Ravinia--Summer Music Under the Stars

Those of us here on Chicago's North Shore are blessed with one of America's truly great summer music fests, Ravinia. Located in a beautiful park setting in a neighborhood just east of us in Highland Park, their eclectic line-up, quality sound system, and great dining choices make this a wonderful place to spread out a blanket and soak up great music under the stars. You can sit in the pavilion if you have the cash for the ticket, but I enjoy plunking down $10 or so and sitting on the lawn. The parking is pricey ($10-20), so I suggest parking in one of their shuttle lots along the train tracks on St. Johns. A free bus brings you directly to the park. Plan to arrive a couple of hours before show time to enjoy a meal and social time with friends! Look for some of your friends from band who are working as ushers this summer (what a great job!).

After perusing the schedule, I'd like to recommend the following events to my students:

Classical

• June 18, Music of Handel
• July 12, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, with actual cannons! (This will be very crowded--arrive early!)
• July 18, Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Probably also very crowded)
• July 19, Mahler's 9th Symphony (two ninths in two nights!)
• July 24, Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays Gershwin and Bernstein (West Side Story Dances!)
• July 25, Dvorak's New World Symphony (this is probably where John Williams got the Jaws movie theme)
• August 9, James Galway (one of the greatest flutists in history!) with the CSO

Jazz/Pop/World

• June 12, Ramsey Lewis (Chicago jazz legend) and his tribute to Abraham Lincoln
• July 1, Femi Kuti and King Sunny Ade, two African pop legends, guaranteed to get you dancing ($16 lawn tickets)
• August 11, James Galway (see above) playing Cuban and French jazz
• September 2, Kurt Elling (incredible jazz singer) and Ernie Watts recreate a famous John Coltrane with vocals album

If you want more information, click here for the official Ravinia website.