What are you doing on August 6, 2010? Well, I would bet that some of you will be in Chautauqua, New York, attending a concert by Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard. During the 2007 Summer Tour, Clay Aiken gave a concert in Chautauqua. Those in attendance enjoyed it very much.
Chautauqua is located in the southwestern most corner of New York State. The area is known as a vacation center for families. The region is known for its natural beauty which is blended with a large variety of unique cultural attractions.
Clay and Ruben will be performing at the famous Chautauqua Institute. The Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 750-acre educational center beside Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, where approximately 7,500 persons are in residence on any day during a nine-week season, and a total of over 142,000 attend scheduled public events. Over 8,000 students enroll annually in the Chautauqua Summer Schools which offer courses in art, music, dance, theater, writing skills and a wide variety of special interests.
The Institution was originally called the Chautauqua Lake Sunday School Assembly. It was founded in 1874 as an educational experiment in out-of-school, vacation learning. It was successful and broadened almost immediately beyond courses for Sunday school teachers to include academic subjects, music, art and physical education.
Music is an important aspect of Chautauqua. The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1929, now performs three times a week with leading soloists in the 5,000-seat Amphitheater, Chautauqua’s program center. Popular entertainers perform other evenings. The Chautauqua Ballet Company also appears in the Amphitheater, sometimes with guest artists, while the Chautauqua Conservatory Theater presents its season in Bratton Theater. The Chautauqua Opera Company, also founded in 1929, performs in English in Norton Hall.
Jamestown is about 15 miles south of Chautauqua. The visitors guide to Jamestown says:
Once known as “The Furniture Capital of the World,” industry has long since deserted Jamestown, a sleepy town on the tip of beautiful Chautauqua Lake, a popular fishing and sailing destination. The town is the home of the Lucy-Desi Museum and Desilu Playhouse, both built in honor of the town’s most famous daughter. Jamestown also contains The Audubon Center, which features a 600 acre nature sanctuary with five miles of observation and hiking paths and is the home of Liberty, a local bald eagle.
If you visit this unique area of New York, you might follow the Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail. The Wine Trail is about 40 miles long and runs amidst 30,000 acres of vineyards along Lake Erie in western New York and Pennsylvania in “America’s Grape Country”.
This little corner of New York sounds like a perfect place to attend a concert and perhaps a good place to spend a few days to enjoy the area.
We are so lucky to have videos of most of Clay’s concerts. There were lots to choose from for this concert. Take a look. This summer is going to be so much fun!!
TV Medley Part 1
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBknd_TjVps
TV Medley Part 2
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYjL4M8k43A
Classics Medley
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmue185A7iQ
The Way You Make Me Feel
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5-YdCerjYU