Dining Pavilion Preview

If you've been visiting the Ravinia website, you've seen us promoting the new dining pavilion. The crews have been working overtime to get the building ready in time for the 2007 season. Renderings are nice, but it's always good to see the real thing, even if it's a work in progress.

With the walls and exterior facing done, the workers are concentrating on the interior and repaving the brick walkways. We've got a few pictures to share.

Needless to say, we're excited about the new building, which will open with the season. Its many amenities include the first above-the-park dining so guests can people-watch over our famous lawn as they enjoy their dinners at the new Park View Restaurant. Stay tuned for more pictures as work continues.

Online Ticket Sales Begin Tomorrow!

It's that time of year again, and we're all set to start general ticket sales on the website tomorrow. We have a full slate of acts from classical to pop, both new faces and familiar friends. Like the Sun-Times said, "In recent years, Ravinia Festival has been pushing the buttons of eclecticism in classical music, dance, jazz, pop, musical theater, cabaret and combinations thereof. And its 2007 season looks to be one of the long-reigning summer festival's most eclectic set of offerings to date."

If you're curious about some of the highlights, we posted the 2007 Season Preview tracks on the Ravinia Podcasting page. Take a listen.

So, get your tickets early and often. We're looking forward to seeing you here again this summer. Bring a friend or two and enjoy another season of music under the stars.

Ravinia--Spring Paradise

It's April 11, and Ravinia is enjoying that fine spring weather that northern Illinois is noted for this time of year.

Ticket sales begin online a week from tomorrow.

Coming Soon: Cicada! the Musical

So I'm in a restaurant the other day with a few friends. We're making some small talk over dinner and the subject of Ravinia comes up. I'm asked how we're handling the "killer mosquitoes" that they've heard are closing down the park for the summer. Had a good laugh over that one. First of all, Ravinia is not shortening its season, which begins June 4, come bugs or high water.

Northern Illinois, including Ravinia, is about to be invaded by the 17-year periodic cicada. Lots of them, apparently. We don't know exactly how many, and we don't know exactly when, but we know it's a large brood that will hatch sometime from May through June. There are entire websites devoted to them.

Now, we've been dealing with the occasional hazards of an outdoor festival for over a century. We've made a couple of tweaks to the schedule, like using the Martin Theatre a little more in June, or starting the CSO's season in July. Sure, cicadas can make a little noise, and we're sensitive about that at a music venue. But they're completely harmless to man, beast and foliage. I've heard all ranges of plagues rumored to be descending upon Ravinia: locusts, bees, mosquitoes, wasps, termites, tsetse flies, and--my personal favorite--scorpions.

We don't expect the cicadas to be more than a minor nuisance, and a quick check of the calendar will tell you that we're not closing the park or opening any later than normal. We're an outdoor festival; sometimes you deal with what nature tosses your way.

Looking forward to seeing you here.