Chautauqua opened in 1898 as a schoolhouse and has since evolved into one of Colorado’s most intimate concert halls. (Photo by Benko Photographics)
A Boulder-based entertainment company recently announced that it’s the new exclusive promoter of the Chautauqua auditorium’s summer concert series.
Z2 Entertainment, an independent concert company, signed a three-year agreement with the Colorado Chautauqua Association to book the historic venue's talent each summer.
The company also books talent for The Fox Theater and the Boulder Theater, and the new deal with the Chautauqua adds more clout to its entertainment roster.
“We’re growing in our own market, which is a great thing for us,” said Cheryl Liguori, CEO of Z2. “Chautauqua is a summer venue and there’s a lot of great things we can present at the Chautauqua.”
The venue is a national historic landmark in Boulder that seats roughly 1,300 people, giving music lovers a rustic Colorado experience. The venue opened on July 4, 1898, as a schoolhouse for teachers and has since evolved into one of Colorado’s most intimate concert halls.
It’s located near the base of Boulder’s famous flatiron rock formations and sits on 40 acres of land. The venue boasts an auditorium, dining hall and an academic hall. The Chautauqua auditorium is used mainly for acoustic performances.
“We have to get creative in the acoustic world,” Liguori said.
The promoters for Z2 are up for the task. David Weingarden and Chris Peck are the talent buyers for Z2, and they’re busy booking the Chautauqua Summer Concert Series. They plan to announce the talent in April 2016.
“It allows us to do some things that we wouldn’t necessarily do during the summer,” Weingarden said, noting that the indoor venue has a nice wooden barn setting that gives fans a true mountain-feel experience.
“We’re going to make sure that we’re putting the best artists into these venues,” he said.
Weingarden and Peck also book the summer concert series at the Mishawaka Amphitheater in Fort Collins, Colo., so the pair is familiar with booking cozy settings.
“(The Chautauqua) is such a unique location. The atmosphere that you have there with the wooden beams; it’s such an intimate environment. The acoustics that you can get from that is sort of timeless,” Peck said.
Z2 was formed in 2010 when the Boulder Theater and the Fox Theater merged, according to the company’s press release on the new Chautauqua venture.
“Z2’s reputation and experience in booking and producing the region’s live music performances is unparalleled. We’re looking forward to partnering with Z2 to continue Chautauqua’s 118-year-old tradition of bringing unique and inspiring entertainment to the Boulder community,” said Ann Obenchain, director of marketing and development for the Colorado Chautauqua Association.
The Chautauqua is a nonprofit and has its own membership base that Z2 will work to entertain, bringing great talent to one of Colorado’s gem venues, Weingarden highlighted.
The Boulder Theater can hold 850 seated and has a standing capacity of around 1,100. The Fox Theater has capacity of around 650, and the Mishawaka has a 1,000-person capacity.
Although Z2 and Chautauqua have a three-year agreement, Liguori is hopeful the partnership will blossom into many more years of working together.
“Our sites are set on a very long-term relationship,” she said.
Interviewed for this story: Cheryl Liguori, Chris Peck and David Weingarden, (303) 998-9416