Support Ravinia’s REACH*TEACH*PLAY Education Programs Through Social Media

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Blackman Kallick Plante Moran has launched an online grant contest, Chicago Community Champions, for not-for-profit organizations to compete for a $25,000 award to be used to support the arts and community. Such a grant would help sustain the future of Ravinia Festival’s initiatives in schools and inner-city communities, particularly REACH*TEACH*PLAY’s new Sistema Ravinia youth orchestra at Circle Rock. This is where we need your help! Beginning today, head over to the Chicago Community Champions website and cast your vote for Ravinia! This is just the first of three possible rounds, so keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter for more calls-to-action. And, as always, thanks for your support.

Watch Ramsey Lewis Give a Piano Lesson to a River North Dancer/Choreographer

When jazz legend Ramsey Lewis lamented that he never learned to dance—because when everyone else was shaking a tail-feather, he was the one playing the piano—Ravinia came to the rescue, setting Ramsey up with his first dance lesson with dancer/choreographer Melanie Manale-Hortin, of River North Dance Chicago, which performs at Ravinia on Aug. 21. Of course, we got it on tape. As they say, turnabout is fair play, so Melanie met Ramsey backstage for her first piano lesson. Watch how quickly he turns her into one of the “'In' Crowd.”


Tweet of the Week: Week Six

Each week this summer we post the top tweets of the week about Ravinia Festival under the heading This Week in Tweets. During the last week we scoured the depths of the twittersphere to bring you the best tweets that mention your favorite outdoor music festival. Log on to Twitter, follow @RaviniaFestival, tweet about us or twitpic your lawn set-up and you might wind up in our blog feature! Featured tweets will win you amazing prizes all summer long. We’ll contact you to claim your prize if you are featured. Don’t forget to read the contest rules too!


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Sun-Times and Chicago Community Trust Will Match Dollars Raised for Ravinia in Schools

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Ravinia is the recipient of a challenge grant from the Sun-Times Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust to support our REACH*TEACH*PLAY music education programs.  The Sun-Times Foundation and The Chicago Community Trust will match your donation to Ravinia up to a total of $15,000 from Tuesday July 24, 2012, through October 23, 2012.  All proceeds support music education and live performance opportunities for underserved communities throughout the region and inner-city Chicago Public Schools that lack any music resources.  Please help us get off to great start in meeting the challenge by donating on July 24 beginning at 5 a.m. at Suntimesfoundation.org/RaviniaReachTeachPlay.  

Facebook “Like” Campaign Reaches Goal Early, Raising $10,000 for Reach*Teach*Play

At the start of the season the Ravinia Associates Board launched a campaign in which they would donate $1 to the festival’s REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs for each new friend to “like” Ravinia on Facebook or follow the Festival’s page on Twitter. Capped at $10,000, the campaign was expected to run to September. Instead, it ended this week with a total of 10,672 social media participants signing on. However, there are still plenty of reasons to visit Ravinia’s social sites, including daily contests that award tickets to all Ravinia events, including sold-out shows.

Tweet of the Week: Week Five

Each week this summer we post the top tweets of the week about Ravinia Festival under the heading This Week in Tweets. During the last week we scoured the depths of the twittersphere to bring you the best tweets that mention your favorite outdoor music festival. Log on to Twitter, follow @RaviniaFestival, tweet about us or twitpic your lawn set-up and you might wind up in our blog feature! Featured tweets will win you amazing prizes all summer long. We’ll contact you to claim your prize if you are featured. Don’t forget to read the contest rules too!


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Tweet of the Week: Week Three & Four

Each week this summer we post the top tweets of the week about Ravinia Festival under the heading This Week in Tweets. During the last week we scoured the depths of the twittersphere to bring you the best tweets that mention your favorite outdoor music festival. Log on to Twitter, follow @RaviniaFestival, tweet about us or twitpic your lawn set-up and you might wind up in our blog feature! Featured tweets will win you amazing prizes all summer long. We’ll contact you to claim your prize if you are featured. Don’t forget to read the contest rules too!


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Ravinia Adds First “El Sistema” Conductor and Teacher to REACH*TEACH*PLAY Staff

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Ravinia Festival has welcomed conductor/teacherJavier Payano to the staff of its acclaimed REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs. Payano will help establish an “El Sistema” inspired student orchestra at the Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. Even though it’s summer vacation for them, over 30 students have already signed up to play in the new student ensemble, which will be called the Circle Rockets. Payano was instrumental in establishing an “El Sistema” program at Hibbard Elementary School, which Ravinia supports. Ravinia anticipates building student orchestras in other schools under the banner Sistema Ravinia.

Very Special Thanks from Glen Campbell Contest Winner

All I can say is wow, wow, and wow! I went with a close friend to see Glenn Campbell last night and we had a blast of a time!  The dinner was wonderful, the service excellent, hospitality what can I say! I absolutely Loved the gift shop and all of my gifts on you! I have a western hat in 2 colors that light up, and sunglasses and a cooler! Thank You, You and Me TV! I have been off of work due to a fall in 2010, this is the first time that I have felt well enough to go out! This is the best retirement present I could ask for. Retired CPS teacher starting today! Yeah! Thank you a million! Im sending pictures of our night!

—Sandy

 

Beethoven Lives Upstairs

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On July 7 the Ravinia Festival stage will host the Elgin Youth Symphony in a concert playfully titled Beethoven Lives Upstairs. This title—and the concert program itself—stems from a 1992 HBO original movie about the friendship of a young boy and his parents’ tenant, none other than the infamous Ludwig van, who lives upstairs.

The film’s elaborate storyline is fictional, but its basic notion is not; Beethoven did live upstairs. Save for his occasional trips to the countryside (which he loved), Beethoven resided in apartment buildings, where his neighbors were honored with—or, perhaps more accurately, subjected to—daily performances of the pianoforte. Apparently, once his hearing had begun to fail, Beethoven even used the floor as a soundboard by cutting off his pianoforte’s legs.

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Mix A Little Midori Into Your Summer

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If you take a look at a print copy of Ravinia’s 2012 Calendar, you will notice that only one solo performer has the honor of having her photo appear on it not once but twice. Indeed, Ravinia Park will open for just her on two nights—Tuesday, July 3, and Thursday, July 5. “She,” of course, is Midori, one of a number of exciting violin soloists Ravinia will host this summer, a group that includes as Miriam Fried, Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman and Steans Music Institute’s alumnus Erik Schumann.

Even a superficial review of her career reveals that Midori's musical path has been adventurous and extraordinary. When she made the front page of the New York Times, it was with the headline “Girl, 14, Conquers Tanglewood with 3 Violins.” Midori began playing the violin when she was three, after her mother, the violinist Setsu Goto, heard her humming a Bach concerto, a piece Setsu had been practicing two days earlier. Midori would then go on to astound the Juilliard Pre-College audition panel with another piece of Bach’s—the famously difficult Chaconne.

It would seem fitting, then, that Midori will perform the complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by J.S. Bach here. There can be no doubt that the winning duo of Midori and Bach will conquer Ravinia. Make sure you’re there to see it, because this performer carries excitement wherever she goes.

Bluegrass and Laughs: Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers

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Comedy and music aren’t separate worlds for actor, writer and musician Steve Martin. At fifteen years old Martin was first introduced to bluegrass music before falling in love with the instrument he calls, “truly American,” –the banjo. Dropping out of UCLA to pursue a career in comedy, Martin used the banjo along with jokes, juggling and magic as a primary means to fill his early act. While using banjo for the routine, Martin began studying the instrument more seriously, writing satirical pieces for the act such as “Ramblin’ Guy” and “Grandmother’s Song.” Yet, as Martin’s acting career exploded, his musical roots became largely overlooked.

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Tweet of the Week: Week Two

Each week this summer we post the top tweets of the week about Ravinia Festival under the heading This Week in Tweets. During the last week we scoured the depths of the twittersphere to bring you the best tweets that mention your favorite outdoor music festival. Log on to Twitter, follow @RaviniaFestival, tweet about us or twitpic your lawn set-up and you might wind up in our blog feature! Featured tweets will win you amazing prizes all summer long. We’ll contact you to claim your prize if you are featured. Don’t forget to read the contest rules too!


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Jazzvinia: Join The Society

It’s not every day that we get to be the first: Neil Armstrong-the first man on the moon , Junko Tabei-the first woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, and Halle Berry-the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Then finally, nearly 100 years since jazz was born in New Orleans, the melting pot of America, a jazz artist was awarded the 2011 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. By paying homage to the traditions and legacies of jazz’s ancestors, Armstrong, Davis, Fitzgerald, Parker, and Coltrane, this artist gave our music a new direction and created an oasis for the listeners of the 21st century. 
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Tweet of the Week: Week One

Each week this summer we post the top tweets of the week about Ravinia Festival under the heading This Week in Tweets. During the last week we scoured the depths of the twittersphere to bring you the best tweets that mention your favorite outdoor music festival. Log on to Twitter, follow @RaviniaFestival, tweet about us or twitpic your lawn set-up and you might wind up in our blog feature! Featured tweets will win you amazing prizes all summer long. We’ll contact you to claim your prize if you are featured. Don’t forget to read the contest rules too!


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Jazzvinia: Nnenna sings Lena

Nnenna Freelon grew up immersed in music but it wasn't until she was in her mid 30s that she made her "big break", or at least a big break in jazz. This happened partly because she met Ellis Marsalis, patriarch of the Marsalis Jazz Family, who introduced her to record executives at Columbia Records. Since then she has performed throughout the country with Aretha Franklin, Ramsey Lewis and James Moody. Lena Horne was not just another singer and performer; she was the first African American performer to sign a long-term contract with a Hollywood studio, and is known for the most famous recording of 'Stormy Weather'.
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Rock Band Train to Sell Souvenir Wines Benefiting Housing Sick Children

Rock band Train’s own set of wines, which are labeled under the Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co. brand, will be available for sale at their Ravinia concerts on Aug. 11-12. The collection includes “Drops of Jupiter” Petite Sirah; “Calling All Angels” Chardonnay; and a Cabernet Sauvignon named after their recently released album, “California 37.” A portion of the proceeds from Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co. sales are donated to Family House, a non-profit organization providing temporary housing to families of seriously ill children. For more information, visit www.savemesfwineco.com.