Happy International Women's Day 2013

On this International Women’s Day, we would like to highlight our celebrated Ravinia Women’s Board. Made up of over 130 of Chicago’s most prominent women, the Women’s Board membership includes a diverse range of working women and philanthropic greats.

After just completing their milestone 50th year, the Women’s Board continues to host some of Chicago’s most elite events that support the Ravinia Festival on a whole new level. This year’s annual Women’s Board Gala on Saturday, July 27 will bring renowned pianist Lang Lang back to the stage that made him famous!

Beyond fundraising events, the Women’s Board created and helps administer Ravinia’s education program, Reach*Teach*Play. Reach*Teach*Play follows the "El Sistema model" of returning music back to budget-strapped schools, and serves over 75,000 people in the Chicagoland Area, ensuring that great music remains accessible to all.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Kiri Te Kanawa To Guest Star On Downton Abbey

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Just shortly after the airing of the third season finale in the United States, news is coming from the set that handful of new faces will be seen next season including frequent Ravinia performer, and Ravinia Steans Institute Faculty member, Kiri Te Kanawa. She is slated to play a house guest, and will sing during her visit. Season three has just ended giving plenty of time to catch up on the happenings in the abbey.

James Conlon on Van Cliburn

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"Classical music has lost one of its great artists this week. Van Cliburn's immeasurable pianism was equaled by his humanity, which, taken together, earned him legendary status. He demonstrated the power of art to bind humans together across the opposing lines of the Cold War. He transformed the fruits of his monumental success to help generations of young pianists around the world. I have known him for almost 40 years since we first collaborated together. His return to Ravinia for the 2005 Gala was a moving experience. This iconic musician had returned for his valedictory festival performance with the Chicago Symphony and with me. His interpretation of Grieg’s Piano Concerto was distinguished by the maturity and thoughtful nuance that are the hallmarks of the great musician he was. I mourn the loss of a friend—the kindest, most generous, gentle, hospitable and courteous man who has ever graced the concert stage."

–James Conlon, Music Director of Ravinia

Van Cliburn – A Personal Recollection

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Based on personal experiences during my many years of working in arts administration, I’ve learned that one should be cautious before attempting to meet an idol. If an artist has had a bad day, or is in a bad mood, what to them is merely a quick and casual encounter can be, for the fan, an unpleasant memory that will last a lifetime. On the other hand, sometimes the encounter is a wonderful moment to cherish forever.

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Downton Abbey-On-The-Nile

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The other day some of my colleagues were talking over lunch about the popular TV series Downton Abbey. I haven’t seen the show myself, but I had read somewhere that the exterior and most of the interior shots of the “Abbey” are actually filmed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England. What my colleagues were not aware of, however, is that Highclere is the ancestral home of the Earl of Carnarvon, and that George Herbert, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, is the man who bankrolled the Egyptian excavations of Howard Carter, who famously discovered the unplundered tomb of King Tutankhamun (better known as “King Tut”) in November 1922.

For reasons that made sense at the time, I did not elect to enter King Tut’s tomb during my one and only trip to Egypt in 1999. It’s not only that it cost extra to enter, but we had limited time and our guide recommended we instead visit larger and more elaborately decorated tombs in the Valley of the Kings (your ticket to the valley allows you to enter three tombs; only Tut’s has the surcharge). But even more memorably, I had just a few days previously attended an outdoor performance of Verdi’s Aida by the Cairo Opera given at the foot of the Great Pyramids of Giza, an experience I’ll never forget.

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Legendary Pianist Van Cliburn Passes

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Ravinia deeply regrets the passing of legendary pianist Van Cliburn, who debuted at Ravinia in 1965 and returned for an additional six performances. Every one of his appearances was truly a gala event. He is seen here with then-Senator Barack Obama at the 2005 Gala Benefit Evening, his last performance at Ravinia.

David Byrne and St. Vincent Come To Ravinia

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Called "marvelous" by the New Yorker and "magical" by NPR, David Byrne and St. Vincent will make a stop at Ravinia Festival on July 6, 2013. The duo's collaborative album, Love This Giant, and tour last year earned rave reviews from TIME, New York Magazine, the NY Times, SPIN, and more, along with performances on Letterman, Fallon, and Colbert. The LA Times called their performance "jubilant," The Washington Post described it as "a kind of show you’d never seen or heard before," and the Hollywood Reporter praised their "amazing charisma."

Tickets go on sale on April 26.

 

Update: Sistema Ravinia Circle Rockets Orchestra

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“I love orchestra!!!!” says Chloe, a 4th grade student and violinist at Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School in Chicago. She and 45 of her classmates in grades 4-6 have been learning, practicing and performing music for two hours daily since late October in the Circle Rockets orchestra. While all of the students are novices to orchestral music (in fact, they had never had instrumental music lessons before), they are advancing rapidly thanks to the intense training and innovative instruction of the new Sistema Ravinia initiative. “It’s a terrific experience to put a musical instrument in a kid’s hand, but even better when you see the music all over her face,” said Ravinia Festival President and CEO Welz Kauffman.

Ravinia Supports "Contrast" of TEDxWindy City Events

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Ravinia has signed on as a sponsor of the Feb. 23 TEDxWindy City event that will bring together a variety of TED Talks speakers to address the theme “contrast.” As part of its support, Ravinia will recreate one of its glorious lawn picnics for the lunch hour. “How can a place like Ravinia—known for being something different every day—not embrace the concept of contrasts?” asked Nick Pullia, director of communications. “Ravinia, home of the cultural omnivore, is a series of contrasting opportunities: Pavilion or lawn? Classical or country? Picnic or fine dining? We thrive on contrasts.” The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago. For registration and information, click here.

RSMI Alumni Grace Kelly Wins Prestigious Award

Ravinia Steans Music Institute alumni Grace Kelly, who was in our jazz program in 2007, has won a 2013 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. Established by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Foundation in 2002 to encourage gifted jazz composers under the age of 30, the program now carries the name of the great trumpeter and ASCAP member Herb Alpert in recognition of The Herb Alpert Found's multi-year financial commitment to support this unique program. The recipients, who receive cash awards, range in age from 10 to 30, and are selected through a juried national competition. Congratulations on this award Grace! This talented young woman is going places. You can follow her on Twitter at @GraceKellyJazz.

Jackson Browne Returns To Ravinia In 2013

Singer/songwriter Jackson Browne will be returning the Ravinia on Wednesday June 26 as part of his 2013 Acoustic Tour. Playing guitar and piano, he will perform songs from across his entire body or work. He will be joined by founding member of Nickel Creek and Grammy award winner, Sara Watkins, who will be making her Ravinia debut as a solo artist! Tickets to this event and all Ravinia summer events will be on sale to the public on April 25 and a full list of 2013 summer events will be announced on March 7.

Happy Valentines Day

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Congratulations to social upgrade winner Sharon G. for her outstanding poem about Ravinia Festival. She has won a pair of tickets to tonights Chicago Tribune's Chicago Live recording featuring special guests Billy Corgan, Rebecca Skloot, Amy Dickinson, the Second City and more. Music guests Shoes to perform. Happy Valentines Day to all of our fans!

Ravinia
by: Sharon G.

Though so many miles stand between
Where I am now and Ravinia's overwhelming
beauty and understated refinement.
The memories on your picturesque terrace
Make more bearable my distance imposed confinement.

For fond memories, this venue is so much a part,
Ragtime romps, haunting arias and bittersweet melodies,
are keepsakes, impressions so dear to my heart

And no matter where the Winds of Fortune carry me
Or how far that I may roam.
As summer returns and overtures begin.
Like a moth to light I'm drawn.
My compass transfixed to Lake Michigan
Ravinia calls me home.

Photo: Joan's Bench by Richard Hunt

The Country Rock Band Alabama Rolls Through Ravinia in 2013

We are happy to announce the festival debut of country rock band Alabama on Friday, August 30, part of their Back to Bowery Tour. Tickets to this event and all Ravinia summer events will be on sale to the public on April 25. A full list of 2013 summer events will be announced on March 7.

Alabama, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2013, has an extensive career that has resulted in 21 gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, 43 number-one singles and over 73 million records sold. The band has received over 150 industry awards from the Grammys, People’s Choice, Academy of Country Music, American Music and Country Music Association awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

And The 2013 Grammy Goes To...

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The Grammys is the biggest night in music, turning the Nate Ruess' (Fun.) of today into the Stings of tomorrow! This year was a spectacle to behold at the Grammys with artist after artist rocking the house, particularly Bruno Mars, Rhianna, and 2013 Ravinia artist Sting (featured below)!

The Grammys are a great way to start the year. Here at Ravinia, we enjoy the award ceremony aftermath where an artist like Miguel, who opened for Jennifer Hudson in 2011 at the festival, can now be referred to "Grammy award winner Miguel." It's an honor to recognize Ravinia artists new and old in their recent Grammy wins:

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Just Talked To Princess Aurora, And It Was...

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I just had the most marvelous phone call from soprano Mary Costa, about whom I blogged recently after discovering she had made her Chicago area debut at Ravinia the year after the release of Walt Disney’s The Sleeping Beauty, for which she provided the voice and figure model for the title character. After posting that blog, I Googled her and wrote to her in her native Knoxville, TN, where she had helped launch the Knoxville Opera in 1978 and starred in its inaugural production, Verdi’s La Traviata (the same role in which she had made a triumphant 1964 Metropolitan Opera debut). I was requesting a photo I’d like to frame along with a lovely thank-you note she had written to me for some archival research I did for her while I worked for San Francisco Opera many years ago. I had hoped merely that someone, perhaps a secretary, would send me a photo; instead, she called me direct at Ravinia, and we spent a delightful quarter-hour discussing everything from current styles of opera production and the future of opera to recent movies and my own harpsichord studies. Her interest in me was genuine and touching, and left me feeling positively ebullient for the rest of the day. How wonderful to be able to tell my friends: I just talked with Princess Aurora!

John Schauer
Associate Director of Communications, Publications

Classical's Unique Relationship with the Super Bowl

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The Super Bowl is the most watched single sporting event on television in the U.S. With that, any commercial aired during the TV breaks will get an unprecedented amount of exposure. That exposure will also cost an arm and a leg, to the tune of almost 4 million dollars per 30 seconds in 2013, but there is no bigger stage in commercial television advertising. Some of the biggest companies in the world shell out millions and then use some of the greatest symphonic works in the commercials! Here is a short list of some of our favorites over the years:

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Two (More) Reasons 2013 Will Be The Best Season Yet

We are very happy to unveil two additional artists that will be joining our 2013 season lineup. Sting will return to Ravinia for a two night engagement on June 7 and 8 performing his most celebrated hits with a 5-piece band. We will also see singer/songwriter and four-time Grammy nominee, Jewel, make her long-awaited Ravinia debut on June 16.

The full 2013 schedule will be announced on March 7, and tickets for these shows and all others will go on sale exclusively at Ravinia.org on April 25. Keep up-to-date with all your Ravinia news by following us on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribing to updates from our blog Backstage Ravinia.

The Beauty of Walt Disney's The Sleeping Beauty

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Recently I acquired the Blu-ray edition of Walt Disney’s The Sleeping Beauty, my favorite Disney movie of all time. I love it not only because I am old enough to have seen it in the theater when it was first released in 1959, but also—actually mainly—because the film soundtrack is based almost exclusively on the music of Tchaikovsky’s ballet. Like everyone, I was enchanted by the singing of the title character, which, I later learned, was dubbed by opera star Mary Costa. So out of curiosity I dug through Ravinia’s archive and learned that the lovely Ms. Costa—who not only provided the voice, but also was the model for the figure of Princess Aurora—made her Chicago area debut here at Ravinia the following year.
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Ravinia Seasonal Employee Corrects Conan

When you walk up to or call the box office, our amazing seasonal staff is always happy to be of assistance. Many of these young men and women return year after year, fostering lifelong friendships as part of the Ravinia family. Recently one of these familiar box office staffers, Joel Orhland, caught a mistake (or so he thought) on Conan’s late night show on TBS. He recorded a response pointing out the potential mistake which was then featured on the show! Joel has been part of our box office staff for seven summers now, and this video has been all the buzz around the festival! Congratulations Joel! I think Conan won this one, but you’ll get him next time!