TEDxBoulder is an independently organized event that brings together innovative thinkers, thought leaders, and change-makers from various disciplines to share their ideas and inspire meaningful conversations. With a commitment to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” TEDxBoulder has established itself as a platform for intellectual stimulation and fostering community engagement since 2010 when it held its first event right here at Chautauqua. Since then the talks have been viewed over 25 million times and seven of the talks have been reedited and featured on TED.com.
TEDxBoulder provides a unique platform for both local and global voices, encouraging individuals to share their ideas that have the potential to shape the world we live in. The event embraces innovation, inclusivity, and the power of dialogue, aiming to challenge conventional thinking and ignite transformative change.
Attendees of TEDxBoulder have the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking talks, interactive experiences, and collaborative discussions. The event fosters an environment where curiosity is celebrated, where ideas collide, and where individuals are encouraged to explore new frontiers of knowledge and understanding. The theme of this year’s event is Chaos & Order.
A light picnic dinner will be served during intermission. The event will end at 8pm.
Join TEDxBoulder as we embark on a journey of exploration, inspiration, and transformation. Together, let’s embrace the power of ideas and inspire a world where imagination knows no bounds.
In 2023 Billy Bragg is celebrating a remarkable 40 years as Britain’s favourite folk singer, songwriter and campaigner. To mark this significant landmark, he has released an acclaimed career-spanning box set ‘The Roaring Forty’ and has played to sell-out crowds across the world. In November he performed his most famous song ‘A New England’ on Later With Jools Holland almost exactly 40 years to the day that he debuted the song on The Tube (also presented by one Jools Holland!).
Galvanised in the late 70s by The Clash and an aversion to the austere policies of Margaret Thatcher, Billy set out to inspire political engagement and empathy. He has performed numerous benefit shows for the miners, the Labour party, CND, the jobless and many more, and has run the Left Field political stage at Glastonbury for the last 20 years.
Billy has released 11 solo studio albums, three albums of Woody Guthrie lyrics set to contemporary music by Billy and Wilco (the Mermaid Avenue albums) and one album with Joe Henry. He released a mini album Bridges Not Walls in 2017. His latest studio album, the acclaimed ‘The Million Things That Never Happened’ came out in 2021.
Billy Bragg added best-selling author to his CV with the success of his acclaimed 2017 book Roots, Radicals & Rockers – How Skiffle Changed The World. He has written two books of political analysis – The Progressive Patriot: A Search For Belonging (2006) and The Three Dimensions of Freedom (2019).
Billy won the Outstanding Contribution To British Music Award at the prestigious Ivors Awards in 2018. Born and raised in Barking, East London, Billy has a street named after him in his home town – Bragg Close. This year Billy has been honoured with a pavement plaque on the Camden Music Walk Of Fame (previous recipients include Madness, Amy Winehouse, The Who, David Bowie, and The Kinks)
Sturtz
Sturtz’s music stands out for its distinctive, soothing instrumental and vocal harmonies. The acoustic quartet – Andrew Sturtz [vocals, guitar], Jim Herlihy [banjo], Courtlyn Carpenter [cello], and Will Kuepper [bass] – falls somewhere at the intersection of folk and soul, with lead singer Andrew Sturtz’s melodic vocals soaring over the lower string instrumentals. Sturtz is based in Boulder, CO, and has toured across the U.S. opening for groups like the Eli Young Band, Trout Steak Revival, Lillie Mae, the Band of Heathens, and Smooth Hound Smith. NPR’s All Songs Considered described the band as “a reassuring breath of fresh air that pulls me back to simpler times” in their April 2020 blog. Sturtz released their debut album You’ve Done this Before in August 2021, and now they are hard at work touring on this album and writing songs for their next album. When they’re not playing music, you’ll probably find them milling flour, farming, laying in a creek, or eating native foliage.
Limited Availability Molly Tuttle Q & A and Acoustic Performance VIP Upgrade:
Access to an exclusive pre-show experience including:
Pre-show acoustic set (2-3 songs)
Q&A Session with Molly Tuttle
Poster signed by MollyTuttle
Merchandise shopping opportunity prior to doors opening to the public
Early entry into the venue
To purchase this exclusive VIP upgrade, please visit the artist’s website tour listings page to be directed to the VIP purchase page or click on the link below.
Tickets to the show are NOT included in this upgrade package and all patrons must purchase a ticket before purchasing the upgrade package.
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
2x-Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and musician Molly Tuttle and her band, Golden Highway, released their latest album, City of Gold, this past July on Nonesuch Records. The Grammy-nominated City of Gold follows Tuttle’s acclaimed 2022 record, Crooked Tree, which won Best Bluegrass Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards and led NPR Music to call her “a female flat picker extraordinaire with agility, speed, and elegance who distinctively brings American roots music into the spotlight,” adding that the album “marries the improvisatory solos of traditional bluegrass with singer-songwriter sophistication.” Produced by Tuttle and Jerry Douglas and recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios, City of Gold was inspired by Tuttle’s constant touring with Golden Highway these past few years, during which they have grown together as musicians and performers, cohering as a band. Reflecting on the project, Tuttle shares, “When I was a kid, we took a field trip to Caloma, CA, to learn about the gold rush. I’ll never forget the dusty hills and the grizzled old miner who showed us the nugget around his neck. Just like gold fever, music has always captivated me, captured my heart, and driven me to great lengths to explore its depths. On my new album I dug deep as a songwriter (with Ketch Secor) and co-producer (with Jerry Douglas) and surfaced with a record that celebrates the music of my heart, my life, the land where I grew up, and the stories I heard along the way. I made this record with my band Golden Highway after playing more than 100 shows across the country last year. On the road and in the studio, we are inspired by artists such as John Hartford, Gillian Welch, and Peter Rowan, to name a few, whose records are like family albums to us. Just like them, on this album we chart some new territory along with some old familiar ground. The songs span from breakdowns to ballads, fairytales and fiddle tunes, from Yosemite up to the Gold Country and out beyond the mountains. That visit to Coloma, site of California’s first gold strike, is where I first heard about El Dorado, the city of gold. Playing music can take you to a place that is just as precious.”
Raised in Northern California, Tuttle moved to Nashville in 2015. In the years since, she’s been nominated for Best New Artist at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, won Album of the Year at the 2023 International Folk Music Awards, Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2022 International Bluegrass Music Awards, Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2018 Americana Music Awards, and Guitar Player of the Year at the IBMAs in both 2017 and 2018, the first woman to receive the honor. Tuttle has performed around the world, including shows with Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Hiss Golden Messenger, Jason Isbell, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Dwight Yoakam as well as at several major festivals including Newport Folk Festival and Pilgrimage
Chatham Rabbits
There is something warm and instantly familiar about the beloved roots duo, Chatham Rabbits. Partners in music and life, Chatham Rabbits’ Austin and Sarah McCombie blend their personal histories through deft songwriting and a history that comes from building a life together. Leaning into each other’s strengths, their songs present a congenial, collaborative spirit that has captured the pure adoration of fans along the way and earned them praise from Garden & Gun Magazine, American Songwriter, and No Depression.
Their artistry hinges on a fervent desire to connect with others through the music that first brought the pair together. Steeped in the regional traditions of their North Carolina home, Chatham Rabbits’ musical pursuits represent a new age of roots music. Chatham Rabbits recorded and released their beloved debut album, All I Want From You in 2019. This set the standard for their sophomore release The Yoke is Easy, The Burden is Full—the centerpiece song “Oxen” was named “Top Folk Song of 2020” by Paste Magazine. Nurtured by central North Carolina’s fertile, influential music scene, Chatham Rabbits’ sound continues to evolve in their expansive third album, If You See Me Riding By (2022), which was simultaneously released with a television series, On the Road with Chatham Rabbits, on PBS-NC. The McCombies ingenuity during the Covid-19 crisis led to the creation of their mobile concert experience, The Stay at Home Tour, which took the duo to 194 neighborhoods in 2020-21. The pair is currently recording their fourth album of poignant original songs and continuing to foster their tight-knit fan community across the US.
Featuring live music accompaniment by Rodney Sauer.
A 100-year tradition, the beloved Chautauqua Silent Film Series continues with Sky High. Tom Mix stars as Grant Newbury, a daring government agent. Tasked with investigating a smuggling operation along the U.S.-Mexico border, Newbury navigates treacherous terrain and aerial escapades to uncover the criminal activities. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Grand Canyon, the film features thrilling stunts and high-flying action that showcase Mix’s cowboy heroics.
Opening with the short film made in Colorado: Buck’s Romance (1912)
Series Four Pack Available!
*Please note the Hop2Chautauqua shuttles do not operate for this event. Parking is available immediately around Chautauqua Auditorium.
Featuring live music accompaniment by Rodney Sauer.
A 100 year tradition, the beloved Chautauqua Silent Film Series continues with The Navigator. The story follows wealthy socialite Rollo Treadway (Buster Keaton) and his love interest, Betsy O’Brien (Kathryn McGuire), who find themselves accidentally adrift on an abandoned ocean liner. As they navigate life at sea, their comedic misadventures and resourcefulness shine through, blending slapstick humor with inventive jokes.
Opening with the short film His Wooden Wedding (1925).
Series Four Pack Available!
*Please note the Hop2Chautauqua shuttles do not operate for this event. Parking is available immediately around Chautauqua Auditorium.
