Welz Kauffman Previews 2013 Season

Ravinia’s 2013 season features more than 120 events from June 6 through September 15. Hear about the season first-hand from the man who programmed it: Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman will preview the season in a free public event at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 11. Coffee and dessert will be served, and guests will have a chance to win free prizes including concert tickets, dinners provided by Levy Restaurants and items from Ravinia Gifts. Seating is limited; reservations are required by April 9 at 847-266-5044 or by filling out the RSVP form on our website. The event will be held indoors at PNC Private Dining, located on the second floor of Ravinia’s dining pavilion. Free parking is available in Ravinia’s North Parking Lot at 418 Sheridan Road in Highland Park

Cognitive Benefits of Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Vivaldi's Four Seasons is among the most widely known work of classical music out there. It has been used in numerous television spots, films, and as background music at a local mall. Researchers from the University of Northumbria have decided to put Vivaldi's masterpiece to the test. They selected a group of 14 college-age adults, making them perform a challenging concentration test in silence, while listening to "Spring" or to "Autumn". The task; hitting the spacebar on a computer keyboard whenever a green square flashed on the screen. Other colored shapes occansionally popped up as well. How did Four Seasons hold up? As a baseline, the average response time was 408.1 milliseconds. The Vivaldi "Spring" concerto brought this average down to 393.8 milliseconds while the "Autumn" concerto rose the average to 413.3 milliseconds. Participants reported feeling more alert during the "Spring" concerto suggesting that the music may have impact their cognitive processes. What do you think?

via WQRX

In 2012, famous movie composer Max Richter recomposed Vivaldi's Four Seasons, revitalizing the piece and sending it straight to the top of the classical charts wordwide. On Sunday June 23, 2013 come see the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra led by Tito Muñoz perform the full recomposition in the Pavilion. Tickets available April 25.

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 50^th 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

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

"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

Legendary Pianist Van Cliburn Passes

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

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

“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

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

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.

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

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

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.