(From Leslie) I am starting my second week here in Chautauqua, and trying to switch gears from Week 3's theme,On Writing (with really outstanding talks and readings by Billy Collins, E.L. Doctorow, Amy Tan, Joyce Carol Oates, Garry Trudeau, and Jane Pauley), to Week 4's theme, The Ethical Frontiers of Science. The lineup of speakers this week will take on the ethical debates surrounding advances in biomedical sciences and new discoveries about how the brain works, as well as the issues raised by the development of new drugs and genetic discoveries that enable us to improve our memories, moods, and cognitive abilities. This morning, Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at Univ. of Penn talked made an argument for funding stem cell research that will improve and extend life--he's not talking about imortality, but adding 20-40 quality years to an average life span. It was a pretty fascinating lecture, and he certainly raised lots of good discussion.
One of last week's highlights was the return visit of an amazingly talented young pianist from Russia, Alexander Gavrylyuk. He is only twenty-three and is just unbelievable . . . After his solo performance on Thursday night in the Ampitheatre, the audience didn't stop until he did four encoures! Friday, I went to a Master Class he gave to several young piano students here, and Saturday night he performed with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and, again, he brought down the house with his interpretation of Tchaikovsky's Second Concerto. Check out more information on him in the Chautauquan Daily and consider buying a CD or a DVD--it would be money well-spent.
Got to run--more culture to soak in!
