Happy Birthday Ravinia!

Ravinia Festival turned 102 this year and we celebrated with a day full of music, games, rides and activities for the family.

Gypsy preparation in full swing

One full day.

That's all the time Ravinia Master Carpenter Mike Robinson and his stage technicians have to transform Ravinia's pavilion stage from a relatively empty symphony-friendly space into a glitzy 1930's vaudeville theater.

The pavilion stage is in use daily for either shows or rehearsals, and so time to actually erect the set is limited. The crew is doing as much as possible ahead of time. They have been building the set for a month and the electric system has already been hung. Monday is the only full day the crew has the stage entirely to themselves, and according to Robinson it will be a 14-hour work day.

"This is the most complicated scenery we have ever done," Robinson says. "It is also the best." And that's saying something because Robinson has plenty of shows to his credit. If Tony-winner Patti LuPone and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra were not enough to entice to come to Gypsy, you should consider coming just to see the miracle our stage technicians will perform in one day. But to quote Mama Rose, "That's show business..."

Catch Gypsy on Friday, August 11, Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13. All three shows start at 7:30 p.m., and the August 11 show will be preceded by a talk with Stephen Sondheim and Welz Kauffman at 6:45 in the Martin Theatre.

-Shannon Rego, Communications Intern

Ravinia Festival on MySpace

Created in March of 2006, Ravinia's MySpace profile has gathered thousands of friends from across the globe. Ravinia's Myspace webpage has been linked to many MySpace pages of artists that have been featured at the festival, including: Renee Fleming, Joshua Bell, Buddy Guy, Patti LuPone, Emerson String Quartet, Cheap Trick, Deborah Voigt, and Elvis Costello.

The MySpace service has provided Ravinia with access to millions of Rock & Roll bands, chamber music ensembles, and individual performing artists. Many users (there are currently 97 million) have discovered Ravinia through MySpace and utilized the opportunity to send promotional materials to the festival for review.

Special promotions, offered exclusively to MySpace members, have provided the opportunity to bring listeners to Ravinia for the first time to see performances by Lalah Hathaway, Blondie, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The MySpace webpage provides users with easy access to Ravinia's performance calendar and blog. MySpace users also have the ability to leave messages and comments regarding the festival and its performances.

The Ravinia MySpace page can be found at the following address:

www.myspace.com/raviniafestival

From the archives...

1936 program from George Gershwin's only Ravinia performance; autographed by George Gershwin and conductor, Isaac Van Grove.

Photograph of Igor Stravinsky and former Music Director, Seiji Ozawa at Ravinia in 1965; autographed by Igor Stravinsky.

1949 performance program from the "Million dollar trio's" only Ravinia performance; autographed by Artur Rubinstein, Jascha Heifetz, and Gregor Piatigorsky.

Photograph from Janis Joplin's only Ravinia performance, to an audience of more than 18,000, in 1970.

Invitation to Ravinia Park's opening day on Monday, August 15, 1904.

Photograph of Aaron Copland rehearsing for his final Ravinia performance, in 1968

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

Ravinia Gala 2006: "Who could ask for anything more?"

The Women's board of Ravinia hosted the festival's annual Gala Benefit Evening on Saturday, July 15, 2006, which celebrated the 70th anniversary of Gershwin's only Ravinia performance.



The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Andrew Litton, and Hershey Felder headlined the evening, and Gershwin's Cuban Overture, Rhapsody in Blue, and Porgy and Bess were featured.



There were 1,100 guests in attendance at the sold-out Gala, and the benefit evening raised approximately $750,000.



Audrey Rubinstein (Women's Board chairman), Gail Hodges (Gala co-chairman), Welz Kauffman (President and CEO of Ravinia Festival) , Becky Murray (Gala chairman)

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

5 things found on the lawn...

My favorite polka-dot flip-flops, a citronella candle, and a sign professing my undying love for Steve Miller are just a few of the things I accidentally left behind on the lawn last time I came to a concert at Ravinia with my friends. My list might sound odd to you, but it seems much stranger things have been left by others.

Of course, the morning after a concert the park staff always finds the usual keys, cell phones, sunglasses, and blankets, but sometimes they come across something a little more unusual.

This season alone the staff has found a whole salmon, a baby stroller, a pair of socks, women's undergarments, and an engagement ring. As Facilities Manager Jim Schmitz said, "It has been a fantastic journey in the land of garbage collection." And if anyone out there misplaced a salmon, it's being held in the lost and found.

-Shannon Rego, Communications Intern

Ravinia Festival Family Space

The Community Outreach & Education department at Ravinia Festival hosts a family space for children and adults to experience the music first hand. Watch as kids get to try out the instruments at an instrument petting zoo, take part in arts & crafts and listen to a story by the Kohl McCormick Storybus.

International Stars at Ravinia

This week of performances at Ravinia opened with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, an acappella chorus from South Africa, who gained worldwide prominence after being featured on Paul Simon's 1986 album, Graceland. The audience was charmed by the traditional Zulu musical styles presented by the charismatic ensemble, and their encore presentation featured a joint performance with the opening act, Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Taiwanese-born violinist Cho-Liang ("Jimmy") Lin performed a diverse program of music for violin and piano on Tuesday evening with the French pianist Andre-Michel Schub. The music of Mozart and William Walton was featured, as well as the Chicago premiere of Bright Sheng's Three Fantasies. Sheng's composition was inspired by Tibetan and Kazakhstani folk songs and music that he heard in a dream.

The Israeli duo of conductor Yoel Levi and violinist Itzhak Perlman took the pavilion stage on Wednesday evening to perform for a sold out Ravinia audience. Mozart's Fifth Violin Concerto was passionate and full of energy, there wasn't an inch of free space surrounding the pavilion; hundreds left their picnics on the lawn to catch a glimpse of the classical music star. Mr. Perlman returns to Ravinia this evening to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in an all-Beethoven program featuring the Polish-born pianist Emanuel Ax.

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

James Conlon: Celebrity

Chicago entertainment jounalist, Terry Armour, featured Music Director, James Conlon, in his Chicago Tribune Sunday entertainment feature (7.9.2006). Describing Conlon's new haircut, Armour says "You may notice that James Conlon's once long locks are much shorter." He explains the surprise hairstyle: "Filmmaker Kenneth Branagh asked Conlon to cut his hair for his walk-on part as a soldier in Branagh's adaptation of Mozart's The Magic Flute." Conlon was recently on location in England, where he conducted the movie's score.

On Wednesday, June 28, Maestro Conlon participated in an online chat hosted by Chicago Classical Music, the online classical music forum hosted by the Arts and Business Council of Chicago. He discussed in detail his "Breaking the Silence" series, a multiyear series of concerts that feature music suppressed by the Third Reich, and Shostakovich's Symphonies. Visit www.chicagoclassicalmusic.org to view a transcript of the chat.

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

Listen to Robert Greenberg Discuss Mahler

Listen to The Professor lecture on Mahler last year at Ravinia Festival.

Don't forget, Greenberg returns to Ravinia on July 22 & 23 to talk about Shostakovich. Be sure to catch these exciting and wonderful lectures!

Sibling Ivory: The 5 Browns

The 5 virtuoso siblings from Juilliard brought the exciting sound of 5 pianos to the Martin Theatre stage on Thursday night.

The talented group performed pieces from the classical repertoire, including works by: Gershwin, Ravel, Copland, Rachmaninoff, and Stravinsky. Desirae, Deondra, Melody, Gregory, and Ryan introduced themselves individually to the audience prior to performing their solo pieces and discussed the work they were about to perform using historical and personal anecdotes.

The Browns have 10 Steinway grand pianos in their home in Utah (5 in one room for rehearsal, and 5 others in idividual rooms), and 5 dedicated Steinway grand pianos that travel with them across the globe for performances. Their 5 dedicated pianos were in Philadelphia for an upcoming performance; thankfully, the local Steinway dealer graciously provided three extra grand pianos to make the performance possible.

Hundreds of anxious fans patiently waited for their chance to meet the Browns and get their autographs after the performance. Their second recording, "No Boundaries," has been #1 on the classical music charts for 13 weeks, and counting.

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

Robert Greenberg Back by Popular Demand

It's not your typical lecture. Get ready to laugh and be entertained on July 22 and 23 when renowned musicologist and lecturer Robert Greenberg will return to Ravinia to present a series of seminars on the music of Shostakovich and Mozart.

Dr. Greenberg returns by popular demand after delivering a series of acclaimed talks on Mahler last season and will present three different lectures over the course of the two days:

Saturday, July 22 from 3 to 5pm: "Ears Will Hear!: the Life and Symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich"

Saturday, July 22 from 6 to 7:15pm:"Protest and Revelation: Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13, 'Babi Yar'"

Sunday, July 23 from 3 to 4:30pm: "Formal Behavior: Musical Structure in the Classical Era"

All of the talks will take place in the Martin Theatre and are FREE to any concert ticket holder (lawn pass or pavilion ticket).

Robert Greenberg combines humor and scholarship to produce captivating and theatrical talks that mesmerize audiences. He has performed, taught, and lectured extensively across North America and Europe. He is music historian-in-residence with San Francisco Performances, the city's premier presenter of chamber music, instrumental and vocal recitals, jazz, and contemporary dance. His music history lectures recorded by the Teaching Company are best sellers and have achieved international acclaim.

Ravinia is honored to bring Dr. Greenberg back during this Shostakovich and Mozart anniversary year.

Robert Goldberg
Associate Director of Community Outreach and Education, Programs

4th of July

Highland Park's annual Fourth of July parade was a blast. With over 40 floats and hundreds of participants, a good time was had by all. Weeks of planning and preparation paid off with Ravinia winning a first place trophy in the float competition for the sixth consecutive year.



More than 5,000 plastic recorders were distributed to the children (and adults) of Highland Park. The sound of plastic recorders could be heard from the end of the parade route!



Our float displayed the theme of the parade, Community Commitment: Near and Far, by featuring our One Score, One Chicago program, which was designed to unite the citizens of our city in appreciation of a single provocative work of art. A child size piano was shadowed on the float by a full size grand piano, the use of pianos was motivated by this year's featured work for "One Score, One Chicago," Robert Schumann's Scenes from Childhood.



-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra began their 70th Ravinia Festival summer residency last week with a spectacular performance of Mahler's Third Symphony with mezzo-soprano Birgitta Svenden, who, the Chicago Tribune described as bringing "a stern, stoic dignity to Mahler's setting of Nietzsche's 'Midnight Song.'"

As a preview to the opening night performance, James Conlon participated in a live online chat featured on Chicago Classical Music's website. The chat featured an in-depth discussion of Conlon's inspired "Breaking the Silence" concert series. Conlon described the composers featured in this series as artists "whose life experiences were very different, but the fate of their music is all the same. For the most part, their music was prohibited after 1934."

Conlon was also asked to discuss Shostakovich's defiance of Stalin. In reference to his Ninth Symphony, Conlon had the following response: "From the first bars of the symphony, it was clear that Shostakovich walked away from the grandiose, and with his ever wry wit and irony 'disappoints' all of Stalin's expectations of a triumphant symphony that is full of praise. It is not so much about what Shostakovich did in this symphony as what he did not."

Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances at Ravinia continue this week with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition on Friday night and Verdi's Requiem on Saturday night.

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

Live online chat with Music Director James Conlon

Ravinia Festival is proud to present a live chat with Music Director James Conlon at Chicago Classical Music on Wednesday, June 28, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Join Maestro Conlon to discuss upcoming Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances at Ravinia as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the CSO summer residency at Ravinia Festival.

Chicago Classical Music members simply need to login and click "chat" to participate. Not yet a member? Sign up for free registration today at:

www.chicagoclassicalmusic.org

Ravinia Festival Dance Competition

The Ravinia Festival Women's Board held the first ever dance competition at the park on June 18, 2006. Watch highlights from this lively and fun competition.

Hubbard Street, in Highland Park.

Hubbard Street Dance gave their final Ravinia performance of the 2006 season last night. The combination of modern dance with traditional classical music provided a unique experience for those in attendance. They performed four works that have all received their Chicago premieres in the last two years.

The company of 21 dancers emotionally portrayed the choreography of Jim Vincent, Marguerite Donlon, Susan Marshall and Nacho Duato. Well-known melodies of Bach, Mozart and Arvo Pärt accompanied these works.

The next dance performance at Ravinia is on August 16 when the Joffrey Ballet performs Twyla Tharp's "Deuce Coupe" set to the music of the Beach Boys.

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

Jazz in June

The party was non-stop for Jazz in June over the weekend. Ravinia Festival celebrated jazz music and musicians during this 4-day festival. Here are some of the highlights:



The Friday evening "Spirit of New Orleans" concert also spread the spirit of Mardi Gras. On hand to perform were The Neville Brothers and Dr. John. Ravinia staff and volunteers took donations on behalf of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, raising thousands of dollars to help rebuild their concert hall.



Artistic Director of Jazz at Ravinia, Ramsey Lewis, was featured with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and also gave the debut performance of his original "One Score, One Chicago" composition, which was inspired by Robert Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood."



The Original Pin Stripe Brass Band was lead by its Grand Marshall around the park, sharing their blend of traditional New Orleans and pop music styles.



The Sunday "Battle of the Big Bands" also featured a dance contest. For the first time ever, a dance floor was constructed on the lawn and hundreds of audience members (including many children) took advantage of the unique opportunity.

-Adriana Avila, Marketing Manager

Golijov's Chicago premiere.

You know it's a special performance at Ravinia when audience members leave their picnic tables on the lawn to approach the pavilion to catch a glimpse of the stage. The otherworldly sounds created by Golijov's new opera, "Ainadamar" continued to draw listeners to the stage throughout the hour and a half long performance.

The Thursday night performance featured the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with conductor Robert Spano. Soloists for that evening's performance included Dawn Upshaw, Kelley O'Connor, Jessica Rivera, and Jesus Montoya (whose voice can be heard on television commercials for Nike, Coca-Cola, and Eveready-Energizer).

The artists arrived Thursday afternoon, just in time for a brief dress rehearsal at 7:00 P.M. The concert followed an hour later, beginning with a brief chat between Osvaldo Golijov, Robert Spano, and Welz Kauffman, President of Ravinia. Their stay was a brief one, they returned to Atlanta on Friday morning.



Yo-Yo Ma will present the second Golijov premiere of the summer with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Miguel Harth-Bedoya on Saturday, August 6. Also on the program are De Falla's "Three-Cornered Hat" and Ravel's "Bolero."

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

4 down 28 to go...

Garrick Ohlsson began his cycle of Beethoven Piano Sonatas last night (which, by the way, is the first in Ravinia Festival history). He performed Sonatas No. 4, 20, 23 ("Appassionata"), and 28. He will complete the cycle of 32 sonatas during his seven remaining performances at Ravinia this season.

The Beethoven festivities began at 6:45 P.M. with a pre-concert talk hosted by Sylvie Desouches. It was an exciting presentation that included information on Beethoven's history, compositional techniques, and musical examples.

When asked how he prepared for this cycle he responded: "You know the famous joke 'how do you get to Carnegie hall.' Well, how do you prepare for a Beethoven Sonata cycle? It is the same answer."

You can catch the remaining Beethoven sonata performances tonight, June 19 and 20, August 28 and 29, and September 5 and 6.

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

Action-packed weekend at Ravinia!

Performances this past weekend featured the Bodeans, who are at Ravinia for the fourth season in a row, and Elvis Costello and the Imposters with Allen Toussaint.



The Saturday night performance of the BoDeans included their hit "Closer to Free" and an inventive cover that combined the Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" with Prince's "Little Red Corvette."



Allen Toussaint and his New Orleans Horn Section joined Elvis Costello and the Imposters for the only River in Reverse Tour 2006 performance in Chicago. It was great to hear songs from his new critically-acclaimed album "The River in Reverse," which was recorded in Toussaint's hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.





The entire Ravinia staff donated their time during the performance on Sunday night to collect donations for the Louisiana Philharmonic Relief Fund. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 the Louisiana Philharmonic was forced to suspend its operations. Direct contributions can be made through the Louisiana Philharmonic website www.lpomusic.org

-Justin Brown, Communications Associate

Last chance to see UShaka.

The following pictures were taken during the first performance of UShaka last night. The cast arrived from South Africa last week and have spent their time in Chicago preparing for the American premier.





In addition to preparing for the performances, our guests from Opera Africa have been featured in community outreach and education events around the Chicagoland area.






These concerts are the first in this summer's series of large-scale vocal events, which include Mahler's Symphony No. 3 and Verdi's Requiem. The final performance is tonight (Friday, June 9) at 8:00 PM. See you there!


- Justin Brown, Communications Associate