Ravinia Throwback: The Beach Boys

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As part of a continuing Ravinia off-season series we bring you the next issue of Ravinia Throwback. We will feature galleries from previous Ravinia seasons that you may not be able to find anymore. Whether you happened to be a guest at this performance or not, Ravinia Throwbacks give you the opportunity to (re)live moments in Ravinia history.

In this issue we feature Beach Boys from September 2002. They put on a very energetic and entertaining show, even asking audience members to join them on stage. Enjoy this gallery and check back next week for our next featured artist in Ravinia Throwbacks.

See full galleries at: Picasa or Flickr

A Big Thank You to REACH*TEACH*PLAY

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Hi Christine,

     My family and I attended Ravinia this past Sunday for the Family Place events and the CSO concert. We are new to the Chicago area this year and that was our first true experience & picnic and all. My daughter is 4 1/2 and has always loved music at whatever age/stage she has been in. This weekend provided an experience for her (and us) that will stay with us forever.

     The volunteers at the Instrument Petting Zoo were wonderful. They were patient, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and an inspiration to the children. I am attaching photos of Isabelle's (my daughter) violin interaction. You can see the progression in both the volunteer and Isabelle's face as she listened, learned and then produced sound from the violin. She was so excited to hear the music! This happened at each station as my daughter was successful in making sounds on the violin, bass, french horn, trombone, trumpet, saxophone and clarinet.

     I want to thank you and your staff for generously providing this type of opportunity for the children. Not only did Isabelle get to experience music in a way that is truly unique, her mommy (Me!) got to feel the joy as she watched Isabelle's excitement.

     Isabelle also loved hearing and seeing the CSO. We hung out behind the Pavilion for a little while and she danced around like only a child can do as she felt the beautiful music of the orchestra.

Thanks again!

 

Sincerely,
Karen, Ira and Isabelle Smith

Rising Star Spotlight: Gilles Vonsattel

Winner of a 2008 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Vonsattel displays a musical curiosity and sense of adventure that has gained him many admirers. He began touring after winning the top prize of the prestigious 2002 Naumburg International Piano Competition. He made his Alice Tully Hall debut that same year and has since performed at Zürich’s Tonhalle, Warsaw’s Chopin Festival and Tokyo’s Opera City Hall. He has performed in the U.S. with the Utah, Santa Fe, Nashville, and Grand Rapids symphonies as well as with the Boston Pops Orchestra. For the 2006-09 three-year appointment, Vonsattel was a member of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Chamber Music Society Two, with whom he performed extensively both in New York and on tour.

 

You can see him live on October 1 as part of our 2011/2012 Season of Rising Stars for only $10! Don't miss an opportunity to see this amazing artist.

Ravinia Throwback: Steve Martin

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As part of a new Ravinia off-season series we bring you our first (official) Ravinia Throwback. We will feature galleries from previous Ravinia seasons that you may not be able to find anymore. Whether you happened to be a guest at this performance or not, Ravinia Throwbacks give you the opportunity to (re)live moments in Ravinia history.

In this issue we feature Steve Martin. He wowed the Ravinia audience during our 2010 season with his banjo virtuosity. Enjoy this gallery and check back next week for our next featured artist in Ravinia Throwbacks.

 

Click here to see the full gallery.

Ravinia in the Community: Floral Gardens

It is always flattering to see someone go above and beyond to show their support for Ravinia Festival. We recently came across a Ravinia inspired window installation at Floral Gardens in Highland Park, IL. The season has now ended so we are unsure of how much longer this installation will be up, but we did manage to get a beautiful nighttime shot of the setup. This inspiration for this installation came from our 2011 Ravinia Festival Poster seen in the window to the top left. Thank you Floral Gardens, we greatly appreciate your support of our 2011 season! This also got us thinking… In what unique way do you show your support for Ravinia?

 

Big Head Todd Featured on Ripley’s Believe It or Not

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The band Big Head Todd & the Monsters, which opens for John Hiatt and the Combo on Sunday, Sept. 11, was recently featured on the popular show Ripley’s Believe It or Not. It was reported that in March, the group became the first band in history to perform a live song to awaken the crew of an orbiting spacecraft. Believe it or not! Pavilion and lawn tickets are available to this final concert of the 2011 Ravinia Festival season

Maroon 5 “Moves” to the Top Spot as Adam Levine Takes “Voice” Back to TV

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Maroon 5, which made its Ravinia Festival debut with two of this summer’s most popular concerts, has moved to the top spot on the pop charts with the hit single Moves Like Jagger. The song features Christina Aguiilera, who will return to television with Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine to headline the second season of the competition show The Voice, which premieres on Feb. 5, following the Super Bowl.

Chicago Dancer Patti Eylar Receives Ruth Page Award at Momix’s Botanica

Cited for dedicating her talent and expertise to Chicago’s dance community, Patti Elyar will be given the 2011 Ruth Page Award at Ravinia on Saturday, Sept. 10, prior to the performance of Botanica by the Momic dance company. A member of the Joffrey Ballet Women’s Board, Elyar has also been affiliated with Dance For Life, Dance/USA 2011, Chicago Dance Coalition and many others. She danced with the Lyric Ballet and was a founding member of Chicago City Ballet.

Part of the annual Ruth Page Festival of Dance, the regional premiere of Botanica twists the athletic dancers from Momix into works of floral art. Pavilion tickets are available now for the Sept. 9 and 10 performances.

R.I.P. Salvatore Licitra

By now everyone has heard the tragic news that tenor Salvatore Licitra has died at age 43 following a motorbike accident in Italy. Salvatore’s final performance of his career occurred this summer at Ravinia when he starred with Patricia Racette and Bryn Terfel in Tosca with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of James Conlon. As happy as we are that we got to experience his rare talent, we are sad to have gotten just a taste of what could have been.

 

Click Here to see a gallery of Salvatore's final performance.

A Good Man Documentary Set for Chicago Run

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The award-winning documentary A Good Man will play for one week at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Sept. 23-29. The film from directors Gordon Quinn (Hoop Dreams) and Bob Hercules (Forgiving Dr. Mengele) follows Tony-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones on his creative journey to deliver Fondly Do We Hope … Fervently Do We Pray to the Ravinia stage. That full-evening dance work was part of Ravinia’s 2009 celebration of the Abraham Lincoln bicentennial. In addition to the film, there will be a Q & A discussion with the filmmakers on Sept. 23 and a panel discussion with dancers from the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company moderated by Ravinia Festival President and CEO Welz Kauffman on Sept. 27. A Good Man will have its television premiere Nov. 11 on American Masters on PBS stations, including WTTW Channel 11.

Q&A with Ray Chen

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In order for our audiences to get to know our artists better, we’ve asked those appearing at Ravinia this summer to answer some lighthearted questions. Violinist Ray Chen shares his answers below. 

 

Q: What is your favorite movie of all time?

A: That’s like asking what is my favorite composer of all time—there are too many to choose from!  But to name a few: Inception, Iron Man, 300 . . . I’m an action movie fan!

Q: What would be the most difficult thing for you to give up?

A: Eating. O.K., that would be pretty hard for anyone to give up, but I am such a foodie that the concept of giving up eating gives me the chills just thinking about it.  Here's something to put things in perspective: The only reason I exercise is so I can eat more.

Q: If you could have dinner with any three famous people (living or dead), who would they be?

A: Steve Carell, because I love him in The Office; Scarlett Johansson, because I think she’s the most beautiful girl in the world; and Keira Knightley, because she's the second most beautiful girl in the world.

Q: Is there anything you miss from before you were famous?

A: Ha ha! I wouldn’t say I’m famous enough to miss the “normal life”!

Q: What will you hope to be doing a year from now?

A: Still improving.

Q: Do you have an annoying habit?

A: Yes—checking my Facebook 10 times a day.  Any less and I start having withdrawal symptoms.

Q: What do you do to wind down after a performance?

A: Enjoy a gin and tonic with a dash of lemon and sprite.

 

For more of these fun Q&As, please pick up a free copy of Ravinia's Magazine at kiosks around the park!

 

Zuill Bailey’s CD of Bach’s Cello Suites Tops Charts

Widely considered one of the premier cellists in the world, Zuill Bailey has seen his recording Bach’s Cello Suites jump to the top of the Billboard classical music charts. Reviews said,  "The sound is rich, like dark chocolate ... his voice is distinctive—strong and direct. Bailey reaches from the soul of his instrument to our own." The charismatic performer (he even acted on HBO’s Oz) will play Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello in a Bennett Gordon Hall recital at 6 p.m. Aug. 28. Reserved seats are only $10. Other upcoming concerts in Ravinia’s $10 Classics series include violinist Ray Chen on Aug. 26; Broadway star Laura Benanti on Aug. 27;  pianist Eldar Nebolsin on Sept. 4; pianist Dimitry Mayboroda on Sept. 7;  the Afiara String Quartet on Sept. 9; and violinist Giora Schmidt performing Liszt transcriptions on Sept. 10.

Tony Bennett Rededicates His Ravinia Painting in its New Public Location

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The legendary Tony Bennett will rededicate his painting of Ravinia Festival in a small ceremony after his sound check on August 26. The singing artist presented his oil-on-canvas impression of the park to the festival in 1988. It had hung in a private area and has been moved to its new permanent home on public display in the lobby of the dining pavilion, where Bennett will make his remarks (estimated time between 5:30 and 6:15). Space is limited, but ticket-holders to Bennett's 85th-birthday concert that night are welcome to attend on a first-come, first-served basis.

Q&A with ADAM GARDNER, RYAN MILLER & BRIAN ROSENWORCEL of Guster

In order for our audiences to get to know our artists better, we’ve asked those appearing at Ravinia this summer to answer some lighthearted questions, and we will share the answers we received with you.

Q: What will you hope to be doing a year from now?

Ryan: laying on a beach made of Old Bay Seasoning

 

Q: Do you have an annoying habit?

Adam: I love to pick my nose and am not ashamed to do so in public, much to my wife’s chagrin.

 

Q: What do you do to wind down after a performance?

Brian: I usually put my hands in a bucket of ice right when we get off stage so my fingers aren't so inflamed when it’s time to abuse the hand drums again the next day. Then I'll go over the set list in my head, and with my bandmates, and figure out anything that needs to get addressed the next night.  Then our tour manager will come in, hand us each a Sharpie, and say “Time for the aftershow” . . . I should say that none of this winds me down at all.

 

Don't miss Guster and Jack's Mannequin perform at Ravinia Festival on Saturday, Sept 3. Tickets are still available!

Author of Lord of the Rings Music Book Plans Signing

Chicago author and musicologist Doug Adams will sign copies of his new, beautifully illustrated book The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films at 6:45 prior to the live performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra of the entire score to the first movie in the trilogy on Aug. 19 at Ravinia Festival. A special version of the The Fellowship of the Ring—from the which the score has been digitally removed—will be shown on screens in the pavilion and on the lawn with the CSO providing the live soundtrack. Adams’s hardcover book is billed as a comprehensive account of Howard Shore’s scores (with a foreword by Shore). It comes complete with a CD of Lord of the Rings “Rarities.” The book will be available at Ravinia Gifts in the dining pavilion, where the signing takes place at 6:45 pm TONIGHT.

Frampton Stays Alive in Your Memories

Did you know that the July 5 Peter Frampton show at the Ravinia Festival was recorded?  Every moment of the amazing show was captured in pristine multi-track quality! And you were there. Peter Frampton partnered with Abbey Road Live, the "live" team associated with the legendary London studio, to capture the entire show for this  limited-edition, numbered collectible CD set!  There are three complete CDs packaged in a handsome DigiPak container that includes every moment of the 3+ hour show!  You also get a bonus fourth CD, which has an exclusive interview with Peter by legendary radio personality Redbeard. To purchase these, click here, and just scroll down for the Ravinia show!  Remember, this is a limited edition, and once they are gone, there will never be any more made!

Guster’s Adam Gardner Reveals Darkest Secret

In the new issue of Ravinia Magazine, Guster guitarist/vocalist Adam Gardner reveals that the hardest thing he ever had to give up was sucking his thumb. “I didn’t stop sucking my thumb until I was 8 years old. I was tired of sneaking ‘hits’ in the bathroom.” Find out what else Adam and bandmates Ryan Miller and Brian Rosenworcel have to say in the in the new issue of Ravinia Magazine, free in the park every concert night. Remember the magazine, which includes features and programs notes, changes every week. Don’t miss an issue! Guster performs with Jack’s Mannequin on Sept. 3. Pavilion and lawn tickets are available.

Think You’re Too Busy to See Lyle Lovett? Look How Busy He’s Been!

Lyle Lovett returns to Ravinia for an Aug. 21 concert, but that’s not all he’s been up to. During the past year, he taped the final Austin City Limits episode done in Studio 6A, the show’s 36-year home; visited policymakers on Capitol Hill and performed at the Library of Congress during ASCAP’s We Write the Songs event; sang the National Anthem at Game Four of the World Series; performed with the Kansas City Symphony for the annual environmental fundraiser "Symphony in the Flint Hills"; honored Kris Kristofferson at Leadership Music's Dale Franklin Award gala;  performed at Lincoln Center to benefit Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps; and recorded tracks for forthcoming Guy Clark and Buddy Holly tribute albums. Oh, and he also has an album of his own that he’s started recording. So what’s your excuse? Order pavilion or lawn tickets now.

New Steans Vocal Director Named to IU Faculty

The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music announced that pianist and vocal coach Kevin Murphy and soprano Heidi Grant Murphy will join its faculty as professor of practice and adjunct professor of practice, respectively, this fall. Kevin Murphy becomes director of the program for singers at Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute in 2012.