tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232329602008-07-23T14:05:54.025-07:00Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-23556286905314694542008-07-23T13:59:00.000-07:002008-07-23T14:05:54.055-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-54158512276169743382008-07-23T12:29:00.000-07:002008-07-23T12:34:13.667-07:00

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 –

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-84166247202611677442008-07-18T15:25:00.000-07:002008-07-18T15:26:48.317-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-65598168391642964782008-07-12T15:15:00.000-07:002008-07-12T15:16:06.446-07:00

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,

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-8222424968034511452008-07-07T15:09:00.000-07:002008-07-07T15:21:21.375-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-18092748719239706452008-07-03T09:56:00.000-07:002008-07-03T10:23:34.213-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-38291612722435718802008-06-27T13:17:00.000-07:002008-06-27T13:20:22.240-07:00

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

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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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-66488075322316921412008-06-19T13:05:00.000-07:002008-06-26T10:07:03.279-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-31640742400478738892008-06-19T10:31:00.000-07:002008-06-19T10:36:04.924-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-61865285590239506142008-06-06T16:22:00.000-07:002008-06-06T16:37:19.253-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-35987845796066773482008-06-03T15:12:00.000-07:002008-06-04T19:48:25.712-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-52937470655511653932008-05-31T13:34:00.000-07:002008-05-31T13:38:14.101-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-35224660315025119702008-04-08T13:33:00.000-07:002008-04-08T13:41:11.805-07:00

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

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-66490299619043949242007-09-06T10:21:00.000-07:002007-09-10T08:36:05.562-07:00

A Ravinia patron sent the following e-mail today: Does anyone remember when Luciano performed at Ravina? we were talking about him today at work and I was telling someone I remembered taking my Mom on a beautiful night to Ravina to see him, and they told me they were there as well, it was he and his wife's first date. Such a wonderful evening all of us had, but we can't remember when it

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-20265632596662341322007-08-22T09:46:00.000-07:002007-08-22T09:47:22.465-07:00

Got a favorite memory of attending Ravinia this summer you'd like to share? Send it to webmaster@ravinia.org for a chance to win a prize. Whether it's meeting that someone special, enjoying a great night of music or picnicking under the stars, we'd like to hear from you. Entry must be received by 5:00 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, September 5.

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-17848773660403834352007-08-20T14:17:00.000-07:002007-08-20T14:21:44.661-07:00

Friday night’s Gipsy Kings show at Ravinia proved to be one of the peaks of the season. The Gipsy Kings, hailing from the South of France, brought out Chicagoland and beyond as they churned out two hours of world music hits. The lawn came alive as always but this time with patrons demonstrating their best flamenco and salsa moves. Every concrete surface in the park was at once converted into a

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-26309137706175153722007-08-16T07:56:00.000-07:002007-08-16T14:21:56.082-07:00

Caroline Huebner, Audrey Rubinstein, and Jane Casper Caroline Huebner, Jane Casper, James Conlon, Ana Maria Martinez, Plácido Domingo, and Audrey Rubinstein Inside the tent Zarin Mehta, Carmen Mehta, and Welz Kauffman Welz Kauffman, Mamie Case, and Greg Case Judy Lavin and Michael Lavin On August 4 the Ravinia Festival held its annual Gala Benefit Evening hosted by the Women’s Board of

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-78992538346672469672007-08-14T11:06:00.000-07:002007-08-14T11:13:51.046-07:00

Left to right: Jennifer Ringo, James Conlon, Audrey and Michael Rubinstein After a wonderful performance of Alexander Zemlinsky's "The Mermaid" by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by our music director James Conlon, the Anti-Defamation League honored Conlon at a post concert dinner for his efforts championing the works of composers silenced by The Third Reich, giving him the Crystal Globe

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-36604553113995015322007-08-02T09:32:00.000-07:002007-08-02T09:41:39.258-07:00

Sculpture Highlights from RaviniaA gift from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mayer of Winnetka, IL, Sorel Etrog’s Survivors Are Not Heroes joined the Ravinia Festival’s south lawn in 1991. Like many of Etrog’s sculptures, Survivors attempts to communicate the tensions and interactions between man and machine. Though Survivors is made of bronze, Etrog has often tried to make the medium

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-48610049216651542712007-08-02T09:28:00.000-07:002007-08-02T09:32:00.709-07:00

In August of 1995, my fiancé George and I went to Ravinia to see George Benson perform. It was a beautiful summer night although a bit chilly in the evening. After dinner, George asked for his jacket and I'm thinking "he's never cold". He proceeded to take a box out of the jacket pocket and there it was: A beautiful diamond ring! On his knee he went and proposed that evening to me! We had

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The sculptures located throughout the Ravinia Festival have complex histories and stunning features. My personal favorite among these works of art is a subtle yet remarkable sculpture. “Elizabeth” is a beautifully sculpted bronze statue located on the northeast section of the Ravinia Festival lawn. Created by Czech artist Albin Polasek, “Elizabeth” reveals the free spirited air that children

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-57269227481775405782007-07-26T11:10:00.001-07:002007-08-01T13:43:52.127-07:00

This season the Ravinia Festival has had the joy of working with Chicago native Patricia Locke, a self-taught jewelry designer who has been hand-crafting fine jewelry since the 1970s. This year she has created a line of jewelry specifically for Ravinia that features architectural elements of the festival. The inspiration for this jewelry comes from the stained glass of the Martin Theatre, which

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-80619016079289858822007-07-14T08:58:00.000-07:002007-07-20T09:14:01.037-07:00

Photos by Russell Jenkins Manager of Graphic Arts and Photography

Ravinia Festivalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15244936359101779077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23232960.post-23791947554783263082007-07-09T16:27:00.000-07:002007-07-09T16:31:26.541-07:00

Photos by Farah Ansari Communications

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