Vocalists at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute get intensive coaching in their repertoire every summer. But in recent years, some audiences are getting a chance to learn extra background too. The Steans Institute will present three “curated” concerts this summer, on which the resident vocalists perform groups of songs that share some kind of theme while a faculty member explains the connections.
Read Morersmi
The trumpet of Jason Palmer, 2003 RSMI Jazz alumnus and 2024 Ravinia on Tour ensemble member (photo: Jimmy Katz)
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 More
Miriam Fried, RSMI Piano & Strings Director of Three Decades, Ends Tenure
Esteemed violinist Miriam Fried is ending her 30-year leadership of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI)’s Piano & Strings Program this summer, after mentoring numerous young professional musicians who have gone on to distinguished, often award-winning careers, and who credit the Steans Music Institute and Fried as integral parts of their training and success.
Read More
Ravinia Steans Music Institute Alumni and Faculty Receive Grammy Nominations
We are proud to announce alumni and faculty members of the Steans Music Institute who have received 2023 Grammy Award nominations. The 65th Annual Grammy Awards broadcast is scheduled for February 5, 2023.
Read More
Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI) kicks off Bridges Composition Competition Winners Concert
The Ravinia Steans Music Institute kicks off Summer 2022 with the Bridges Composition Competition concert at Bennett Gordon Hall on June 3. Introduced in 2018 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Steans Music Institute, the annual Bridges Composition Competition challenges young professional composers to write new works for string quartet and jazz trio, bridging the worlds of classical and jazz.
Read More