CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. -- Years ago, the words "Knowledge, Religion, Art and Music" were chiseled into a fountain in the main square of the Chautauqua Institution. Today, music still plays a central role in the venerable community of residential lake houses and communal religious homes.

It was on vibrant display at the opening concert of the season of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra on Friday.

Although many people summer here or take a weekend vacation at the 750-acre site on Lake Chautauqua in southwestern New York, the institute is no spa or resort. It was founded in 1874 "to be a community in which religious faith is perceived, interpreted and experienced as central to the understanding and expression of our social and cultural values ...," according to a plaque outside the central meeting and performance space, the open-air amphitheater.

These days, the institute is a gated nonprofit educational center with a multitude of churches and denominational houses for retreats and religious study. More than 142,000 people attend scheduled public events over the summer, hearing speakers and concerts and attending plays and participating in other activities, such as boating, swimming and even lawn bowling.

As a first-time visitor, I was awed by the serenity of the place, enhanced by hitting a weather jackpot (70s and sunny). Certain touches made it even more pleasant, such as a clock tower singing in the evening, a pristine steamboat traveling to and fro, and sailboats and motorboats bobbing on the water.

It's a community that supports the arts, and in particular classical music, with a dedicated ensemble and music director, Stefan Sanderling. Ardent fans filed into the amphitheater Friday, nearly filling its 5,000 seats -- meaning more people in the community went to the concert than didn't. And they sat with open minds to a program that, according to the conductor of three years here, was not typical fare: Arturo Marquez's "Danzon No. 2," Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez," Astor Piazzolla's "Tangazzo," and Silvestre Revueltas' "La noche de los Mayas."

The institute has a slightly artificial feeling about it because of its abundance of educated folk. Where else could a book signing by Alan Alda be advertised outside a bookstore like this: "1:15 AA"? But as long as one understands this, it's fun to soak up the cultured atmosphere -- one in which classical music concerts are the talk of the town.

The Chautauqua Symphony is not in the same league as major orchestras such as our Pittsburgh Symphony, and there were ensemble issues within the string sections, but it's top-notch for a group that only assembles for the summer. I heard its first concert of the season and would have easily believed it had been playing together all year. It is a particularly artistic ensemble, open to Mr. Sanderling's interpretations, and he crafted the music thoughtfully.

The seats are as comfortable as church pews, but the 1893 amphitheater has perhaps the best acoustics I have observed in outdoor venues. The arched wooden ceiling broke up the sound wall and held it in more than is typical. That's why I was somewhat disappointed that Mr. Sanderling decided to amplify guitarist Jason Vieaux in "Concierto de Aranjuez." Rodrigo brilliantly crafted this work so that the relatively quiet classical guitar is not overwhelmed by the full orchestra. A little sweetening would have been better, but the amplification caused Mr. Vieaux to overpower the orchestra. In particular, the English horn intoning of the famous second movement melody got buried under the strumming guitar. Not that I minded hearing Mr. Vieaux. He plays in an unaffected style, never overdoing it even when playing virtuosically. But he was simply out of balance with the rest of the orchestra, which often sounded distant.

I was particularly impressed by the vigor and color Mr. Sanderling plumbed in "La noche de los Mayas." This is not an easy piece to pull off indoors and with scant rehearsal time, but the Chautauqua Symphony hit all the marks with flair. The same can be said of the syncopations and Latin rhythms of "Tangazzo" and "Danzon No. 2." And throughout the concert, individual performers shone with solos, especially concertmaster Brian Reagin.

With Pittsburgh essentially bereft of orchestral music in the summer, and with the Cleveland Orchestra's summer home, the Blossom Festival, not that much closer in traveling time from Pittsburgh as Chautauqua, classical music fans might just find themselves heading out to join the Chautauqua community this summer.

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.