When saxophonist Wayne Shorter died last year at 89, the jazz world lost one of the most innovative and influential voices of his generation. Given Shorter’s wide-ranging reach and impact, it is hardly surprising that two upcoming concerts as part of Ravinia’s Fall/Spring Series in Bennett Gordon Hall will pay tribute to the recently departed jazz legend. The eight-member Ravinia Jazz Mentors will raise their hats to Shorter on March 16, and vocalist Kurt Elling and Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez, who played with the saxophonist for 20 years, will devote much of their May 3 program to his music.
Read MoreThe Artists
Ravinia Steans Music Institute Jazz Alumni hallmark the art of spontaneity
Although just 25 years old, pianist Luca Mendoza is one of only two all-time Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival “triple crown winners.” Chicago-native bassist Harish Raghavan has become a fixture on the New York jazz scene, fronting two recordings since moving in 2007. Though based on opposite coasts, they have a common thread that brings them together at Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall on February 27 with saxophonist Veronica Leahy, trumpeter Jason Palmer, and drummer Mark Whitfield Jr.—the quintet has alighted to that stage before, though not at the same time. They’re all alumni of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI) Jazz Program from the past two decades.
Mendoza has never performed with any of the other artists on the lineup, but he is sure they will bond quickly. “We all know who each other is,” he said. “That’s sort of the beauty of jazz being a small world at a certain level. We all know each other’s music and playing, and there is a certain caliber of respect that we’re bringing to the table. So, there is no concern at all—just excitement.”
In keeping with the spontaneity that is a hallmark of the jazz genre, the musicians will arrive at Ravinia a day two or early to work out a program and run through it. “Everybody is submitting some music, and we’re going to see how it goes at rehearsal,” Raghavan said.
Read MoreThe Steans Piano Trio Found and Renews Instant Kismet at Ravinia
Kismet has a way of striking at unexpected times, and that is exactly what happened when three fellows at the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute (RSMI) happened to be put together with a violist to perform Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 2 in 2015.
Though previously acquainted at the Curtis Institute of Music, they had never played together and had no particular interest in being part of a piano trio. Or so they thought.
All that changed when they began rehearsing together, and the young artists immediately found themselves captivated by the collaboration. Four years later, they decided to make the happenstance assemblage into a permanent group.
Read MoreShakti’s Zakir Hussain Drums Up Unbound, United Innovation
World-renowned tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain remembers exactly when he first made music with guitar legend John McLaughlin. It was September 1972 in the Bay Area, and Hussain had been jaw-droppingly gobsmacked the night prior by McLaughlin, shredding up a storm in concert with his jazz-fusion band. The following day, they were hanging out at the home of maestro Ali Akbar Khan when McLaughlin asked Hussain, “Would you play with me?”
Half a century after that first jam session, McLaughlin and Hussain have launched a golden-anniversary world tour. In a big surprise for their fans, Shakti—a band mostly known for its concerts and live recordings—also recently released This Moment, the first new studio album in 45 years. Another fun surprise: their September 3 concert at Ravinia includes an appearance by banjo sorcerer Béla Fleck, with whom Hussain recently renewed a trio collaboration including bassist Edgar Meyer for the album and upcoming tour As We Speak.
Read MoreTessa Lark Explores the Formidable Flexibility of Fiddling
There is a moment of sheer infectious joy on Ravinia Steans Music Institute alum Tessa Lark’s most recent album, The Stradgrass Sessions. There are several, actually, but one that stands out comes at the end of “Hysedelje,” a fiddle tune composed by Lark that is more (blue)grass than Strad(ivarius). At the end, she emits a “whoop” that evokes her Richmond, KY, roots as the daughter of a bluegrass musician. “It was a spur of the moment,” she told Ravinia. “Culturally, it is something you might do after playing a fiddle tune.” She added with a laugh, “You can take the girl out of Kentucky—”
Lark was born to the breed. Her father plays with the gospel-bluegrass ensemble Narrow Road. Her mother played piano for almost a decade when Lark was growing up. Classical music made an impression on her via radio and Performance Today, the American Public Radio series reputedly the most listened-to classical music program in the country. “I adored the music from a very young age,” she said. “My parents were amazing about having unique styles piping through the house. I would gravitate to what I thought was good music. It didn’t matter what the style or genre was. I quickly fell in love with classical because of the depth of emotion.”
Read MoreJames Ehnes Keeps a Compelling Calendar
On September 5, James Ehnes will join the Chicago-based Music of the Baroque and Dame Jane Glover as soloist in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3. He has appeared four times previously at the Ravinia Festival, but this visit will be his first since 2013. “I love playing in the Pavilion at Ravinia, but I’ve never played in the Martin Theatre, so this is going to be something new, different, and exciting,” he said. The 47-year-old violinist appeared as a soloist with Glover at the Aspen Music Festival in 2021 in the Beethoven Violin Concerto. “I just found her music-making to be so natural and so enjoyable to play with, so I’m really looking forward to being with her again.”
Read MoreHouse Blend: Kahanes père & fils brew multiple-origin music
“Like father, like son.” That old, familiar saying seems especially apt when it comes to Jeffrey Kahane and his son, Gabriel. Although they lived on opposite coasts for two decades and have different kinds of careers—Jeffrey, 66, following the path of a more traditional classical pianist and Gabriel, 42, finding his way as an entrepreneurial, cross-genre singer-songwriter—both have devoted their lives to music.
Read MoreRufus Wainwright feeds a grandiose spirit and sound
Rufus Wainwright has a voice best described as “cashmere wood”—soft, fine, and delicate, but with a solid, hardened edge. And his songwriting matches it: a mysterious mix of heartfelt, honest, and raw ballads and sturdy pop/rock ravers. He’s instinctively carved a space that only he inhabits.
Read MoreWelcome To My Shop: Opera for the Young opens a world of music theater
At one point in A Night at the Opera, Otis B. Driftwood, the slippery business manager portrayed by Groucho Marx, arrives at an opera house. “Is the opera over yet?” he asks a door attendant. When informed a few minutes remain in the opera, he becomes indignant. “Hey, you,” he chastises the hansom cab driver, “I told you to slow that nag down. On account of you, I nearly heard the opera. Now, once around the park and drive slowly.”
Read MoreElvin Bishop digs blues in his old-school shoes
Elvin Bishop wasn’t fooling around when he fell in love with the blues. Growing up in Tulsa on his family’s farm, the blues came to him in the night on radio stations from such far-flung locales as Nashville, Mexico, and Coffeeville, KS. “Out on the prairie, in those days, the local stations would shut down at midnight, and then you could pick up the 50,000-watt stations,” Bishop told Ravinia in a phone interview in anticipation of his festival debut with virtuoso harp player Charlie Musselwhite.
Read MoreYunchan Lim turns soft-spoken touch into instant reverie
With the explosion of keyboard talent and multiplicity of major piano competitions today, winners all too easily blur into each other, and some names spring to the forefront and then quickly recede. But Yunchan Lim stands out.
Read MoreBrain Storm: Gabriela Montero surges with moments of inspiration
With such bona fides of ability and adventurousness, Montero’s simpatico with Ravinia’s Breaking Barriers Festival is little surprise. She kicks off the series of events this year focused on women composers—anchored by three evening concerts—with a performance of her Latin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Friday, July 21.
Read MoreJoni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon Songs Are a Tapestry of Music and Lyrics
People love lists because they love to argue about who belongs on them. But here’s an assertion that shouldn’t be in dispute: Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon belong at the top of any list of 20th-century women singer-songwriters. (Looking for a debate? Ask a few friends which chanteuse they’d choose to complete a Mount Rushmore.)
Read MoreThe Danish String Quartet plays with generational spirit
Among the most famous of today’s ensembles is one whose name enthusiastically trumpets its country of origin—the Danish String Quartet, which is marking its 20th anniversary during the 2022–23 season. Early in its history, it was already being cited as one of the world’s top quartets, and that praise has only solidified as the group has matured, including its selection as the 2020 Ensemble of the Year by Musical America.
Read MoreShulamit Ran stands tall among Chicago’s towering composers
Shulamit Ran, 73, has gained national and even international fame for her wide swath of solo, chamber, orchestral, choral, and operatic works, winning in 1991 the Pulitzer Prize for Music, the ultimate imprimatur of compositional excellence in the United States.
Read MoreMinistering Music for the Soul: Heather Headley does diva her way
It’s hardly a “diva moment,” even though that’s how she jokingly refers to herself. Yet if one uses “diva” in its original and laudatory definition—“a glamorous woman who is pre-eminent in her field”—then Headley is a diva of the highest degree. After all, she won a Tony Award for her show-stealing outing in the title role of Broadway’s Aida in 2000, then added a Grammy Award to her trophy case in 2010 for her gospel album Audience of One.
Read MoreMiko Marks makes her second wind a spiritual session
There was a time when Miko Marks lived and dreamed alongside the Flint River in the Michigan home of her grandmother, wondering just where her God-given voice would eventually take her.
Read MoreJeannette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire kindle early music’s emotions
When internationally celebrated conductor and harpsichordist Jeannette Sorrell was a child in San Francisco, she practiced piano at home on a paper keyboard. The idea that Sorrell would someday become the mastermind behind Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland’s award-winning Baroque orchestra, wasn’t on anyone’s mind then; but her passion and ingenuity were already evident.
Read MoreThe Lawrence Siblings Don’t Lose Sight Between Stage and Studio
To those already in the know, brother-sister duo Lawrence is one of today’s most relatable, unshakable, soulful pop tastemakers, who’ve spent the last decade steadily building a fan base one college basement party and online follower at a time. For folks just finding out about vocalist/pianist Clyde and co-singer Gracie Lawrence, chances are the connection will be equally immediate, if not already unconsciously familiar thanks to their smash single “Don’t Lose Sight.”
Lawrence has since been seen on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, as well as mega-festivals Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands, along the way to their Ravinia debut on June 16, appearing in between British jazz/R&B giant Jacob Collier and burgeoning folksy pop trio Tiny Habits. However, the troupe’s meteoric rise is far from an overnight success story, but rather a slowly marinating journey stocked with exponential artistic development every fascinating step of the way.
Read MoreExperience Ravinia’s 2023 Season to Come with These Must-Hear Playlists
Get ready to experience the best of Ravinia’s 2023 season with these curated playlists! From the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to ’90s acts and movie nights featuring Jurassic Park and Encanto, this year’s lineup has something for everyone. Our handpicked rundowns hit high notes from a variety of genres, including jazz, classical, rock, and pop. Whether you’re a longtime Ravinia regular or a newcomer to the festival, these playlists are the perfect way to get pumped for the 2023 season.
Read More