I took a couple days off this week to make a quick trip to the Chautauqua Institute to visit my daughter Carla who is an Young Artist (Opera) for the summer season which is a great honor. Only 20 some singers are selected out of nearly 700 applicants. http://opera.ciweb.org/young-artists/
Below is Norton Hall where most of the opera programs are held. I attended the Opera Scenes on Thursday afternoon. http://opera.ciweb.org/young-artists-scenes-programs/ Amazing talent!
Chautauqua Institute is a small community promoting the arts and religion, and there are seminars, lectures, discussion groups and artistic performances every day. It is a place for many divergent beliefs and cultures to exchange ideas, and I felt the presence of the intellectual community in my wanderings. People relaxing in the shade, reading or discussing today's lecture, musicians practicing, the sound of a quartet rehearsing in the early morning, a minister's sermon...
flowers everywhere carefully tended in front of the small cottages and home, nestled in quaint side streets leading to the lake.
I woke up early Thursday morning to meet Carla's opera mom Jane for breakfast. She is a patron of the opera who lives at Chautauqua during the season and in NYC the rest of the year, and she watched over Carla offering advice and encouragement, and meeting any other needs she might happen to have. I immediately liked her and wish I could have had more time to spend with her. I am thankful that Carla had someone like her to depend on, and I'm sure they will meet again in NY. Jane is an absolutely lovely person.
Wednesday evening I saw an amazing dance program by the North Carolina Dance Theatre in Residence. I saw some of their rehearsal in the afternoon and decided to attend the perfomance that night.
There is an art center for visual artists including studios for printmaking, sculpture, painting, andwhen I walked through, the smells and aromas reminded me of my art school days. There are dance studios and an opera center on the grounds. It's an amazing array of talented artists from all walks of life.
Even the housing is comfortable, even though I got a ticket for parking in front of the opera dorm for the night. Oh well, it's for a good cause.
So Carla leaves to return to NYC tomorrow morning, and I'm sure it's a bittersweet time for her to say goodbye to some astonishingly talented but lifelong friends. I met so many wonderful people during the short time I was there, and I'd like to think I will return for a longer time to absorb all that Chautauqua has to offer.
It was a good visit.
