Every Monday, Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman appears with announcer Mike Toomey on WGN’s “Ravinia Minute” segment which airs in the 9 a.m. hour every Monday on WGN-TV. Each week Welz highlights upcoming events at the festival and presents them in very creative fashion. Today, he took a stab at something new, costuming up as
Our newest Mixtape contains hit songs by artists appearing at Ravinia this summer, from such classics as Chicago’s “Saturday in the Park” to newer hits like Kelsea Ballerini’s “Love Me Like You Mean It.” Almost all of the songs on this list have ranked highly on Billboard’s
![By Warner Brothers Pictures/Leon Schlesinger Productions (A public domain cartoon featuring this title card) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ba3d1efa09a7e572c0e3bf0/t/5ba460dd542c0ec8ec286b52/1436212194447/1000w/Blog-MerryMelodies.jpg "By Warner Brothers Pictures/Leon Schlesinger Productions (A public domain cartoon featuring this title card) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons")
The marriage of music and animation seems apt enough, since the essence of both is movement, and animation giants like Warner Brothers and Walt Disney issued their short theatrical cartoons under the series headings of “Merry Melodies” and “Silly Symphonies.” Often the music behind the cartoons consisted of sappy pop songs of the day or
When you love something as much as I love the sound of the harpsichord, it’s easy to slip into the invalid assumption that everyone else would love it too, if they were only familiar with it. But that notion took a knocking about five years ago when I was going to lunch in a car with several of my 20-something colleagues at Ravinia. I had just acquired the most spectacular-sounding recording of Bach’s Concerto for Four Harpsichords, and I put it in the car stereo to treat my coworkers to that glorious sound. But within 15 seconds of the start of
Superstar rocker and actor Lenny Kravitz will make his Ravinia debut on Thursday, September 3. Tickets will go on sale to the public beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 10, at Ravinia.org. Kravitz won the
When I learned that James Levine would return to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia for the first time since the end of a fabled tenure as music director, it made me think back to the first—and only—time I ever met him.
Entertainment journalists Dean Richards of WGN TV and Radio and Bill Zwecker of Fox News and the Chicago Sun-Times have seen it all—and heard it all, too. They’ll share their insights and experiences at a special discussion before the July 14 performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra of Danny Elfman’s music from the films of Tim Burton. This unique discussion with two of the most famous faces in Chicago is free and open to ticketholders of the evening’s concert. Topics will include the
He’s been putting a masterful spin on the Great American Songbook since the 1950s, earning the unparalleled distinction of landing albums on the Billboard charts in every decade from then through the present, selling over 50 million titles, and scooping up 18 Grammy Awards, a pair of Emmy Awards, plus a plethora of other esteemed distinctions too numerous to mention. She’s been one of the most provocative and creative presences in pop music since
There are many video-game aficionados here at Ravinia and our team jumped at the chance to play games at work! To prepare for the CSO's performance of Disney's Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 on July 12, we tried out the new Fantasia video game, which allows you to "conduct" the iconic music from the movie using
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and in the music world, a hit is bound to be covered. When an artist creates their version of a well-known song, they get to recreate it while putting their own stamp on it. Our 2015 Artists Covers Mix contains a wealth of these worthwhile covers by artists performing in our 2015 season. To start, check out Aretha Franklin’s cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” and listen to how the Gipsy Kings add a flamenco flavor to The Eagles’ “Hotel California.” The playlist is organized so that similar genres of music are presented together. It starts off with pop and rock and then settles into calming classical and jazz towards the end.
There are two current trends in classical music presentation that are driven by a desire to connect with younger audiences, a reflection of the fear among many that the graying of contemporary audiences bodes ill for the future of the genre. There is ever-increasing adoption of visual media like YouTube to extend lines of communication beyond the live concert experience or traditional audio-only, hard-copy studio recordings. Another is
Some years ago I was browsing through bins of CDs at a music superstore and one album virtually jumped off the rack and yelled, “Buy me!” The album was entitled Hush, and pictured on the cover were two smiling gentlemen I admired very much: cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the inimitable, multiple Grammy Award–winning singer and conductor Bobby McFerrin.
For the adventurous concertgoer, we’ve compiled a list of a handful of our unique attractions, complete with videos that encapsulate these events better than any words could.
With over 120 different concerts to choose from this summer at Ravinia, you might be interested in some help finding the perfect fit. We asked our eclectic and knowledgeable staff which concerts they are most excited to see this season in order to give you the inside scoop and perhaps introduce you to some quality concerts you may have overlooked.
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Highland Park High School’s acclaimed biennial arts-immersion program, “Focus on the Arts,” kicks off its 25th anniversary at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, with a special event honoring lifelong Chicagoan Ramsey Lewis. The jazz legend himself Read More Allstate Named Ravinia's First-Ever Lead Classical Sponsor
in Park News
Ravinia, North America’s oldest and most programmatically diverse music festival, is proud to welcome Allstate Insurance Company as its Lead Classical Sponsor. This is the first time in the festival’s 111-year history that one organization has received this designation. John Legend Takes Home 2015 Golden Globe
in Artist News
John Legend is certainly living up to his surname taking home American Music, BET, Grammy, MOBO and Soul Train awards throughout his music career. Now he's now added a 2015 Golden Globe for Best Original Song for his collaboration with hip hop artist Common for their song "Glory," which appeared in the movie Selma. What will he win next!? |
