Ravinia is partnering with Chicago’s classical radio station WFMT to present a special live broadcast of the opening concert of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s residency at the festival on July 9 – a program led by Ravinia Chief Conductor and Curator Marin Alsop and featuring pianist Jorge Federico Osorio. This performance will mark the first major post-pandemic classical music event in the Chicago area presented before a large audience.
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Ballot Initiative: Revisiting American Suffrage, Stacy Garrop Raises Suppressed Voices
in Classical
Composer Stacy Garrop spends little time in the proverbial ivory tower. Some of her recent compositions have focused on contemporary topics ranging from the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (My Dearest Ruth) to the fraught balance between human beings and planet earth (Terra Nostra). But last year’s endless churn of dire headlines nearly swamped one of her newest works, The Battle for the Ballot. A 17-minute piece for narrator and orchestra, it will have its Midwest premiere at Ravinia July 10 with Marin Alsop conducting the Chicago Symphony.
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Artist Spotlight: Jorge Federico Osorio
in Classical, Artist News
Turning the Keys: Pianist Garrick Ohlsson pushes the pedal on Ravinia’s summer with an old friend and a new sound
Garrick Ohlsson’s audience on July 12 will be the last of his four nights at Ravinia this summer, as well as his 40th overall between the festival’s stages, but in one way they will also be his first, anywhere. That Ravinia audience will be the first to hear him conclude a series begun over a year ago—thanks to the pandemic.
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Sistema Ravinia Students Take Major Step in Their Musical Journey
Read more about the three Sistema Ravinia students who were accepted into the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, a highly selective training and mentorship program for talented, passionate student musicians from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
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Ravinia Fun For The Whole Family
Don’t miss out on the fun your kids can have this summer! Catch the Kids Concert Series and stop by the Ravinia KidsLawn, a perfect place for kids to interact with instruments.
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Magic of Music Golf Benefit Raises More than $235,800 for Reach Teach Play
This year’s successful Magic of Music Golf Benefit raises more than $235,800. With the Women’s Board Gala Benefit and the Ravinia Associates Board’s Music Matters, the Golf Benefit is one of three Ravinia fundraisers that support Reach Teach Play.
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Jazz Alum Alan Blanchard Performs “Nobody Else But Me”
in Music Education, RSMI
Take a listen to RSMI Jazz alum Alan Blanchard perform his arrangement “Nobody Else But Me” alongside bassist Gabriel Godoy and pianist Mason Margut!
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Explore the 2021 Season on Spotify
Whether you are into classical, jazz, pop, rock, country, R&B or hip-hop, Ravinia has something scheduled that will sure to please your palate. Discover a new artist or enjoy old favorites.
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Get Ready To Buy Your 2021 Ravinia Tickets
in Park News
Public ticket sales for Ravinia’s 2021 season will start at 9 a.m. on June 16. Keep reading to get more information about purchasing your 2021 Ravinia tickets.
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New Concert Additions for 2021 Announced!
in Park News
Several new performances have just been added to the 2021 season, including two dates with John Legend and more returning favorites!
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Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI) Kicks Off The Summer
in Music Education, RSMI
The Steans Music Institute is thrilled to return to in-person music making, kicking off with the Bridges Composition Competition concert and the Jazz Grandstand concert, both streamed on Ravinia’s YouTube channel.
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Sistema Ravinia Joins El Sistema from Venezuela on a Virtual Tour
This spring, Sistema Ravinia became the first program in the world to connect virtually with El Sistema, spending a month, from April 12 to May 15, on a “virtual tour” together. The young musicians in Sistema Ravinia collaborated with students like themselves in Venezuela and rehearsed with Venezuelan coaches and teachers.
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Ravinia Festival Appoints Steve Wilson as Co-Program Director of Jazz Program
In anticipation of the reopening of its gates for the 2021 season, the Ravinia Festival announces the appointment of saxophonist Steve Wilson as a co-program director of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI) Program for Jazz.
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Alexis Lombre Makes “Come Find Me” a Singular Musical Philosophy After Ravinia Successes
South Side–native pianist and vocalist Alexis Lombre is the latest outstanding artist to have come up through both Ravinia programs, and Backstage caught up with the now sometime Detroiter in the midst of work on her second solo album, which she’s dubbed an amalgamation of everything that she listens to and everything that she is. She’s been prepping the first single, “Come Find Me,” from the new collection of original tracks with a fellow Chicagoan, Grammy-winning guitarist Isaiah Sharkey, as producer, and Lombre has recently released a mini-documentary series on her YouTube channel to give fans a sneak peek at the creative process.
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A Two-Way Mirror of History Through Music: Guest Artists in the Classroom
As our country embraced the mantra “Yes, we can,” during the 2008–9 school year Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play education programs met the three-word mettle of the then newly adopted name by inaugurating Guest Artists in the Classroom, a program connecting Ravinia performers and local soloists and ensembles with students in their schools. Through live classical performances by renowned musicians, the program focuses on inspiring a love of music, introducing young students in Cook and Lake Counties to experiences they may never otherwise have had at their age.
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Ravinia and WFMT Classical Radio Extend Broadcast Series with Brand-New Concerts
in Park News
Ravinia Festival is extending its “New from the Ravinia Festival” concert broadcasts with WFMT classical radio. From January 21 to March 11, the series will bring fans new concert recordings from the festival every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. CST on 98.7 WFMT and streaming on wfmt.com and the WFMT app.
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RAVINIA STAFF, FAMILY GIVE BACK THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
in Park News
The Ravinia Family and staff donated non-perishable foods and other goods this holiday season to support organizations in Lawndale, Waukegan, Evanston, and Highwood. The idea to give back to the community came up in the festival’s Anti-Racism Discussion Group, held weekly for staff members to discuss current world situations.
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RAVINIA PRODUCER STEPHEN R. SMOOT
in Park News
Stephen R. Smoot, who produced hundreds of concerts for Ravinia Festival since 2005, died suddenly on Friday, Nov. 27. He was 57. Known for his quick wit and generous impulse to shine the spotlight on others, Mr. Smoot produced myriad concerts and recitals in Ravinia’s Martin Theatre by such artists as Renée Fleming, Matthias Goerne, Michelle DeYoung, Thomas Hampson, and Pinchas Zukerman. He facilitated the recording of a number of these concerts for broadcast on Chicago’s only classical station, WFMT. That series, which returns with new concerts in January, will be dedicated to Mr. Smoot’s memory.
Read MoreAll's Welz That Ends Well—Part 1
in Park News
In pre-pandemic early March, Welz Kauffman sat down for a wide-ranging interview looking back at his 20 years as President and CEO of Ravinia Festival. He steps down this month, succeeded by Jeffrey P. Haydon. Although Kauffman’s 20th season was not to be, due to COVID-19 forcing its cancellation in May, here is that interview as it happened six months ago, a companion to the episode of RaviniaTV dedicated to celebrating his tenure.
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