Ravinia Receives Grants

We are pleased to announce that the Highland Park Public Library has received a major grant from the Illinois State Library for “Ravinia: Music Under the Stars Around the World,” a collaboration with the Ravinia Festival Association to digitize significant items from both the festival’s and the library’s collections documenting Ravinia’s history. The grant of more than $80,000, awarded by Jesse White, Secretary of State and State Librarian, will be used to create a virtual Ravinia collection available to the public on the Illinois Digital Archive, greatly expanding access to the history of the country’s oldest outdoor music festival. The digital collection will include programs from as early as 1905, images of world-renowned artists at the beginning of their careers, and correspondence and historical recollections outlining Ravinia’s activities and partnerships since its debut in 1904, including its extensive history with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the creation of Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute. Public online access to these historical materials will provide festivalgoers, artists, historians, scholars, students, and local and regional residents of Illinois a window into a formerly hidden resource. Thanks to the wonderful support of the Illinois State Library, Ravinia and the Highland Park Library look forward to debuting these digitalized materials in early 2020.