New KidsLawn To Offer New Interactive Music Experiences

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Many schools are unable to expose children to classical music, but families can. Children (and students through college) are admitted free to the lawn to all classical concerts. And because Ravinia is that rare venue where guests can bring their own food and beverages, a family can have an entertaining and culturally invigorating evening for a very small investment. To make it even more involving, this year Ravinia has added KidsLawn, a project of the Ravinia Associates Board and Ravinia Women’s Board, to select Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Kids Concerts. This new family-friendly space on the north lawn is the perfect place to lay out a picnic and let the kids run between interactive exhibits, including large-scale percussive instruments on which they can make their own kind of music. KidsLawn will also feature stories, videos and our classic “instrument petting zoo.”

KidsLawn will be open for the following events: June 14, Chinese Circus of Beijing and June 14, Laurie Berkner; July 5, Justin Roberts; July 12, Tom Chapin; July 13, CSO Broadway Evening; July 19, Ralph’s World; July 20, CSO Lerner & Loewe Evening; July 27, CSO Tchaikovsky Spectacular; Aug. 2, Classical Kids LIVE!; Aug. 10, CSO Viennese Evening; Aug. 15, Young Musician Concert; and Sept. 13, Ruth Page Civic Ballet.

Kevin Cole Steps In To Play With CSO On July 29

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Due to scheduling difficulties beyond his control, Chucho Valdés will not perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on July 29 at Ravinia as previously announced. Valdés will perform at Ravinia on July 30, as planned, for his “Latin Night” concert with co-headliner Bebel Gilberto. Ravinia is grateful to Kevin Cole for joining conductorJames Conlon and the CSO on July 29 to perform Rhapsody in Blue, which has become a signature piece for the Gershwin expert. Cole last playedRhapsody at Ravinia in 2011, leaving the Chicago Tribune saying, “When Kevin Cole sits down at the piano, you would swear Gershwin himself was at work ... Cole stands as the best Gershwin pianist in America today.”

Did You Get Engaged At Ravinia? We Want To Hear About It!

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If you got engaged to be married at Ravinia, you’re not alone (hopefully). We want all the couples who got engaged at Ravinia to “Come Together” for the world’s largest engagement photo to be taken Saturday,Sept. 13, when Classic Albums Live performs the iconic Beatles album, Abbey Road. If you got engaged at Ravinia, tell us how it went down (the public version, please) in an e-mail to contests@ravinia.org (include an engagement photo if you can). Photos and anecdotes may be printed in Ravinia’s blog and magazine. Once verified, we will send you a complimentary pair of tickets to the Abbey Roadconcert and instructions for participating in the photo. Contest is open to couples only.

Charity Navigator Gives Us Four Stars!

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The not-for-profit Ravinia Festival has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities. Ravinia’s mission includes presenting performances of a full range of classical music along with a variety of other kinds of light classical, jazz and popular music; maintaining a beautiful park that is welcoming to all and attractive to families; enabling gifted young performers to study under great teachers and perform in concert settings; and developing broader and more diverse audiences for classical music through education and outreach programs and by maintaining affordable ticket prices for classical music.

Jonas Tarm Commissioned To Write Music For New York Youth Symphony

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New England Conservatory student Jonas Tarm, 20, an alumnus of Highland Park High School and founding member of the Ravinia Student Marketing Board, has been commissioned to write a new orchestral work for the New York Youth Symphony, which will give the premiere in March 2015 at Carnegie Hall. Tarm was selected based in part on his work for string orchestra, Headline Hues, which had its world premiere in Estonia last year and received its American premiere last month with the NEC Symphony conducted by Paul Biss, a longtime faculty member of Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute.

Celebrity Chefs As Big As Music Stars At Food Network In Concert At Ravinia

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A lot of buzz has been generated by John Mayer’s Ravinia debut headlining the Sept. 20 exclusive event Food Network in Concert at Ravinia, but the daylong festival of food and music promises an array of celebrity chefs with an equally audience-pleasing cache.

Guests will have the opportunity to experience a variety of unique food offerings throughout the day through an array of ticket packages. The Greatest Hits—a venue-wide, walk-around food and wine tasting—will feature samplings of “greatest hits” from 50 chefs and 100+ wineries, while other available culinary experiences will include the BBQ-themed Country Cookout; Farm to Turntable, featuring locally sourced, farm-fresh dishes; Breakfast Club, presenting favorite brunch foods with a creative twist; HOT HOT HOT!where guests can indulge in the spiciest of dishes from around the world; and I Want Candy, a dessert-themed tasting hosted by Food Network star Anne Burrell and featuring 15 pastry chefs from around the country.

Other popular Food Network celebrities on hand will include Alex Guarnaschelli, Jose Garces, Jeff Mauro, Marc Murphy, Geoffrey Zakarian and Sunny Anderson. Detailed information and ticket packages are available at foodnetworkinconcert.com.

Meet Ravinia With The Mix, The Drive and Chicago's 100.3 at Ogilvie

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Recalling Ravinia's origin as a train station 110 years ago, and to celebrate the start of season sales, a team from Ravinia will greet commuters during the morning and afternoon rush on Thursday, April 24, along with radio partners from The Mix (WTMX), The Drive (WDRV) and Chicago's 100.3 (WILV). They'll be handing out scratch cards and a variety of prizes, as well as season schedules and Ravinia Magazine.

Associates Board Proves Music Matters In May 10 Event

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The Ravinia Associates Board will host its annual fundraiser, Music Matters, on Saturday, May 10, at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago. In addition to raising funds for Ravinia’s REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs, the event this year will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Associates and honor its founding president David Weinberg. Music Matters features silent and live auctions, raffle, cocktails, dinner, live music and dancing.

American Idol Live! Comes To Ravinia July 1

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Just announced: The wildly popular American Idol Live! tour will come to Ravinia for the first time ever on July 1 as part of a 41-show national tour. Tickets go on sale, along with the rest of the Ravinia season, at 5 a.m. Thursday, April 24, exclusively at Ravinia.org; Ravinia donors may purchase tickets today. Here’s the chance for fans of the iconic television show to experience a live concert by season 13 finalists Alex Preston, Caleb Johnson, C.J. Harris, Dexter Roberts, Jena Irene, Jessica Meuse, Majesty Rose, Malaya Watson, MK Nobilette and Sam Woolf. Of course, by the time this concert occurs, one of the finalists will be the next American Idol. The two-part season finale will air on Fox on May 20 and May 21. One of the most successful American Idol winners, Carrie Underwood, also comes to Ravinia this summer with concerts on Sept. 6 and 7.

Guest Chefs Season Ravinia Menu

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Ravinia will welcome guest chefs throughout the summer to bring new flavors to the Park View and Mirabelle restaurants. Spicing things up will be Erik Freeberg from Bar Toma, June 27 (James Taylor) and June 28 (Darius Rucker); Thomas Bowman of WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot, Aug. 7 and Aug. 8 (the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing the score to The Lord of the Rings—The Return of the King); Tony Mantuano from Spiaggia, Aug. 16 (James Conlon conducting the CSO in The Marriage of Figaro and Tony Bennett); and John Hogan of River Roast Social House,Aug. 19 (Buddy Guy) and Aug. 20 (Dawn Upshaw and The Knights).

For reservations, call 847-432-7550. Also Robin Rosenberg will introduce her new concept, Rosie’s BBQ, in Ravinia Market at the Amber Grill.

We Invite Chicagoland Students to High-School Marketing Council

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Ravinia would like to extend an invitation to high-school students from around the Chicago area to join Ravinia’s Student Marketing Board. This board, which meets once a month at Ravinia, is tasked with developing new ways to entice youth to come to Ravinia during the summer to experience the music of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Students will gain real, resumé-worthy, hands-on experience and see campaign ideas to come to life. Over the past three years this board has been responsible for such initiatives such as free lawn admission for students with valid ID and the $5,000 grant for the high school that brings the most students to CSO concerts during the summer. Here’s your chance to take it to the next level.

The first meeting of this new board will be Saturday, April 12, at 10 a.m. at Ravinia. To RSVP or inquire further, e-mail us at RaviniaCYI@ravinia.org.

RSMI Alumni Marquis Hill Returns To Ravinia April 12

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Chicago Jazz Orchestra trumpeter Marquis Hill will bring together his own ensemble for a concert that doubles as an album-release event this Saturday, April 12. Once a member of RSMI’s Program for Jazz andRavinia’s Jazz Scholars, he has since established himself among the vanguard of Chicago’s new jazz generation, both as a performer and a composer. Hill’s albums to date heavily feature his own charts, which the Chicago Tribune has recognized for their “melodic beauty.” Reserved-seat tickets are only $10.

The $10 BGH Classics series continues this summer with such artists as jazz pianist Dan Tepfer, saxophonist Ashu, the Lincoln Trio, violinist Rachel Barton Pine, Only Men Aloud and Musicians from Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute.

Kids Concert Series Revealed

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Ravinia’s 2014 Kids Concerts series emulates the festival’s main-stage programming across a mix of genres and artists, all in a kid-friendly environment. This Saturday series directly connects to the mission of the festival’s REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs. The fun kicks off with a double-header on June 14 with the world-renowned Chinese Circus of Beijing at 11 a.m. and Laurie Berkner—The You & Me Tour at 4 p.m. (separate admission required for these events). The series features Tom Chapin at 11 a.m. July 12; Ralph’s World at 11 a.m. July 19; and the Ruth Page Civic Ballet at 11 a.m. Sept. 13. To celebrate the 110th anniversary of Ravinia on August 15, there will be a free “Young*Musician*Concert,” featuring the Lang Lang International Music Foundation Scholars with the Midwest Young Artists Symphony Orchestra (reservations required through Ravinia’s box office).

“Lang Lang was little more than a child himself when he sprang to stardom at Ravinia, so we are ecstatic that the young musicians recognized by the biggest classical artist in the world will perform for other children,” Kauffman said. “We believe that children will be inspired in their personal discovery of classical music when they experience artists their own age finding both joy and pride in performance.”

Ravinia also aims to spark that discovery with its Kids Lawn (formerly known as Family Space) that will include enhanced activities this summer, including hands-on music-making opportunities prior to select concerts, including the Chinese Circus of Beijing and Laurie Berkner on June 14 and Sunday concerts by the CSO, July 13, 20 and 27 and Aug. 2 and 10. Lawn admission to all classical concerts is free to children and students through college. 

We're Not Done Yet! More Shows Added to 2014 Lineup

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Just when you thought you knew everything Ravinia was featuring this summer. We are happy to announce a handful of new concerts to our already exciting 2014 "Summer of Love; Season of Stars" line up. New concerts include the Ravinia debuts of Grammy-winning R&B star Maxwell (July 2); Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins and Australian singer/songwriter Katie Cole (Aug. 30); and international soul sensation Joss Stone and Lisa Fischer, star of the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom (Sept. 10). Also announced was the return of Ravinia favorites John Hiatt & The Combo and The Robert Cray Band (June 29).

In a summer already packed with unique pairings and double bills, Ravinia also has added new artists to previously announced concerts. Current Top-10 group American Authors make their Ravinia debut with OneRepublic and The Script (June 18-19); alternative rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket and folk duo Daniel and the Lion both make their Ravinia debuts with the Counting Crows (July 14); Andrew McMahon, former front-man of Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, makes his solo debut, joining Gavin DeGraw and Matt Nathanson (July 21); The live-wired Vintage Trouble makes its Ravinia debut with Heart (Aug. 3); The Wallflowers makes its Ravinia debut on a bill with Train (Aug. 22-23) and Katrina (ex-Katrina & the Waves) has joined the star-studded ’80s night “Retro Futura Tour 2014,” featuring the Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey and Howard Jones (Aug. 27).

“Despite a stubborn winter, we’ve already heard great buzz about this summer’s lineup, and we hope these just-added artists make the season even hotter,” said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman.

Tickets for these new additions, as well as the rest of Ravinia's lineup, go on sale to the public on April 24 at 5 a.m. exclusively at Ravinia.org. Donors of the festival at the Friend level or higher have from now until April 11 to place their early orders. See you this summer!

Is Ryan Tedder the "Undercover King of Pop"?

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The front man of popular rock group OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder, might just be music's most prolific writer/producer today. There’s no avoiding Tedder’s mark on the airwaves with just in past six months charting Hot 100 hits for Maroon 5 (“Love Somebody”), Ellie Goulding (“Burn”), Demi Lovato (“Neon Lights”), Beyoncé (“XO”) and the Fray (“Love Don’t Die”) in addition to the impressive run One Republic’s “Counting Stars” is making. Tedder’s journey to becoming “The Undercover King of Pop” is the cover story of the most recent issue of Billboard Magazine that hit shelves last week.

Don’t forget tickets go on sale to the public on April 24 at 5 a.m. for OneRepublic’s back-to-back performances at Ravinia on June 18 and 19 as well as all other Ravinia concerts.

RSMI in Havana Part II

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A cool front arrived late yesterday along with the three lost suitcases. Last night we all attended the opening concert of the 20th Frank Fernandez Music Festival at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Habana Vieja. The first part of the  program consisted of songs for choir and short pieces for string quartets by Maestro  Fernandez. There was a brief ceremony honoring his 70th birthday followed by a vigorous rendering of "The Trout" with Maestro Fernandez at the piano. The concert was attended by a standing room only crowd of fervent fans. Two Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies were played as encores.

A casually elegant reception followed in a charming open courtyard across the street from the Basilica. There Diane and Madeleine were introduced by Maestro Fernandez to Cuba's First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel.  In very understandable English he asked us for 2 favors: to bring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Ricardo Muti to Cuba, and to help our 2 countries find a path toward a normal relationship. We said we would try. What a thrill to meet the man standing next in line to Raul.

A late dinner was eaten at the charming new paladar "Ivan Justo"around the corner from Havana's Revolutionary Museum whose centerpiece is the "Grandma" — the boat that the Castro's and Che used to cross from Mexico to begin the Revolution in the mid fifties. More to follow...


Madeleine and Diane