Chautauqua Institution recently announced the additions of Freeman, Robinson and Bonnie Raitt to its lineup of performers this year. Robinson and Raitt are the first out-of-season performers the institution has hosted. Robinson will perform at Chautauqua on June 19. This special date also marks Juneteenth, a national day of reflection and celebration while Raitt will perform on Sept. 5 as the institution expands its year-round programs.

“Bringing one of music’s most celebrated artists to the stage, we hope this concert welcomes both longtime patrons and new audiences to Chautauqua at a time when our amphitheater is historically dark,” said Deborah Sunya Moore, Chautauqua Institution chief program officer. “Bonnie Raitt is the perfect artist to help us reinforce this vision, which is part of our goal to expand our operations in mission-aligned ways that will supplement and support our signature summer season.”

SMOKEY ROBINSON

Robinson was the founder and frontman of the Motown group the Miracles, for which he was also chief songwriter and producer. He led the group from its 1955 origins, when they were called The Five Chimes, until 1972, when he retired from the group to focus on his role as Motown Records vice president. Robinson returned to the music industry as a solo artist the following year. Robinson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and awarded the 2016 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for his lifetime contributions to popular music.

AP Photos Smokey Robinson attends the screening for "The Apollo" during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, 2019, in New York. Robinson's latest album is "Gasms."

In late 1960, the Miracles recorded their first hit single, Shop Around, which became Motown’s first million-selling hit record. Between 1960 and 1970, Robinson would produce 26 top forty hits with the Miracles as lead singer, chief songwriter and producer, including You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me, Mickey’s Monkey, I Second That Emotion, Baby Baby Don’t Cry and “The Tears of a Clown.”

BONNIE RAITT

Raitt is a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose unique style blends blues, R&B, rock, and pop who performed at Chautauqua Institution in 2023. After 20 years as a performer, she broke through to the top in the early 1990s with her Grammy-award winning albums, “Nick of Time” and “Luck of the Draw,” which featured hits, “Something To Talk About” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” among others. The 10-time Grammy winner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and Rolling Stone named the slide guitar ace one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and one of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.”

In 2022, Raitt received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys.

“To be recognized by my peers like this when I’m still on tour is really especially sweet that I don’t have to retire and they give me a gold watch or something,” Raitt told the Associated Press in April. “To be acknowledged for being an activist and a leader of a band and play electric guitar, they like my music — it’s been a wonderful thing just to be part of the Grammy Association all this

Morgan Freeman arrives at the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Nicole Kidman in 2024 at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

MORGAN FREEMAN

During the season the institution will play host to Freeman for a two-day engagement that delves into the history and cultural legacy of Blues music in America as part of the institution’s Week Nine theme: “Past Informs Present: How to Harness History.” Freeman will participate in the Chautauqua Lecture Series on Aug. 19, offering insights into the rich history and cultural significance of Blues music in America, as well as the efforts being made to preserve and celebrate this important legacy. That evening, Freeman will return to the Amphitheater stage to introduce Symphonic Blues, with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martin Gellner. Narrated on video by Freeman, the performance will blend the profound roots of Mississippi Delta Blues with the grandeur of a symphony orchestra. Audience members will be guided on a transformative journey through the music, culture, and enduring legacy of the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the Blues. Additionally, Freeman will participate in a master class alongside Blues musicians on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Freeman received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a former boxer in Clint Eastwood’s sports drama Million Dollar Baby (2004), and was further nominated for the award for his roles in Street Smart (1987), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Invictus (2009). Other notable roles include in Glory (1989), Lean on Me (1989), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Unforgiven (1992), Se7en (1995), Amistad (1997), Deep Impact (1998), Gone Baby Gone (2007), and The Bucket List (2007). He also portrayed Lucius Fox in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012) and starred in the action films Wanted (2008), Red (2010), Oblivion (2013), Now You See Me (2013), and Lucy (2014).

Known for his distinctive voice, he has narrated numerous documentary projects including The Long Way Home (1997), March of the Penguins (2005), Through the Wormhole (2010-2017), The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (2016-2019), Our Universe (2022) and Life on Our Planet (2023). He made his directorial debut with the drama Bopha! (1993). He founded the film production company Revelations Entertainment with business partner Lori McCreary in 1996, under which they produced numerous projects, including the CBS political drama Madam Secretary from 2014 to 2019.

LONESTAR AND

Steve Miller of The Steve Miller Band performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on Sunday, May 6, 2018, in New Orleans.

THE STEVE MILLER BAND

The Seneca Allegany Casino has announced two additional concerts for the summer. Lonestar and Montgomery Gentry, featuring Eddie Montgomery, will perform Friday, Aug. 29, followed by the Steve Miller Band on Saturday, Aug. 30.

Lonestar has charted more than 20 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including nine No. 1 hits. The band’s amazing career catalog includes the hit singles “No News,” “Come Cryin’ to Me,” “Amazed,” “Smile,” “My Front Porch Looking In,” and “I’m Already There,” among others. “Amazed” also charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, at the time becoming the first country song to achieve that feat in almost 20 years. Lonestar will be joined at Seneca Allegany by Montgomery Gentry, featuring Eddie Montgomery. Montgomery Gentry delivered five No. 1 Country hits and more than 20 charted singles, including “If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “Something to Be Proud Of,” “Lucky Man,” “Hell Yeah,” and many others. After Troy Gentry died in a helicopter crash in 2017, Montgomery has kept the duo’s legacy alive.

The Steve Miller Band has defined the Classic Rock sound for more than half a century. Formed in 1966 when guitar legend Steve Miller moved to San Francisco, the band shot to superstardom in the 1970s with hits including “The Joker,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Jet Airliner,” and more. The band’s albums have sold tens of millions of copies around the globe, and its songs are staples on the classic rock airwaves to this day. Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

The members of Lonestar are pictured.