Guest Poetry

ONE AUGUST NIGHT AT RAVINIA

The music, unbound, rises to the clouds
And floats there,
While clouds sway and dance to the erotic melody;
Cicadas provide the background
Against which the crowd fades into nothingness.
And the rhythmic sounds take ownership
Of the night.

Listen to each note as it takes life and moves into
Independent being,
Traipsing softly across the grass,
Flitting from treetop to treetop just out of reach;
Watch closely and you’ll see the
Creatures of the night
Taking up the dance.

The sweet soprano voice of violins
Calls to the throbbing dignified bass
In a language only they can understand.
It is a private party,
With trombones and drums and flutes
As special guests,
While we become voyeurs, eavesdropping
On the intimacy they alone share.

Suddenly an intruder appears
And the notes are chained, not free,
Dancing only at the stranger’s command
In polite and orderly fashion,
Waiting, restrained, until they can escape,
Their wild passions loosing once again
Into the night.


Nadine McBeth 8/5/06
© 8/6/06

WYNNE DELACOMA
Wynne Delacoma was not only classical music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1991 to 2006, she is also on the faculty of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a regular contributor to Ravinia Program Magazine.


Wagner: Overture to The Flying Dutchman
All the orchestral color and surging tension you could wish to evoke a mighty, storm-tossed sailing ship. Cue it up on your iPod the next time you visit Santiago Calatrava’s Milwaukee Art Museum. Your heart will soar at the sound of Wagner’s music and the sight of the museum poised like a glistening, white bird on the Lake Michigan shore.

Mozart: Act I Trio, “Soave sia il vento” (May the wind be gentle), from Così fan tutte Three minutes of tenderly sublime singing as the opera’s two sisters wish Godspeed to the lovers they think are heading off to war. That the lovers and the old gentleman who joins them in the farewell are playing a cruel trick on the young women doesn’t undermine the lustrous moment.

John Adams: Grand Pianola Music
Movement III, “On the Dominant Divide”
Opening with a brassy rustle in the orchestra, it builds to a thrilling outpouring of relentless, glittering arpeggios on the pianos, culminating in what Adams correctly calls a “flag-waving, gaudy tune.’’ It’s impossible to listen to its heroic bombast without wanting to dance grandly across a very large room.

Dvořák: Aria, “O silver moon,’’ from Rusalka
Sometimes one turn of melody or shift in harmony is enough to bring on the goose bumps. Listen to Renée Fleming or the soprano of your choice nestle into the slowly unfolding peak of this folk-tinged love song and feel your heart melt.

J.S. Bach: Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor (BWV 1004) for solo violin
Noble, austere, full of rhythmic vitality and endlessly inventive melody, this is Bach at his most profoundly moving.

What Are Your Five Classical Music Picks?

In the current issue of Ravinia Program Magazine, we asked several music professionals to select five pieces that they thought might “hook” a first-time classical listener. Here are my selections. Feel free to tell us what works you would choose. In the coming weeks, we will share other answers with you too. So stay tuned!

John Schauer
Associate Director of Communications, Publications
Ravinia Festival

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
First movement: [Allegro]
Perhaps more than any other Baroque piece, this work for me typifies the thrilling sound of brilliant Baroque orchestration. It’s like Las Vegas neon turned into glorious sound.


Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
First movement: Allegro con brio
Sometimes it’s hard not to believe that this is the most thrilling symphonic movement of all time. The final coda—that moment when you first think the movement will end, but instead Beethoven takes off on a final, frantic flight—can really take your breath away.

Rossini: Overture to Guillaume Tell
Baby Boomers and those even older will forever associate the final portion of the “William Tell Overture,” as it is usually called, with The Lone Ranger television and radio series, but that still doesn’t destroy the incredible excitement it can generate.


Donizetti: Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor
Here is a selection that has been lampooned by many artists, not the least of which are the Three Stooges. When properly sung, it clearly demonstrates the glory of human voices joined in a gorgeous ensemble. And that tune! Just try to get it out of your head.


Tchaikovsky: “Waltz of the Flowers” from The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is performed to death by countless ballet companies every Christmas, but that still hasn’t dulled the luster of this catchy piece. The sudden minor-key interlude by the cellos inevitably brings tears to my eyes.

Ravinia's 2008 Gala

Ravinia was recently abuzz with preparations for the 2008 Gala Benefit Evening. Everyone seemed to be working on last minute details to make the night a huge success. I really did not know what to expect, but I did know that I would have the opportunity to get all dolled up which is one of my favorite things to do.

The event is all made possible by the Ravinia Women’s Board, which is made up of 132 talented women from all over the Chicagoland area who are essentially ambassadors for the festival. The members’ goals are to enhance the park experience for everyone and raise money for Ravinia, which is not-for-profit. They host themed nights like the Latin Dance Night, advocate for amenities like the Ravinia Festival Gift Shop, help fund beautiful artwork around the park, continue the festival’s commitment to education and outreach, and so much more.

The Gala co-chairs Bobbie Besant Denison and Claudia Stewart Lane and Women’s Board chairman Jane Casper had been tirelessly planning and organizing this past year to create the fantastic showcase of the park. With Kehoe Designs constructing the romantic décor inside the tent, Jewell Catering prepared exquisite food, and Kiri Te Kanawa showcased the evening performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with James Conlon conducting.

The 1,000 guests enjoyed a cocktail reception sponsored by BMO Capital Markets, while the dinner was sponsored by Aon Corporation, and Howard Stotler sponsored the evening concert for the second year in a row for the largest event hosted by the Women’s Board. Overall the Gala raised about $1.2 million which will help fund Ravinia Festival’s education and community projects.

Words cannot describe the beauty of the night adequately, so I have attached some pictures below to help recreate the grand celebration of Ravinia Festival.

Germaine Maschoff
Communications Intern

Nothing Beats a Full House

While this may not be accurate in Texas Hold ‘Em, when it comes to filling Ravinia’s pavilion on those magical summer evenings when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s annual residency is in full swing, this is unquestionable.

Full House® is Ravinia Festival’s grass-roots campaign to increase the average pavilion attendance of CSO concerts. The problem that we must face each season is how exactly do we, nay, all organizations promoting classical music, encourage a younger audience to attend? Or, how do we encourage those who already attend to bring their friends and family?

One of the ways that we at Ravinia go about finding answers to these all-important questions is to host Full House tent parties following designated CSO performances. At these parties, members of Ravinia’s staff, Board of Trustees, and Women’s Board ask concert goers to share their thoughts regarding their experience at that evening’s concert and give us suggestions as to how we can entice new listeners to give us a try.

The feedback that we have received thus far is phenomenally insightful, but we are always happy to hear from our guests. If you attended a CSO concert this summer and would like to tell us about your experience in the park, please visit the Full House section of our website for additional information about the Full House program, and to complete a brief survey.

I would like to extend a big “thank you!” to all those who attended our Full House events, and to everyone who came out to see the CSO this summer. This has been a truly remarkable year, and I am already looking forward to Ravinia’s announcement of the 2009 CSO season this fall!

Ashley Ciesielka
Communications Coordinator

Exrtaordinary Performances at Ravinia

The honor of presenting Leon Fleisher is one of the great joys of an arts administrator. To be able to present this legend so soon after his 80th birthday and in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto is icing on the cake. And as a longtime Ravinia patron mentioned to me, she believes it was 60 years ago yesterday that the late, great, and much lamented William Kapell played the same Beethoven Concerto – a fitting and sublime coincidence for two extraordinary American pianists.

It has also been a pleasure this week to see the fascinating Lang Lang profile in the New Yorker and, in the same magazine, mention of the latest Broadway opening for Bill T. Jones, one of Ravinia’s commission-ees for the Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009.

But the true event of recent days was James Conlon’s much lauded performance of the Mahler Eighth Symphony with the CSO, the CSO Chorus in celebration of their 50th anniversary, the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Chicago Children’s Choir and eight terrific soloists. Even the cicadas were charmed, silencing their ecstatic rattle just before the phrase. “The ineffable here is accomplished…”

Welz Kauffman
President/CEO

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These...

I had the pleasure of meeting musician/songwriter Dave Stewart yesterday who appears at Ravinia on August 29. People may know him as half of famed group the Eurythmics, which busted out hits such as “Here Comes the Rain Again,” “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and “Would I Lie to You,” among others, but I had no idea the number of songs and artists he has collaborated with over the years until I heard him tell the stories behind his hits.

Who knew that Stevie Nicks was the inspiration behind the hit “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” which Tom Petty crooned in the ‘80s. Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Bono, Jon Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, No Doubt and Sinead O’Connor, these are just a sample of musicians that he’s created songs for and the list goes on and on.

But one of the coolest moments I have to say was when Dave brought out his laptop to show me a video (which is set to be released in a couple weeks) for his new song which he recently wrote with Bono entitled “American Prayer.” The video, which supports Barack Obama, included celebrities singing along with the chorus such as Cyndi Lauper, Oprah, Macy Gray, Whoopi Goldberg and Margaret Cho among others. He asked me who else in Chicago would like to be a part of this video and I started listing off names of the first celebrities to come to mind, all the while hoping that he would ask me to be in it, hey a girl can dream, right? After a TV interview, Dave even got CBS reporter Bill Zwecker to tape a segment for the video.

Dave, I had fun yesterday, good luck with this tour, we can’t wait to have you back to perform. Did I mention that I sing back-up?

Amy Schrage
Associate Director of Communications

Young Artists & Patrons Thrive at Ravinia

The last couple of weeks at Ravinia have spawned a lot of discussion about age and experience. We have had three extraordinary young virtuosos join us – Denis Matsuev, Lang Lang and Chris Thile – and response was remarkable. Matsuev, who is working closely with Vladimir Putin on arts issues in Russia, brought an old-fashioned virtuosity to his concerts with the CSO and in the Martin Theatre – virtuosity that has been regarded as a negative by much of the classical music establishment who seem suspicious of anything that gets a strong, positive audience reaction. Lang Lang brought rock-star glamour and popularity to the Park, spending hours signing copies of his autobiography (yes, at 26 years old, an autobiography!) and talking about his upcoming appearance at the opening of the Beijing Olympics. And Chris Thile, mandolin expert and intrepid bluegrass explorer, wowed his devoted fans. At the other end of the spectrum, Bernard Haitink, Barbara Cook, Charles Rosen and Kiri Te Kanawa have all shone brightly, bringing wisdom, pacing, and the power only experience can deliver to their performances.

One of the many things I appreciate about Ravinia is its welcoming of diversity – not only ethnic, but also age. In the classical music world, where we know that folks begin purchasing tickets to orchestral concerts at age 45, on average, we do everything we can to celebrate and honor our more experienced patrons – from programming, to the start time of performances, to the upgrading of our dining opportunities. And at the same time, one of the happiest sounds at Ravinia comes not from our stages, but from the lawn, where the giggles and gurgles of our youngest patrons inspire smiles all through the Park – kids getting great music and enjoying family time.

One of the first Ravinia patrons I encountered was the dignified and elegant Kay Mayer, a devoted music lover who actually attended the one and only Ravinia performance by George Gershwin in 1936! Kay passed in her sleep recently – she will be sorely missed.

Welz Kauffman
President/CEO

New Friends at Ravinia

It’s been a week of new friends at Ravinia.

First, Feist, and artist who brought a crowd of folks not typically seen at Ravinia – probably more a Pitchfork or Lollapalooza crowd – and folks very welcome at Ravinia and who enjoyed the beauty, serenity, and, by the by, a terrific performance.

Then Bernard Haitink, in his long awaited Ravinia debut, warming up his powerful, searing Mahler 6 with the CSO for their tour together to Europe. The Ravinia crowd, having heard the Sixth last summer under Conlon as part of his Mahler cycle, was bowled over by Haitink’s interpretation and not at all concerned that he’d just done it downtown. Performances such as these, conductors such as Haitink, are few and far between and should be savored whenever they appear – and the weather gods, while predicting 95 degrees, dropped to a balmy 75 by concert time making for a gorgeous evening.

And then there is the Rach/Rock star, Denis Matsuev, blowing everyone away with a Rachmaninoff Third Concerto (exquisitely accompanied by Slatkin and the CSO) with the weather gods providing highly appropriate thunder and lightning topped only by Matsuev’s pyrotechnics. And then he provided a packed Martin Theater with rarities by the Russian master, a sizzling and intimate Second Sonata, and four encores by Russian Romantic giants – Rachmaninoff’s G Minor Prelude (also an encore at the CSO performance but this time captured for WFMT), Scriabin’s fiendishly difficult Op.8 no. 12 Etude, Liadov’s charming Music Box, and Ginsburg’s arrangement of Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg from Peer Gynt – fitting for a true king of the keyboard.

Welz Kauffman
President/CEO

Rock for Reading at Ravinia

In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts published Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America. Among the many startling statistics about literacy in the United States, the study showed that Americans are spending less time reading, reading comprehension skills are eroding, and these declines have serious civic, social, cultural, and economic implications. Worse yet, approximately one in three Chicagoans is considered functionally illiterate, and Illinois' literacy rate ranks 34 out of the 50 states.

In that same year, musician Alice Peacock decided to do something about it. Peacock founded Rock For Reading, which “leverages the power of ROCK to inspire literacy - motivating and empowering people to enrich their lives through reading.”

Peacock, who calls Chicago home, has played Ravinia twice before. I’m really excited that Ravinia is partnering with her charity for such an important cause. R4R has made some huge strides in promoting literacy here in Illinois, and its success has shown that people and communities working together can make a substantial difference. When she performs at Ravinia Festival in support of John Hiatt on July 18, you can help by bringing gently used books for grades Kindergarten through 8 to donate. Just drop off your donations at the West Gate, then enjoy the concert! If you love reading, have kids that love reading or are still a book-loving kid yourself, please do your part by giving your books to kids who need them.

Liv Swenson
Communications Intern

James Conlon Wins Galileo 2000

Adding to a long and impressive list of awards and honors, American conductor and Ravinia Music Director James Conlon was awarded the Galileo 2000 Prize from the Foundazione Premio Galileo 2000 in Florence, Italy. He is the 12th recipient of the music prize titled the “Giglio d’Ora” (Golden Lily). Conlon was honored for his valuable contribution to music, art and peace.

Debuting in 1974 with the New York Philharmonic, Conlon has appeared with virtually every major North American and European orchestra. Conlon’s immense and diversified symphonic, operatic, and choral repertoire earned him countless other past awards including; the Crystal Globe Award from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in 2007, the Zemlinsky Prize in 1999, and the Opera News Award in 2005. He also received France’s highest distinction – the Légion d’Honneur in 2002.


Heather Haigh
Marketing Intern

Ravinia Participates in Pride Parade

Ravinia Festival took part in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade last weekend. Heather Haigh and Liv Swenson (pictured above left to right) work in the communications department at Ravinia and helped with the WCPT float. They passed out beaded necklaces and light up rings from Ravinia Gifts to the eager crowds. Check out Liv's beads below!

Manager of Retail Operations Jennifer Wood said that the light up rings are a big hit in the store and she has a hard time keeping them in stock. They don't sell the necklaces but the rings are a fun favorite for kids and adults. Be sure to stop by and grab yours from the gift shop the next time you attend a concert or shop Ravinia Gifts online!



Adriana McClintock
Marketing Manager

Patti LuPone Wins the Tony!

We're so proud of the festival's good friend Patti LuPone who won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical this past Sunday at the 2008 Tony awards. Her monumental role of Mama Rose in the Broadway revival of Gypsy has gotten rave reviews, but this wasn't the first time she ever played the role. As you may recall, it was at Ravinia in the summer of 2006 where LuPone first took hold of Mama Rose and made the New York Times exclaim, "Ms. LuPone sang with exciting power and warmth." We're all so proud of you Patti and thank you for mentioning Ravinia and our president Welz Kauffman in your acceptance speech. This is the character you were born to play!



Amy Schrage
Associate Director of Communications

Picnic Tips from Ravinia Patrons

If you are a Ravinia Festival regular (and even if you’re not), you have probably seen some fantastic picnics while taking a stroll around the grounds. However, only once in a while can you actually remember any of them after the performance. Jon and Sharon Bayer of Lake Bluff know how to put together a memorable picnic with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, flickering ice cube lights, and a premier spot on the lawn.

The Bayers have been loyal Ravinia patrons since 1993 and attend about 40 concerts every summer. Although they enjoy the variety of music offered here, Jon and Sharon are especially excited about Buddy Guy, Lang Lang, Sheryl Crow, the Mozart Operas, the Joffrey Ballet, Itzhak Perlman, and Lyle Lovett. They have been apart of the Annual Fund for four years and love being able to arrive early to claim their usual spot on the lawn. I had the opportunity to get some tips from Jon before the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss concert to find out how they put together an amazing spread with such little effort.

•Keep folding chairs and a small table in the car for easy access and store coolers by the door in the garage
•Buy a luggage cart and stack the heaviest things at the bottom to balance the weight
•Bring reusable plastic plates and glasses so nothing will break (plus they are heavy enough to prevents things from blowing away)
•Make your own Ravinia Festival tablecloths with fabric from the store and sew strips of elastic to the bottom of the four corners so it can be attached to the table in order to secure it against the wind
•Freeze margarita mix ahead of time in doubled plastic bags because it will keep your food cold and be a refreshing drink during the show
•Don’t forget an iPod for pre-show musical entertainment

Although Jon and Sharon’s flower arrangements look professionally done, they are actually from their home garden. Jon insists that an unbreakable vase is must and it has to be heavy when filled with water so it won’t spill or fall over. He typically fills a large silver vase with peonies, lilies, common foxgloves, and lovely belladonnas.

Sometimes he prints out menus for guests when they dine on the lawn. Below are some recipes of the Bayer’s favorite foods to bring to Ravinia Festival. Jon remarked that, “The best thing about coming to Ravinia is just getting outside, enjoying the weather and music, eating alfresco, and visiting with friends and family.”

Germaine Maschoff
Communications Intern



Menu & Recipes from the Bayers

Menu:
*Chips with guacamole
*Fresh veggies with roasted garlic hummus
*Salad of: fresh green spinach, sliced strawberries, blueberries, blue cheese pistachios. Dress with Ken’s Raspberry walnut Lite Vinaigrette
*Grilled Chicken Breasts basted with Bronco Bob’s Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
*Wild rice with nuts
*Grilled asparagus
*Key Lime Pie


Key Lime Pie

9 inch ginger-graham cracker pie shell (see recipe below)
1 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yokes (whites not used)
½ cup Nellie & Joe’s Key West Lime Juice

Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. Before serving; top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream (or Cool Whip) and garnish with thin slice of lime.

Key Lime Pie ginger-graham cracker pie shell

1 cup flaked coconut
½ cup gingersnap crumbs
½ cup graham cracker crumbs
½ stick butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons flour.

At least 3 ½ hours before serving, make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Firmly press mixture evenly over bottom and ¾ inch up sides of eight individual tart pans or one 9-inch springform pan or pie plate. Bake 5 minutes; chill.


Wild Rice with nuts

½ cup (1/4 pound) raw wild rice
½ cup brown rice (you can use all wild rice but I like combining it with other rice’s for interest)
5 ½ cups defatted chicken stock or water or bullion
1 cup shelled pecan halves (or your favorite nuts)
1 cup yellow raisins (I always soak the raisins in warm water to plump them before using)
Grated rind of 1 large orange
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
4 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
¼ cup olive oil ( I often don’t use the oil, start with none, taste it and add 1 tablespoonful at a time)
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put rice in a strainer and run under cold water, rinse thoroughly. Place rice in medium-size heavy saucepan. Add stock or water and bring to a rapid boil. Adjust heat to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 45 minutes. After 30 minutes check for doneness; rice should not be too soft. Place a thin towel inside a colander and turn rice into the colander and drain. Transfer drained rice to a bowl.

Add remaining ingredients to rice and toss gently. Adjust seasoning to taste. Let mixture stand for 2 hours to allow flavor to develop. Serve at room temperature. Six portions.

James Taylor's Music "Heals" for One Fan

Fans of James Taylor say that his music warms their hearts and souls. For Paula Hootman his melodious lyrics speak directly to her. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997 at age 41, Paula found the strength to survive and live to see another day while listening to Taylor’s music and singing along while undergoing radiation. As a survivor, Paula believes, “Getting a handshake from James Taylor is as good as a clean mammogram.” The words in his songs inspire and revitalize her like nothing else.

“Everyone loves JT because his music makes everyone click, everyone feels what you’re feeling at the same time,” Paula says.

The first time Paula saw James Taylor was when she was just 14 years old. She has traveled all over the U.S. and Canada to see him perform with her husband Kayne. The Ravinia concerts on June 6th and 7th marked her 48th and 49th concert to see her favorite performer. The concerts were particularly special to the high school sweethearts because he sang “Your Smiling Face,” which was their wedding march.

She recently won tickets to see Taylor in Massachusetts where she hopes to get her picture taken with him. It seems very likely since Taylor has become familiar with Paula and knows her by name. The Grammy-winning artist thanked her for bringing him flowers from the Ravinia stage and said he would see her in Massachusetts.

Germaine Maschoff
Communications Intern

Ravinia Opportunities: Building A Better Future

It was a note struck more than a decade ago that is still ringing loud today. Building on the Women’s Board’s Opportunity Lawn Pass program, Artistic Director of Jazz at Ravinia, Ramsey Lewis, suggested that Ravinia could help fill the void left by the demise of music education in budget-strapped schools, and since then Education and Community Partnerships have been a primary mission of the festival.

It’s fitting that it all began with jazz, a music known for its riffing, improvising and evolving because our efforts in the schools and community have done just that. Even as we’ve grown into different grade levels, opened a free public conservatory of our own, and created learning opportunities in our park, performance of live music remains at the forefront of Ravinia’s ECP efforts.

The Jazz Scholars who work with Ravinia’s music-professional mentors, enjoy rare opportunities to perform in school and out and have even opened for Ramsey Lewis himself, and younger kids even get the chance to perform works they created in our Martin Theatre.

Of course, not everyone we reach and teach is destined to play. Enjoyment of live music is a big part of the program. Ravinia makes a variety of resources available to learners of all ages to experience musical performance at Ravinia and even in the neighborhoods, such as Lawndale, where we present free community concerts.

We give free passes to college students to hear Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts and other classical programs. We allow children 5 and under to attend CSO shows for free.

We afford special pricing to select concerts for young people who play or sing in a school ensemble. We present children’s concerts where our youngest listeners learn what concert-going is all about.

We present concerts by groups like Midwest Young Artists, the Chicago Youth Symphony and Chicago Children’s Choir, so those emerging talents not only have an outlet for their performances, but so that their contemporaries can relate to seeing people their age on stage.

In short, we do what can to develop both the artists and audiences of tomorrow.

Welz Kauffman
President/CEO

Plant Your Own Ravinia Garden

I’m not one to know the Latin names of flowers or how often to water a cactus as opposed to an orchid or a daisy. In my world, the best tulip bulbs are merely expensive rabbit food, and one summer I spent over $700 to grow two ears of corn. But I do know enough to steal a good idea when I see one.

Ravinia’s award-winning gardens are filled with good ideas. But unless your Johnny Knoxville, you won’t want to repeat some of these stunts at home. It all started for me with a bed of Brown-eyed Susans just inside the west gate. They were tall with beyond-yellow petals surrounding smiley-face heads, looking the way God and Crayola-armed kindergarteners intend flowers to look. I spoke with the guy who planted them. Copied down the plant’s name and headed to the best garden center near my home. They had about eight different species of the plant. Not wanting to make any mistakes, I got a couple of each. As I got onto my knees in the soil—and believe me I’d rather spend the weekend watching Facts of Life reruns—then getting down on my knees in the soil—I imagined myself winning gardening awards, perhaps even for cross-pollenating these eight kinds of daisies into a new Super-Susan who could water herself and help me tend to the single corn stalk that survived the crows. Instead when the flowers finally did emerge—in the very last seconds of summer—they were small, pale and quite accusatory. Despite being perennials, they didn’t bother to come back.

When you fail, steal another idea. Something from Ravinia’s gardens were bound to take root. So by trial and error, I’ll tell you about a couple of the plants that look great at Ravinia and equally good at my house. That means they’re damned easy to take care of:

·Plantation Lilies—for my money, the best looking hostas out there. This hardy shade-loving plant has elephant-ear leaves and tall stalks of white to purplish flowers.

·False Spirea—I don’t know what true spirea is, but it can’t be any better than this great flowering border plant, which shoots up a beautiful plume of small-bud flowers (in a variety of colors from purple to red to white), but looks equally beautiful when not in bloom at all.

·Coral bells—Out of the shade and into the sun, these plants work best in mounds. The leaves are big and they have slender stalks with handing flowers. Put them in the ground and stand back.

Remember, just add water. I’m not a big water drinker myself—I had a glass in the ‘70s—preferring Diet Coke for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so it’s sometimes hard for me to remember that even these easy-living plants need H20. So get a hose and live it up with your Ravinia-at-home garden.

Nick Pullia
Director of Communications

Be there for Los Tigres at Ravinia!

Latin Dance Night on Saturday was the perfect kick off to the 2008 season at Ravinia Festival. The weather was gorgeous and the music was hot! Groupo Yuba welcomed everyone at the main gate with traditional Puerto Rican drumming, singing and dancing.

The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra started the night off in great form. Tiempo Libre got everyone up and on their feet dancing to the infections Tropical rhythms. And speaking of dancing, check out the moves by Luna Negra!



It got me really excited about our next Latin night on June 14 when Los Tigres del Norte take stage for the first time at Ravinia. Los Tigres is a hugely popular Mexican band which follows in the tradition of storytelling through music. The songs are written around real life issues, including working class problems, immigration, love and relationship struggles.

Los Tigres del Norte was the first concert I saw when I was just a little kid. I still remember sitting on my dad’s shoulders and watching the crowd cheering and dancing. For the people who know Los Tigres, this is going to be a fantastic night of memories and tradition. For those who don’t know about them, come out and see for yourself why this group has won multiple Grammy awards and sold more than 32 million albums world wide. You don’t want to miss it!

Adriana McClintock
Marketing Manager

RAVINIA IS GOING AS GREEN AS ITS FAMOUS LAWN

You’ll see Ravinia staff wearing the buttons this summer. “GO GREEN – RAVINIA RECYCLES.” It’s our way of answering in advance one of the most commonly asked questions by our audiences. Some people assume that Ravinia doesn’t recycle because we don’t put the burden on our guests, who can intermingle the items they throw away in our conveniently located garbage cans. All of the trash collected on our lawn is taken to the Groot waste removal company where it is sorted by hand. Recyclables, such as wine bottles and pop cans, are sifted out and sent on their way to their new incarnations.

Our recycling program is just one of our efforts to become an even greener environment. Here are some steps:

·Take-away cups, containers and cutlery at our food-service outlets are compostable.

·The cleaning supplies we use are organic.

·We are replacing our incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs, which are highly regarded for their energy saving.

·Most of our parking is unpaved, allowing for natural drainage for the surrounding neighborhood.

·Our new dining pavilion is largely constructed of a rapidly renewable type of wood provided by nurseries with sustainable harvesting. Many of the materials in this building, such as the carpeting, were created from recycled matter.

We are also looking at other opportunities to “green” things up. If you have any suggestions, email me at nick@ravina.org

Nick Pullia
Director of communications

A Wonderful Experience

I had a quite wonderful experience yesterday at the Poe Elementary
School, one which I wish every Trustee could have shared. I went to a
performance by the Amelia Piano trio who we had engaged to come in and
play for a group of roughly 300 K through 3rd grade kids. Poe is an all
Black School (3 white faces out of 300, and I saw no Hispanics). This
performance was to follow the four or five weeks of music education we
had provided for these kids. It was, I promise you, a transcendental
experience to be there.

The leader of the Amelia Trio is a marvelous teacher. He stood up in
front of the kids and drew large pictures with a magic marker on a large
piece of paper encouraging the kids to guess who each was. The first, a
smiley faced be-wigged character with 23 children (which the kids loved!)
was Bach. It is hard to describe how totally enthralled the kids were
as they then listed to a short Bach piece (the three instruments, piano,
cello and violin having be previously demonstrated by the performers).
Next came a man with an angry face, so bad with money that he lost it
all in his life and when he died at 35 was buried in a pauper's grave
with many others and his grave is still undiscovered. This was, of
course, Mozart. After a Mozart piece was played, a picture of a third
man was shown, a few lines from Beethoven's 5th were played on the
piano, and three hundred kids cried out in unison "Beethoven!" The last
was Mendelssohn whose sister, we learned, was the better composer of the
two. The kids really and truly enjoyed themselves. But, more
importantly, they have learned to love classical music, and had
obviously learned a lot in the previous weeks with the Ravinia-provided
teacher.

We are really and truly doing wonderful things! And, I must say, as a
Trustee, I am very, very proud. These little kids, in the middle of a
very poor, very disadvantaged neighborhood, have had a chance to reach
for the stars. I suspect we have begun them on a lifetime of music
appreciation. I believe deeply in the concept that these young children
will soon go underground as they get old enough to be "cool", but like
the 17 year cicadas, will emerge in their 30's and 40's and find their
way to Ravinia or downtown to the CSO. I make quite a number of small
contributions to various civic and community organizations, but none
that makes me as proud as that to the Education and Community
Partnerships work. Bravissimo to all those who work so hard to make
this happen. And a particular kudos to Luciano who did a wonderful job
of liaison with school and performers and made the entire thing come off
seamlessly without a hitch.


Loring W. Knoblauch