE NATIONAL CHAUTAUQUA MOVEMENT WAS ESSENTIALLY ENDED. OVER TIME, THE WORD, CHAUTAUQUA, ALL BUT VANISHED FROM THE LEXICON. THE CHAUTAUQUA IDEAL WAS KEPT ALIVE AT THE ORIGINAL SITE IN WESTERN NEW YORK, BUT THE SAME FACTORS THAT ENDED THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT WERE BEING FELT AT THE CHAUTAUQUA ASSEMBLY.

YOU DIDN'T NEED TO COME HERE. YOU COULD GET IN THE FORD AND GO TO THE MOVIES, YOU COULD TURN ON THE RADIO. THEN, THE DEPRESSION HAPPENED, AND CHAUTAUQUA DID GO BANKRUPT, WENT INTO RECEIVERSHIP. AND IN 1933, IT COULD NOT ANNOUNCE ITS NEXT SEASON.

IT WAS JUST NOT CLEAR IT WOULD EVER OPEN AGAIN. WHEN THEY CAME OUT OF RECEIVERSHIP IN 1936, A CONSERVATIVE MINDSET CAME IN, AND FOR THE NEXT 35 YEARS, UH, THERE WAS NO MONEY SPENT AT ALL THAT WASN'T ESSENTIAL. THERE WERE OTHER PERIODS OF STAGNATION AND FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY. CHAUTAUQUA FADED FROM THE AMERICAN CONSCIOUSNESS.

IN THE 1960'S, THERE WAS AN EFFORT TO REINVIGORATE CHAUTAUQUA. BY THE 1980'S, A RENAISSANCE WAS UNDERWAY THAT CONTINUES TODAY. THE FOUNDERS OF THIS PLACE HAD SUCH AN AMAZING VISION FOR WHAT THEY WERE CONTRIBUTING TO AMERICAN SOCIETY IN TERMS OF LIFELONG LIVING. A LOT OF THEIR VALUES THAT DROVE WHERE THEY CAME FROM TO BEGIN THIS PLACE ARE VERY MUCH ALIVE TODAY.

AND I SENSE THE PRESENCE OF THOSE PEOPLE, THAT THEY REALLY DID FEEL THAT THE LOVE OF LEARNING WAS ESSENTIAL TO THE GOOD LIFE. THEY REALLY DID FEEL THAT ART AND MUSIC MATTER AND THAT IDEAS MATTER AND THAT PEOPLE CAN GATHER IN A SPIRIT OF, OF FELLOWSHIP, NOT JUST IN A RELIGIOUS SENSE BUT IN THE SENSE OF THE LIFE OF THE MIND. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) FROM THE BEGINNING, CHAUTAUQUA EMBODIED WHAT MANY SAW AS THE BEST OF AMERICA, BUT CHAUTAUQUA ALSO INCITES SKEPTICISM, A RESPONSE TO ITS IDYLLIC SETTING AND UNIQUE PACE, A BACKDROP IN CADENCE, UNFAMILIAR TO MOST OF AMERICA. THE FIRST IMPRESSION IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE CONFUSING BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO FIT IT INTO OTHER THINGS YOU'VE EXPERIENCED BEFORE.

MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SENSE THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN A STEP BACK INTO THE PAST. WHEN YOU WALK DOWN THE ROADS ON THOSE BACK NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE TREES, I FEEL LIKE I'M IN A STORY BOOK IN ANOTHER TIME. I DON'T FEEL LIKE... I CAN'T PINPOINT WHAT TIME PERIOD I'M IN.

THE 250 ACRE COMMUNITY INCLUDES EVERY STYLE OF AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE BETWEEN THE 1870'S AND THE 1950'S. CAR TRAFFIC IS LIMITED SO MOST PEOPLE GET AROUND BY WALKING OR RIDING BIKES. THE SETTING IS REMINISCENT OF SMALL TOWN AMERICA A CENTURY AGO. THERE IS A SENSE FOR PEOPLE THAT IT DOESN'T CHANGE AT ALL.

I THINK IT WAS VIEWED AS A YESTERDAY KIND OF PLACE. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME MERIT TO THAT IN PERIODS OF THIS INSTITUTION'S HISTORY. CHAUTAUQUA HAS ALWAYS INGENIOUSLY BALANCED CONTINUITY AND TRADITION AND A LACK OF CHANGE WITH THE VITALITY OF A CONSTANTLY CHANGING PROGRAM. I ALWAYS GO TO THE LECTURE.

2:00 IS GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL LECTURE ON THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT PEOPLE HAVE IS DECIDING WHAT TO DO BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY THINGS HAPPENING AT ANY GIVEN TIME. ALL RIGHT, LET ME SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN HERE I WANTED TO SEE. KNITTING?

I'M NOT GOING TO GO TO THE KNITTING CLASS. HA! AND THEN THIS EVENING, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GARRISON KEILLOR. HE HADN'T BEEN HERE FOR 15 YEARS OR MORE.

I WOULD LIKE TO HELP WELCOME HIM BACK TO CHAUTAUQUA. THE CHAUTAUQUA SEASON RUNS FOR ONLY NINE WEEKS FROM LATE JUNE TO THE END OF AUGUST. DURING THE SEASON, THE POPULATION GROWS FROM A FEW HUNDRED YEAR-ROUND RESIDENTS TO MORE THAN 150,000 SUMMER VISITORS. THERE ARE MORE THAN 2,000 EVENTS INCLUDING LECTURES, CLASSES, RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, PERFORMANCES, AND SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES.

OKAY, I'LL GIVE YOU 45... MORE THAN 80% OF CHAUTAUQUA'S ANNUAL REVENUE COMES FROM GATE TICKETS AND RELATED FEES. THE MOST FREQUENT TICKET THAT WE SELL IS A ONE WEEK TICKET. PEOPLE COME AND FIND A PLACE TO STAY AND THEY SPEND A WEEK ON THE GROUNDS, AND IN THE CONTEXT OF THAT WEEK, THEY'RE IN RESIDENCE AND THE GATE TICKET THAT THEY PURCHASED GIVES THEM ACCESS TO MOST OF THE PROGRAMMING THAT OCCURS.

THERE'S QUITE A MIX OF PEOPLE WHO COME TO CHAUTAUQUA TODAY. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHOSE FAMILIES GO BACK MANY GENERATIONS. THIS IS THE WAY WE USED TO DRESS FOR THE OPERA. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ONLY STARTED COMING THIS YEAR.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN COMING FOR 20 YEARS AND KEEP CALLING THEMSELVES NEWCOMERS. IN THE YEARS PAST, PEOPLE, MANY PEOPLE, CAME FOR ENTIRE SEASONS, SPENT THE ENTIRE SUMMER HERE. THAT'S CHANGING NOW. NOW, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE COME FOR A WEEK OR FOR TWO WEEKS.

YOU GET A CHANCE TO ACTUALLY COME HERE AND LIVE IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS DEDICATED TO THE GOOD USE OF LEISURE TIME. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) I WAS JUST... I WAS JUST... PRACTICING YOUR TYPING, I SUPPOSE.

YEAH. GO, GO DIRECTLY. THERE'S A CERTAIN KIND OF PERSON THAT WANTS THE ARTS TO BE CENTRAL TO THEIR EXPERIENCE HERE. CAN YOU DO THAT LITTLE THING WHERE YOU ACTUALLY TEST HOW FAR AWAY YOU ARE?

YEAH. (SINGING) THE ARTS HAVE A REALLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN CHAUTAUQUA. THEY ARE OFTEN PEOPLE'S FIRST POINT OF ENTRY TO THE CHAUTAUQUA CAMPUS, COMING TO SEE AN EVENT AT THE THEATER, AN EVENT IN THE AMPHITHEATER, AN EVENT OF THE OPERA, AND THEN THEY GET CURIOUS ABOUT LIFE ON THE GROUNDS AND THEY START TO WANT TO COME BACK. THE COLLECTIVE ABILITY TO ENCOUNTER DIFFERENT ARTS ALL IN ONE PLACE IS A REALLY PROFOUND STRENGTH.

IN THE BEGINNING, ARTS AT CHAUTAUQUA WAS MOSTLY SACRED MUSIC. EARLY ON, CLASSES WERE OFFERED IN PAINTING AND SCULPTURE. IN 1909, THE ARTS QUADRANGLE BUILDING OPENED. IT REMAINS THE FOCAL POINT OF THE VISUAL ARTS PROGRAM.

WHAT THE VISUAL ARTS BRINGS IS A RECOGNITION THAT ART ISN'T ALWAYS IN THE CENTER OF THE MAINSTREAM CULTURE AND THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ACQUIRED WITH EFFORT, WITH GREAT EFFORT OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. WHAT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY... WELL, RIGHT NOW, THEY EXIST AS A PIECE THAT'S SITTING ON THE WALL. YES.

THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. THE VISION WAS THAT IT WOULD BECOME A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE SUMMER PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE VERY SERIOUS ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT THEY WANT TO DO WITH THEIR LIVES AS ARTISTS. IN THE LATE 1920'S, ARTS PROGRAMMING WAS EXPANDED AS A WAY TO ATTRACT MORE VISITORS. THE CHAUTAUQUA OPERA COMPANY IS THE OLDEST CONTINUOUS SUMMER OPERA IN AMERICA.

(ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) THE CHAUTAUQUA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DRAWS ITS MEMBERS AND GUEST ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. THIS EVENING, WE WELCOME PIANIST, ALEXANDER GAVRYLYUK, TO THE CSO. (PIANO PLAYING) THE ULTIMATE GOAL FOR ME IS TO FIND THIS FEELING CALLED TRUTH ON THE STAGE... (PIANO PLAYING) WHICH HAPPENS AT TIMES AND WHICH REALLY UPLIFTS PEOPLE AND BINDS THEM TOGETHER.

(PIANO PLAYING) THIS IS SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL. (DRAMATIC FINISH) (APPLAUSE) WELL, IT'S THE GREATEST GIFT FOR ME. NOTHING CAN COMPARE TO THE FEELING OF JOY THAT I GET FROM AUDIENCE RESPONSE. IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE AUDIENCE AND I PARTICULARLY RESPECT THAT THE PEOPLE THAT COME AND STAY AT CHAUTAUQUA AND BRING THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN HERE, AND THESE CHILDREN GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE EXPOSED TO SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.

FROM THIS CHORD... AND THEN ALSO WE'RE TEACHING SOME MASTER CLASSES. SO, LET'S TRY, JUST MAYBE SLOWLY HERE. (PLAYS PIANO) IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE OLDER PEOPLE PASS THEIR KNOWLEDGE DOWN TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION.

THIS SPACE SHOULD AMEND THIS ENERGY, YES? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SING, SIR? OKAY, HERE WE GO. MARLENA MALAS SPENDS MOST OF THE YEAR IN NEW YORK CITY TEACHING AT SEVERAL TOP VOICE PROGRAMS.

WHAT ARE YOU SINGING TODAY? "NESSUN DORMA" FROM "TURANDOT". OKAY. AT WHAT,

10

00... 00 IN THE MORNING. (LAUGHTER) GOOD LUCK. DURING THE SUMMER, SHE RUNS THE VOICE DEPARTMENT AT CHAUTAUQUA.

(PIANO PLAYING) (SINGING OPERA) I WAS BORN AT THE ISLAND OF TONGA IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC, THE POLYNESIAN ISLANDS, YOUNGEST OUT OF NINE. WE MOVED TO AMERICA WHEN I WAS TEN. TAO PLAYED FOOTBALL IN COLLEGE AND FOR A FEW YEARS IN THE NFL BEFORE AN INJURY ENDED HIS ATHLETIC CAREER. I DIDN'T HEAR OF OPERA UNTIL I WAS IN COLLEGE.

I THINK THE OPERA BUG BIT ME, AND I GOT MY FIRST TASTE OF A SUMMER PROGRAM WHEN I WAS HERE IN CHAUTAUQUA. THERE WE GO, AND THE KNEES ARE NOT LOCKED AND NOW BREATHE FOR ME. TELL ME WHERE YOU FEEL THE AIR. HE CAME AND SANG FOR ME, AND I JUST MARVELED BECAUSE HE CAME TO IT LATE, YET THE INSTRUMENT IS EXTRAORDINARY.

(SINGING OPERA) HE HAS THE DISCIPLINE OF AN ATHLETE... SWALLOW....SO HE CAN USE THAT DISCIPLINE IN HIS STUDIES AND IN HIS WORK. (SINGING OPERA) IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. CHAUTAUQUA IS A WONDERFUL PLACE FOR SOMEONE, SAY A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH, TO COME HERE AND THEY POLISH YOU UP AND SEND YOU OFF TO SCHOOL OR TO AN OPERA STAGE.

CHAUTAUQUA ALSO HAS A SCHOOL OF DANCE AND A BALLET COMPANY. NICE JOB, GUYS. THERE IS A TRADITION AT CHAUTAUQUA OF ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN ARTISTS AND THE AUDIENCE. AT CHAUTAUQUA, YOU WALK OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR AND THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR IS PRACTICING THEIR MUSIC.

YOU TAKE A WALK ANYWHERE ON THE GROUNDS AND YOU EXPERIENCE THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF ART BEING MADE, WHETHER IT'S A PAINTER AT THE LAKEFRONT DOING A LANDSCAPE OF THE BEAUTIFUL SCENE OR WHETHER YOU GO UP AND SEE THEM THROW POTTERY AT THE ART QUAD, WHETHER YOU ARE WALKING BY THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC OR THE SYMPHONY IN THE AMPHITHEATER... IT'S VERY NICE. LOOK AT THAT. ALL OF THIS IS WITHIN A SHORT WALK FROM YOUR FRONT PORCH.

COME ON INTO THE THEATER. THIS IS THE BRATTON THEATER, AND WHAT WE'RE IN IS ONE OF THE OLDEST BUILDINGS ON THE CHAUTAUQUA CAMPUS. THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE BEGINS OVER HERE AT THE PROSCENIUM LINE AND EXTENDS ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE BACK, AND YOU CAN SEE THE FANTASTIC, OLD WOODEN BEAMS. THE CHAUTAUQUA THEATER COMPANY IS THE YOUNGEST SIBLING IN THE CHAUTAUQUA ARTS FAMILY.

EVERY YEAR, WE INVITE 18 EMERGING PROFESSIONALS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 20 AND 35 WHO JOIN INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN GUEST ARTISTS, FACULTY, DESIGNERS, DIRECTORS TO PUT ON A SUMMER SEASON OF PROFESSIONAL THEATER. HI, I'M AUTUMN THORNTON... I THINK IT'S IN KEEPING WITH THE INSTITUTION'S SORT OF CORE VALUE THAT ALWAYS THERE'S A SORT OF TRAINING COMPONENT IN ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ARTS' DISCIPLINES. WHAT WE WILL DO IS THIS...

EACH YEAR, MORE THAN 300 STUDENTS IN THE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS SPEND THEIR SUMMER AT CHAUTAUQUA, MOST OF THEM ON SCHOLARSHIP. "SO HERE, NOTICE." "INDEED...' I STARTED ACTING AT MY SCHOOL IN HOUSTON WHEN I WAS LIKE EIGHT OR NINE. I'M NOT LIKE A FINISHED PRODUCT, BUT I DON'T THINK ANY ACTOR WOULD CONSIDER THEMSELVES THAT. (BRITISH ACCENT) "IT IS VERY DIFFICULT, SEPTIMUS..." WE LIKE TO SAY THAT WHAT WE OFFER HERE IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THEIR TRAINING AND THE BEGINNING OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL CAREERS.

I THINK THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH MANY DIFFERENT STUDENTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY... YEAH, WELCOME TO FAN MAIL SCHMAN MAIL. (LAUGHTER)...AS WELL AS LEARNING FROM THE TEACHERS THEY BRING IN AND THE DIRECTORS. DOES THAT HAPPEN IN PERFORMANCE, TOO?

UM, YEAH, IT DOES. THAT'S SMART ENOUGH OF YOU TO SEE THAT THAT'S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO WORK ON AND TO START FINDING A WAY TO WORK ON THAT. IT'S REALLY A FORTUNATE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG KIDS COMING WHO HAVEN'T ENTERED INTO THE PROFESSION YET. "ARCADIA" IS A PLAY BY TOM STOPPARD, FAMOUS FOR HAVING WON THE OSCAR FOR "SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE".

CAN YOU SEE WHERE YOU ARE IN THE... RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN TECHNICAL REHEARSALS, SO THE THEATER'S A MESS, AND THE ONE THING YOU CAN'T BEAT IS THAT OPENING NIGHT IS GOING TO COME SO, AND FOR US IT'S GOING TO COME ON SATURDAY, AND THIS IS WEDNESDAY. WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE, BUT WE STILL GOT A WAYS TO GO. SEPTIMUS, WHAT IS CARNAL EMBRACE?

CARNAL EMBRACE IS SEXUAL CONGRESS. FERMAT'S LAST THEOREM, BY CONTRAST... WE'RE REHEARSING THAT FIRST SCENE IN ARCADIA. WE'RE WORKING ON MAKING SURE WE KNOW WHAT EVERYTHING MEANS AND TRYING TO, ON THE MOST BASIC LEVEL, IDENTIFY WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SCENE.

I MEAN, I THINK IT'S TWO SEPARATE THOUGHTS. YEAH. A LOT OF THESE STOPPARD PLAYS START WITH A LITTLE BIT OF THE AIR OF A BOULEVARD COMEDY TO IT. I CAN SEE THAT THERE MIGHT BE MORE CARNALITY IN YOUR ALGEBRA.

MOSTLY, IT'S A CHANCE TO GIVE THOSE ACTORS AN ADDITIONAL PASS AT, AT THAT SCENE... WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PACE?...TO ALLOW IT TO BECOME INCREASINGLY NATURAL. DO YOU WANT TO DO ONE OR DO YOU WANT TO TRY A DIFFERENT ONE? WHEN THEY AREN'T REHEARSING, STUDENTS SPEND TIME IN A RANGE OF ACTING CLASSES.

CONCENTRATION, THE IMAGINATION, INCORPORATION, TRANSFORMATION, INSPIRATION. SOUNDS. (MAKING SOUNDS) THIS WORK IS SPECIFICALLY GEARED TOWARDS TRAINING AN ACTOR TO, TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETELY EMBODY THE CHARACTER'S EGO AND NOT THE ACTOR'S EGO. (MAKING SOUNDS) THOSE CLASSES WERE ABOUT OPENING US UP AS A GROUP SO WE COULD JUST BE FEARLESS WITH EACH OTHER AND TRUST EACH OTHER AND PLAY.

OVERDO IT. HOLD IT. JUST FREES YOU AND LETS YOU THINK OUTSIDE OF YOUR OWN BOX THAT YOU CREATE FOR YOURSELF OF WHAT YOUR CHARACTERS CAN BE. ARCADIA IS A PLAY THAT ALL TAKES PLACE IN A SINGLE ROOM IN A BRITISH COUNTRY HOUSE AND IN TWO DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS, CONTEMPORARY TIME AND 1809.

I AM PLAYING THOMASINA IN ARCADIA. A STEP UP FROM WHERE WE WERE BEFORE TOWARDS WOMANHOOD. TOM STOPPARD'S WRITTEN HER AS REALLY VIVACIOUS, BUT CARING, SO I LIKE HER. SEPTIMUS, WHAT IS CARNAL EMBRACE?

CARNAL EMBRACE IS SEXUAL CONGRESS. IS IT THE SAME AS LOVE? OH, NO. IT IS MUCH NICER THAN THAT.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS) THERE AREN'T A LOT OF RESIDENT THEATER COMPANIES ANYMORE. WE USED TO HAVE TONS OF THEM IN THIS COUNTRY, AND I THINK FOR A LOT OF THESE ACTORS, THIS MIGHT BE THEIR ONE ACTUAL EXPERIENCE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE PART OF A REPERTORY COMPANY OF ACTORS. (APPLAUSE) (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KEEPS BRINGING US BACK IS THE EXTRAORDINARY COMMUNITY. WE THANK YOU.

THE COMMUNITY IS REALLY INTERESTED IN THE WORK. THE MOST SUPPORTIVE AUDIENCES IN THE WORLD ARE HERE IN CHAUTAUQUA. ALL THE ADOPTING PARENTS RECEIVE ONE OF THESE CARDS. THE ADOPTEES ARE GOING TO COME UP ONE AT A TIME...

ONE OF CHAUTAUQUA'S QUAINT TRADITIONS IS PAIRING EACH ART STUDENT WITH A CHAUTAUQUA FAMILY FOR THE SUMMER. IT'S RANDOM JUST LIKE YOUR OWN BIRTH AND YOUR... (LAUGHTER) YOU DIDN'T GET TO PICK YOUR PARENTS THE FIRST TIME EITHER. AND PARENTS, YOU DIDN'T GET TO PICK YOUR KIDS.

SO WE'RE ALL TERRIFIC. THREE LITTLE KITTENS. OH. (CLAPPING) IT'S SORT OF INSTANT FAMILY, AND THEY PROVIDE EVERYTHING FROM JUST FRIENDLY EAR AND A SHOULDER TO CRY ON...

AUDEN THORNTON. TO LAUNDRY SERVICES, FOOD THAT'S BETTER THAN THE CAFETERIA. LITTLE MISS MUFFETT. RIGHT HERE!

(APPLAUSE) IT'S NICE TO BREAK AWAY SOMETIMES AND JUST BE WITH THEM AND SORT OF HEAR THEIR STORIES. IS IT, IS ITHIS PLACE LIKE A FAMILY THING FOR YOU? DO THEY COME TO VISIT OR... YEAH, I'VE GOT FAMILY COMING UP FROM HOUSTON.

FROM HOUSTON? I'M FROM HOUSTON. GREAT. I THINK FOR EACH OF THE ARTISTS, THAT BECOMES REALLY ONE OF THE SPECIAL PARTS OF BEING HERE, IS LIVING, LIVING AND WORKING IN A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO A COMMUNITY.

THAT'S AN ARTIST'S DREAM. CHAUTAUQUAN DAILY! GET YOUR CHAUTAUQUAN DAILY! (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) MORNING, TOM.

GOOD MORNING. IN TRUTH, THE GREATEST ASPECT OF THIS PLACE IS THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY PRESENT IN A PLACE THAT'S INFUSED WITH BEAUTY AND TIME SLOWS DOWN. I THINK THIS PLACE ALLOWS PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE HERE TO DROP SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT WE HAVE IN THE REST OF OUR LIVES TO EXPOSING OUR IDEAS TO SOME COMPETITION. THE VALUE HERE ABOUT LOOKING AT TOPICS IS TO EXAMINE THE COMPLEXITY.

THE MORNING LECTURE SERIES IS CHAUTAUQUA'S SIGNATURE PROGRAM. GOOD MORNING, ALL OF YOU.

EACH WEEKDAY AT 10

45 A.M., THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TURN OUT AT THE AMPHITHEATER TO HEAR A LECTURE. WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT AMERICA? ABOUT CAPITALISM AND ABOUT DEMOCRACY? IT REALLY IS THE AMPHITHEATER THAT'S AT THE HEART AND SOUL OF WHAT CHAUTAUQUA'S ABOUT, BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE.

BUILT IN 1879, THE AMPHITHEATER SEATS 5,000 PEOPLE UNDER A WOODEN ROOF WITH OPEN AIR SIDES AND BACK. THERE IS NO OTHER SPEAKING VENUE LIKE IT IN AMERICA. THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK

AT THE 10

45 LECTURE IS ONE THAT I THINK EVERY SPEAKER WOULD TAKE SERIOUSLY.

THE 10

45 LECTURE SERIES, IF YOU'RE INVITED TO BE A SPEAKER, IS A GREAT COMPLIMENT. THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LECTURES AT CHAUTAUQUA, AND THE LECTURE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT THE CORE OF THE CHAUTAUQUA PROGRAM.

TODAY WE HAVE A 10

45 LECTURE THAT GOES BACK TO THE MID '30S....I HATE WAR. (APPLAUSE) BUT PRIOR TO THAT, THERE WAS ALWAYS TIME SET ASIDE FOR THAT BIG SPEAKER. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) (APPLAUSE) THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAME TO SPEAK. IT IS GREAT TO BE BACK AT CHAUTAUQUA.

EACH OF THE NINE WEEKS OF THE SUMMER LECTURE SERIES IS ORGANIZED AROUND A THEME. IT IS GREAT TO BE HERE FOR A WEEK DEVOTED TO THEME OF IMAGINE... DANIEL PINK HAS AUTHORED SEVERAL BEST SELLING BUSINESS BOOKS. HIS PRESENTATIONS TYPICALLY EMPLOY TECHNOLOGY.

FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING HERE TO TALK ABOUT IDEAS, THAT'S PART OF ITS CHALLENGE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T RELY ON THE WIZ BANG GADGETS OR PRESENTATION STUFF. AT CHAUTAUQUA, IT'S JUST HIM, THE AMPHITHEATER AND THE AUDIENCE....RETHINKING HOW WE RUN OUR BUSINESSES... THAT SPACE IS SO DIFFERENT. I MEAN, THERE AREN'T WALLS.

THERE'S A ROOF, BUT YOU'RE OUTSIDE. YOU CAN FEEL THE BREEZE. YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY IN THE SAME WAY THAT SOMEONE IN 1880 HAD TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. I WANT TO MAKE A CASE TO YOU AND HOPE BY THE END OF THIS CASE I'VE CONVINCED THIS JURY OF 3200 PEOPLE.

THE AUDIENCE MAKES WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS HERE. THAT'S WHAT MAKES CHAUTAUQUA. IT'S THAT AUDIENCE. HUMAN BEINGS ARE NOT WIRED TO BE PASSIVE AND INNERT, BUT WE ARE DESIGNED TO BE ACTIVE AND ENGAGED.

THIS IS AN AUDIENCE HERE AT CHAUTAUQUA THAT'S EXTRAORDINARILY ENGAGED. I MEAN, THEY'RE COMING OUT TO SPEND A WEEK TO LISTEN TO LECTURES AND TO CHEW OVER IDEAS. AND SO IF 3000 PEOPLE ON A HOT MONDAY MORNING WANT TO COME OUT AND ENGAGE OVER THIS SET OF IDEAS, I MEAN, WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THAT? IF WE GET PAST THIS 20TH CENTURY NOTION OF MOTIVATION, WE CAN STRENGTHEN OUR BUSINESSES, AND I TRULY BELIEVE THAT WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.

I REST MY CASE. (APPLAUSE) THE POINT ABOUT BEING PRESENT IS BEING PRESENT IN THIS SPACE, WHICH I THINK ALLOWS YOU WHEN YOU COME THROUGH THOSE GATES TO EXPOSE YOURSELF TO AN ART FORM YOU WOULDN'T SPEND FIVE MINUTES LOOKING AT IN ANOTHER CONTEXT, TO A SPEAKER ON A TOPIC WHO'S NOT OF YOUR POLITICAL PERSUASION OR FROM A PART OF THE COUNTRY OR THE WORLD THAT YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT. BUT WHAT'S DIFFERENT HERE IS THAT THIS IS A STEADY DIET, A STEADY RUNNING SHOW EVERY DAY, EVERY WEEK, AND THE IDEA THAT NO TWO DAYS ARE THE SAME, NO TWO WEEKS ARE THE SAME, NO TWO AUDIENCES ARE THE SAME, I LOVE IT. GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE CHAPEL OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

I'M THE REVEREND KARL RUTTAN. I'M FROM THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHERN OHIO WHERE I... RELIGION IS EVER PRESENT AT CHAUTAUQUA, BUT IT DOESN'T OVERWHELM THE PLACE. ONE THING THAT MAKES THIS PLACE DIFFERENT IS BECAUSE IT DOES HAVE A RELIGIOUS BASE TO IT.

ALMIGHTY GOD, TO YOU ALL HEARTS ARE OPEN, ALL DESIRES KNOWN, AND FROM YOU, NO SECRETS ARE HID. SERVICES AND PROGRAMS REFLECT CHAUTAUQUA'S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE AND ITS INTERFAITH COMMITMENT. THE MODERN LANGUAGE IS MUCH MORE TO USE THE WORD SPIRITUAL, BECAUSE NO ONE RELIGION DOMINATES THIS PLACE. EVERYBODY IS WELCOME HERE.

GOOD MORNING. NICE TO SEE YOU. NICE TO SEE YOU. WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS REALLY TO TOUCH ON WHAT I CALL LIVED RELIGION.

IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S NOT JUST GOOD MUSIC, WONDERFUL HYMNS AND GOOD PREACHING. RELIGION DOESN'T MATTER UNLESS IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOUR EVERY DAY LIFE. WELCOME TO CHAUTAUQUA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU FOR COMING. THE BEST EXPRESSION OF THE LIVED RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE IS THE AFTERNOON LECTURE SERIES AT THE HALL OF PHILOSOPHY. GOOD AFTERNOON... IT HOLDS ABOUT 700 PEOPLE, BUT WE AVERAGE ABOUT 1200.

WHAT A CROWD. VERY RELAXED SITTING ON A BLANKET ON THE GRASS LISTENING, AND IT'S MUCH LESS FORMAL

THAN THE 10

45 LECTURE. LORD KNOWS THAT HELPING OPEN A WEEK ON THE ETHICS OF CAPITALISM IS A DAUNTING TASK. I SORT OF HAVE PERSONALLY A GREAT INTEREST IN THE RELATIONSHIP OF RELIGION TO POLITICS. PEOPLE ON THE LEFT AND PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT ARE EQUALLY FORCEFUL IN DECRYING SELF-CENTERED INDIVIDUALISM, CONSUMERISM, NEW PRESSURES ON THE FAMILY AND THE DECLINE OF COMMUNITY.

I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE A LITTLE EXHAUSTED WITH THAT LEVEL OF POLARIZATION, BUT WHETHER OR NOT WE WANT TO BE MORE CIVIL ABOUT IT, I DO THINK WE HAVE A GREAT HUNGER FOR DISCUSSING BIG PUBLIC ISSUES....NOW IT HAS LONG BEEN FASHIONABLE IN AMERICAN POLITICAL DISCOURSE TO SEPARATE SOCIAL AND MORAL ISSUES FROM ECONOMIC ISSUES... AND IT'S NICE TO HAVE A PLACE FOR CIVILIZED ARGUMENT AND DISCUSSION. EVEN PEOPLE WHO ARE EXTREMELY PASSIONATE ABOUT POLITICS AND HAVE VERY STRONG VIEWS WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY IN A KIND OF, IF YOU WILL, SAFE ENVIRONMENT TO STEP BACK, HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLE, HEAR ARGUMENTS FROM THE OTHER SIDE. THE DIVERSITY OF AFTERNOON SPEAKERS REFLECT CHAUTAUQUA'S INTERFAITH APPROACH.

THE MOST RECENT EXPRESSION OF THAT COMMITMENT IS THE DEDICATION OF THE EVERETT JEWISH LIFE CENTER. THE AFTERNOON LECTURE SERIES IS A PLATFORM FOR MANY PERSPECTIVES. SO TODAY, ONE THING I WANT TO DO IS TAKE A LOOK AT THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS. WELL, I WAS INVITED TO CHAUTAUQUA TO TALK ABOUT THE DISCOVERY OF SECRET GOSPELS LIKE THE ONES THAT INSPIRED THE DA VINCI CODE, BUT THE REAL ONES.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT... SO I WAS ASKED TO TALK ABOUT HOW THEY'RE CHANGING OUR UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF CHRISTIANITY. AND THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS I'D LIKE TO TELL YOU WERE ON MY MIND AND THAT I WANT TO ASK YOU, AND I'M ASKING MYSELF. EACH SPEAKER ENGAGES DIRECTLY WITH THE AUDIENCE.

INDEED, THANK YOU. I WONDER IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND GOING BACK TO HELP ME TO GET SOME CLARIFICATION. UM, IT HAS TO DO WITH, UH, CHRONOLOGY... IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO LEARN WHAT QUESTIONS ARE ON PEOPLE'S MIND, AND HOW THIS MATERIAL STRIKES THEM.

YES, YES, IT'S A GOOD POINT. WE DON'T KNOW A LOT, OF COURSE, ABOUT THE DETAILED CHRONOLOGY... THERE'S BEEN A TREMENDOUS INTEREST IN THIS. THAT'S BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CURIOUS ABOUT SUSPECTING THAT THERE ARE OTHER POINTS OF VIEW THAT WE NEVER KNEW ABOUT.

ACTUALLY, LEADS RIGHT INTO MY QUESTION... THERE AREN'T MANY PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ENGAGE THESE CONVERSATIONS. THEY DON'T GO HERE SIMPLY TO BE ENTERTAINED. THEY COME HERE TO BE CHALLENGED AS WELL, AND THAT IS RATHER UNIQUE.

LIKE ELAINE PAGELS, YEAH, THE "GNOSTIC GOSPELS". I THINK IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR CHAUTAUQUA TO BE TRUE TO ITS TRADITION WITHOUT MAINTAINING A PRETTY FIRM TIE TO RELIGION AND ITS PUBLIC ROLE. SHE SORT OF MOVED INTO THIS WHOLE AREA OF COMPASSION. THIS PLACE WAS ROOTED IN A KIND OF OLD PROTESTANTISM THAT HAS A CERTAIN, UH, EARNESTNESS ATTACHED TO IT.

IT'S NOT RELIGION IN YOUR FACE BUT NEITHER IS THERE ANY SORT OF SHAME OR, UH, EMBARRASSMENT ABOUT BEING PART OF A TRADITION, AND I THINK IN THAT SENSE, IT'S A FAIRLY TYPICALLY AMERICAN PLACE. CAN YOU TIGHTEN THE SAIL HERE? BEING ON A LAKE IS THE MOST RESTFUL THING ONE CAN DO. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT JIB'S UP HIGH ENOUGH.

BILL KLINGER SERVED NINE TERMS AS A CONGRESSMAN FROM PENNSYLVANIA. RIGHT THERE. GOOD. ALL THE TIME I WAS IN CONGRESS, I LOVED COMING UP HERE AND GETTING ON THE LAKE BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE BUT SAILING A BOAT.

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE AWAY. KLINGER'S FAMILY IS ONE OF MANY AT CHAUTAUQUA THAT HAVE BEEN COMING FOR SEVERAL GENERATIONS. READY WHEN YOU ARE, CAPTAIN.

READY BOW. MY GRANDMOTHER WAS REALLY HERE VERY SOON AFTER THE INSTITUTION WAS, UH, FIRST STARTED IN 1874. I'VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR AT LEAST 75 YEARS. WE'VE GOT A NICE WIND.

YOU TAUGHT ME TO SAIL ON THIS BOAT WHEN I WAS 8. I THINK SO. I THINK SO. AND, UH, WE USED TO BE A CONTENDER.

AS A COLLEGE STUDENT, KLINGER WORKED ON THE CHAUTAUQUA NEWSPAPER AND LATER SERVED AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. HE WAS ALSO COMMODORE OF THE CHAUTAUQUA YACHT CLUB. WELL, HE WEARS A CAP, YOU KNOW. LOOKS LIKE A COMMODORE.

HE SORT OF ARRANGES TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A BOAT OUT THERE TO START THE RACES AND STOP THE RACES. TO ME, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE GREATEST RECREATION YOU COULD HAVE. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) THE 19 MILE LONG LAKE IS CHAUTAUQUA'S MOST OBVIOUS LEISURE ACTIVITY. RECREATION IS THE SIMPLEST OF CHAUTAUQUA'S OFFERINGS.

THERE YOU GO, MAN. SO MUCH OF CHAUTAUQUA'S PROGRAM IS LET'S SAY HIGHER VISIBILITY, UH, THAN THE RECREATION COMPONENT. SO IT'S AS MUCH A PART OF CHAUTAUQUA AS ANY OTHER PROGRAM ELEMENT, BUT IT DOESN'T ALWAYS ELEVATE TO THAT AWARENESS. (CHEERING) NICE SHOT.

CHAUTAUQUA FIRST HAD TENNIS COURTS IN 1878, AND THERE HAS BEEN GOLF SINCE 1896. TODAY, THERE ARE TWO 18 HOLE GOLF COURSES. BUT THE GREAT THING IS THE GUY WHO LEAVES THE GOLF COURSE TODAY AND TONIGHT HE'S IN THE AMPHITHEATER AT THE SYMPHONY, AND TOMORROW HE GOES TO THE LECTURE AND PUTS OFF HIS TEE TIME UNTIL THE AFTERNOON. I MEAN, THAT HAPPENS AT CHAUTAUQUA IN A WAY THAT'S VERY UNUSUAL.

FOR US, RECREATION IS DECIDEDLY ONE OF THE VERY INTENTIONAL ASPECTS OF THE GROUNDS. PART OF IT IS THAT WE ARE IN THE SUMMER IN A REALLY BEAUTIFUL PART OF THE WORLD THAT HAS RECREATIONAL ASSETS ABOUT IT, BUT ALSO THERE'S A BELIEF THAT RECREATION IS ALSO A PATHWAY TO KNOWLEDGE. READY ABOUT. HARD-A-LEE.

THAT WAS A GOOD TACK. (INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS) WELL, MY MOTHER USED TO BRING US TO CHAUTAUQUA WHEN WE WERE KIDS... THAT'S NICE. HER MOTHER BROUGHT HER AND HER BROTHER, SO WE'RE NOW FIVE GENERATIONS OF FAMILY WHO HAVE COME TO CHAUTAUQUA IN THE SUMMERS.

HELENE GAYLE GREW UP IN NEARBY BUFFALO WHERE HER GRANDMOTHER WAS A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER. I JUST REMEMBER HER TALKING ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL IT WAS TO BRING HER CHILDREN AND ENCOURAGING US TO REALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CHAUTAUQUA. AT THAT TIME, I DIDN'T REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THAT CHAUTAUQUA HAD TO OFFER. WE LOVE DOING ALL THE RUNNING AROUND, BUT YOU KNOW, SITTING STILL AND LISTENING TO LECTURES WAS NOT EXACTLY, UH, ON MY RADAR SCREEN.

AFTER A FEW YEARS AWAY FROM CHAUTAUQUA, GAYLE RETURNED, THIS TIME AS A GUEST LECTURER. REMEMBERING BEING A YOUNG GIRL AND LOOKING UP AT THOSE SPEAKERS AND HEARING THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE WORLD RENOWNED AND THEN LITTLE OLD ME GETTING UP TO GIVE A LECTURE IN THE AMPHITHEATER, I MEAN, IT WAS QUITE HUMBLING. AND THE PROGRAM IS OPEN NEXT YEAR. I'D LIKE TO GO TO JULY 4TH, AND IT'S ON ETHICAL LEADERSHIP.

AND COMING BACK TO CHAUTAUQUA NOW AS AN ADULT, I REALLY HAVE COME TO APPRECIATE WHAT A GIFT CHAUTAUQUA IS FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES. WE HAVE THREE GENERATIONS OF OUR FAMILY HERE THIS SUMMER, AND THIS HAS BECOME A FAMILY TRADITION FOR US AGAIN. THE GAYLE FAMILY IS ONE OF THE FEW AFRICAN AMERICAN MULTIGENERATIONAL FAMILIES AT CHAUTAUQUA. I THINK PEOPLE DO LIKE THE WAY CHAUTAUQUA LOOKS AND FEELS, AND I THINK ALL CHANGE IS CHALLENGING.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK PEOPLE REALLY SERIOUSLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT THIS COULD BE AN EVEN MORE VITAL AND MORE VIBRANT ENVIRONMENT IF IT WAS MORE DIVERSE. (LECTURER SPEAKING) CHAUTAUQUA SEARCHES FOR A BALANCE THAT HONORS TRADITION WHILE TRYING TO ATTRACT A YOUNGER, MORE DIVERSE AUDIENCE. IT'S A REAL CHALLENGE, THIS IDEA OF DOING SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY, JUST BECAUSE OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT YOU HAVE. CERTAINLY, PEOPLE WITHOUT A LOT OF INCOME, SCHOOL TEACHERS, ETC., DON'T FIND IT AS EASY TO COME HERE AS THEY USED TO, AND I DON'T THINK WE CAN TURN THE CLOCK BACK, BUT I THINK WE DO NEED TO BE AWARE OF THAT.

THE ISSUE IS NOT WHAT IT COSTS TO COME ON THE GROUNDS. THE ISSUE IS WHAT HOUSING COSTS. MOST HOMES AT CHAUTAUQUA ARE PRIVATELY OWNED, AND REAL ESTATE IS EXPENSIVE. VISITORS HAVE A RANGE OF HOUSING OPTIONS.

SOME SINGLE FAMILY HOMES CAN BE RENTED DURING THE SEASON. THERE ARE APARTMENTS, CONDOMINIUMS, HISTORIC ROOMING HOUSES, AND A FEW SMALL HOTELS. THE HISTORIC ATHENAEUM HOTEL BUILT IN 1881 IS ANOTHER CHOICE. ONE MODESTLY PRICED ALTERNATIVE IS THE 16 DENOMINATIONAL HOUSES OPERATED BY RELIGIOUS GROUPS.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) ON ONE LEVEL WE'RE DEALING WITH THE FACT THAT WE ALL HAVE ISSUES AS A COMMUNITY. I THINK THAT CHAUTAUQUA'S ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF CLASS, DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF DEMOGRAPHICS, AND DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF RACE. WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND, AND YOUR FIRST REACTION IS THERE'S A KIND OF HOMOGENEITY TO THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUNDS, BUT THEN AS YOU GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE, YOU START TO REALIZE THAT THEY A GREAT DEAL OF DIVERSITY IN THEIR BACKGROUNDS....YOUR BODY'S TRYING TO GIVE YOU TO DO THE JOB, TO DO THE WORK. WHEN I FIRST CAME, IT WAS DIFFICULT, I CAN'T LIE.

I FELT LIKE I WAS THE ONLY BLACK PERSON HERE....ALSO THE ENERGY THAT'S HAPPENING INSIDE THE BODY... BUT THEN AFTER THAT INITIAL LIKE NERVOUSNESS, UM, DISSIPATED, I REALIZED THAT CHAUTAUQUANS WANTED ME HERE. THEY'RE VERY ENGAGING. THEY'RE INTERESTED IN WHY I'M HERE.

I FEEL VERY WELCOME. THERE IS A WELCOMING SPIRIT THAT'S NURTURED HERE. YOU ALMOST GOT IT. I THINK IT'S INTENTIONAL OF SAYING THAT WE WANT TO BE WELCOMING.

YOU MAKE IT SO EASY. THAT'S BECAUSE I BEEN PRACTICING. WE MAY NOT KNOW HOW TO BE DIVERSE, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT WE WANT TO BE WELCOMING. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CERTAINLY DO.

INDEED, IT IS THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS. THANK YOU. (APPLAUSE) I THINK GIVEN THE SPIRIT OF CHAUTAUQUA AND THE DIVERSITY OF THINKING THAT IS HERE, I THINK IT WOULD REALLY BENEFIT BY HAVING A MORE DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO COME....WE WERE LATE BECAUSE WE WENT... I THINK IT'S A GIFT, AND ONE THAT I WANT TO KEEP GIVING MYSELF AND ONE THAT OUR FAMILY WANTS TO CONTINUE TO SHARE AND HOPE THAT WE WILL SO BE A SIX GENERATION, UH, CHAUTAUQUA FAMILY.

OUT OF RESPECT FOR THIS MORNING'S SPEAKER AND FOR YOUR FRIENDS AND FELLOW CHAUTAUQUANS, IF YOU'LL JOIN ME IN LOCATING YOUR CELL PHONE, ALL THINGS THAT GO BEEP, BUZZ AND PLAY NUMBERS, AND TURN THEM OFF, IT WOULD BE REFRESHING ACTUALLY AND, AND VERY HELPFUL. YOU KNOW, THERE'S WIFI NOW, SO PEOPLE CAN CHECK THEIR EMAILS. THERE'S PROBABLY MORE SURREPTITIOUS E-MAIL CHECKING THEN CHAUTAUQUANS WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) I DON'T THINK I WOULD WANT TO SEE IN CHAUTAUQUA INTERNET CAFES ON EVERY CORNER OR ELECTRONICS PLUG IN STATIONS UNDERNEATH EVERY TREE.

(PHONE RINGS) SOME PEOPLE SAY, WELL, THIS WHOLE THING IS AN ANACHRONISM. I CAN GET ALL THIS AT HOME WITH MY IPOD OR MY TELEVISION, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. CHAUTAUQUA IS EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY TO EXTEND ITS IMPACT BEYOND THE REACH OF THE GROUNDS. WE SERVE 150,000 PEOPLE IN A NINE WEEK PERIOD OF TIME, BUT YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEED FOR THAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE, AND IT IS HUGE.

NOW, HOW DO YOU TAKE ALL THAT AND MOVE IT INTO THE DIGITAL ARENA, FOR EXAMPLE, AND HAVE IT CARRY SOME OF THE VALUES OF THIS PLACE? I THINK IT'S VERY HARD TO REPLICATE THAT ONLINE....WHERE WE'RE GOING? I THINK IN MANY WAYS THE WORLD MAY BE SWINGING BACK AROUND TO CHAUTAUQUA. IN A WORLD OF NEW MEDIA WHERE PEOPLE CAN GET, YEAH, YOU KNOW, BITS INSTANTLY, I THINK THAT THAT PUTS A PREMIUM ON FACE TO FACE CONNECTIONS.

YEAH, HE'S A GREAT GUY. I WORKED WITH HIM YEARS AGO. I THINK IT PUTS A PREMIUM ON NON-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION. I THINK IT PUTS A PREMIUM ON THINGS THAT ARE LIVE AND THINGS THAT ACTUALLY DON'T TRANSLATE TO THE DIGITAL MEDIUM, SO I THINK IN SOME WAYS TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE THIS KIND OF EXPERIENCE MORE VALUABLE.

I THINK THAT IT NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO RESHAPE ITSELF AS IT GOES ALONG AND AS IT EVOLVES. THERE IS A SENSE OF STEPPING BACK WHEN YOU COME INSIDE OF THESE GATES, AND I THINK SOME OF THAT IS REALLY WONDERFUL AND IMPORTANT TO PRESERVE. ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK IT WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO EVOLVE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT STAYS RELEVANT FOR NOT ONLY TODAY'S NEEDS BUT TOMORROW'S NEEDS AS WELL. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) I THINK I'LL LOOK BACK AND REALLY APPRECIATE MY SUMMER HERE.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) I THINK WE KIND OF LIVE IN A WORLD THAT'S OFTEN COMPETING FOR WHICH WAY OF THINKING IS BETTER, AND WHAT I REALLY ADMIRE ABOUT THE VALUES CHAUTAUQUA UPHOLDS IS THAT YOU HAVE RELIGION AND YOU'VE GOT ACADEMIA, AND YOU HAVE THE PERFORMING ARTS ALL WORKING TOGETHER, ENRICHING OUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE, AND THAT'S, YEAH, THAT'S VERY UNIQUE, UM, THAT THEY'RE NOT COMPETING AND THAT THEY ALL WORK TOGETHER. THAT, THAT'S WHAT I LOVE. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD LOVE TO GET AWAY FROM THE HIGHWAY SPEED OF SO MUCH OF AMERICA TODAY AND ENJOY SOMETHING THAT IS PURELY AMERICAN. IT'S VERY AMERICAN.

I LOVE THAT. THIS IS A VERY AMERICAN EXPERIENCE HERE AT CHAUTAUQUA. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) YOU KIND OF HAVE TO HIT IT TO MAKE SURE IT ALL GETS DOWN IN THERE. MORE THAN 10,000 LIFELONG LEARNERS ENROLL IN COURSES EACH SUMMER.

OKAY, EVERYONE. DEEP BREATH IN, ALL RIGHT. GUYS, REMEMBER YOUR PATTERNS? LET'S GET GROUP ONE GOING.

WE TOOK A DRUM CLASS ACTUALLY BECAUSE OF MY LATIN ROOTS. MY SONS LIKE MESSING AROUND WITH THE DRUMS IN THE BASEMENT SO WE, UH, WANTED TO TAKE A MORE STRUCTURED CLASS. LATER ON TODAY, WE'LL HAVE PAINTING FROM A MODEL, NOT THE TYPICAL VACATION, THAT'S FOR SURE. WHAT WE LIKE IS THE FAMILY ATMOSPHERE AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.

A COUPLE DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS... CHILDREN SEE ADULTS OF EVERY AGE LEARNING. THAT'S A HUGE GIFT TO A KID. TO UNDERSTAND THAT LIFELONG LEARNING IS NOT, NOT SOMETHING RELEGATED TO A CLASSROOM OR A CHORE.

IT CAN BE ENGAGED IN AT ONCE SERIOUSLY BUT ALSO WITH A SENSE OF JOY. (INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) FOR MORE INFORMATION

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