Latest news with #RaviniaFestival
New York Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
He Reinvigorated the Met Opera's Chorus. Next Stop, Chicago.
When Donald Palumbo departed his post as chorus master of the Metropolitan Opera last year after nearly two decades, he could have easily taken a break. But Palumbo, 76, wasn't finished. 'I knew it was not a retirement situation for me,' he said. Now Palumbo has lined up his next position: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra announced on Tuesday that he would serve as its next chorus director — only the third in the choir's 67-year history — beginning an initial three-year term in July. 'I love this chorus,' Palumbo said in a telephone interview from Chicago, where he was rehearsing the chorus. 'I love this city.' Palumbo was a fixture at the Met from 2007 to 2024, helping turn the chorus into one of the most revered in the field. He could often be seen during performances racing around backstage, working with singers to refine bits of the score. He was chorus master at Lyric Opera of Chicago from 1991 to 2007. At the Chicago Symphony, he said, he hoped to work with the singers on 'creating an identity as a chorus from the way we sing, and the way we devote ourselves to the music.' Jeff Alexander, the Chicago Symphony's president, said that Palumbo had built a close relationship with the chorus during guest appearances over the years, creating 'an atmosphere of collaboration that yielded exceptional artistry.' 'We knew this would be the ideal choice to build on the legacy of this award-winning ensemble,' Alexander said in a statement. Palumbo, who lives in Santa Fe and will commute to Chicago, is already at work with the Chicago singers. He will serve as guest chorus director this month for Verdi's Requiem, working with Riccardo Muti, the Chicago Symphony's former music director. In July, he will begin his tenure as chorus director with a performance of Mahler's 'Resurrection' Symphony at the Ravinia Festival, led by the festival's chief conductor, Marin Alsop. While Palumbo has forged a close relationship with Muti, he said, he was still getting to know Klaus Mäkelä, the Chicago Symphony's incoming music director, who begins in 2027. (Palumbo said he has been watching videos of Mäkelä on YouTube: 'Everything he does musically is exciting,' he said.) Palumbo said he hoped to stay in Chicago beyond the end of his initial term in 2028. 'I certainly am not planning on having a cutoff point,' he said. 'I intend to keep working.'
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Classical and jazz for summer 2025: From concert halls to the open air of Millennium Park
Condolences to everyone's calendar. Despite sobering news of canceled summer festivals and slashed National Endowment for the Arts grants, Chicago summer — knock wood — looks to be as busy as ever. Classical and jazz programming alone is packed with blockbusters. Before the subscription arts season is out, Riccardo Muti is back at the Chicago Symphony, closing out the season with Verdi's Requiem, his calling card, and trumpeter Esteban Batallán as a featured soloist (June 12-24). After that, Giancarlo Guerrero begins his tenure as director of the Grant Park Music Festival, bringing with him a bevy of music by living and American composers (June 11-Aug. 16). Musicians and celebrity chefs team up for the Ravinia Festival's Breaking Barriers, with audiences taste-testing the results (July 25-27). Then, to close out the season, the Chicago Jazz Fest returns, this time with esperanza spalding, Monty Alexander, Kermit Ruffins and Eliades Ochoa as headliners (Aug. 28-31). But with so much excitement afoot, it's all too easy for other cultural highlights to get lost. Here's a handful to keep on your radar well ahead of summer's dog days. Before the boycott: Rosa Parks was just the most famous representative of a group of women who worked to desegregate Montgomery's public transit system in the 1950s. Chicago Opera Theater's 'She Who Dared' — with music by the talented young composer Jasmine Barnes and a libretto by Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton — foregrounds their overlooked story. June 3, 6 and 8 at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., tickets $60-$160, Price's precocious champion: Still in his 20s, Randall Goosby has become one of the leading interpreters of Florence Price's music. The violinist brings her music — specifically her second violin concerto — back to its home city alongside the CSO and conductor Sir Mark Elder. June 5-7 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., tickets $39-$299, What happens to music never heard?: In the case of Oscar Peterson's 'Africa,' it gets resurrected. Peterson performed and recorded movements of the suite throughout his career, but never the entire thing. Thanks to bandleader and arranger John Clayton, the late jazz pianist's epic finally sees the light of day. 8 p.m. June 13 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., tickets $39-$299, Soundtrack to the 21st century: World-class soloists and contemporary classical music are both hallmarks of the Grant Park Music Festival, but they don't always converge. This summer is a refreshing change of pace, with several guest artists platforming pieces written in the new millennium. First among them: cellist Inbal Segev, who plays Mark Adamo's 'Last Year' (July 9) and Anna Clyne's 'Dance' (July 16) as this year's artist-in-residence. Also on tap are trumpeter Pacho Flores in Arturo Márquez's Concierto de Otoño (June 20-21); the Imani Winds in a concerto grosso penned by former ensemble member Valerie Coleman (June 25); mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges in Peter Lieberson's 'Neruda Songs' (Aug. 1 and 2 at Harris Theater); and Glen Ellyn native Jennifer Koh in Jennifer Higdon's epic 'The Singing Rooms' for solo violin, orchestra and chorus (Aug. 8 and 9). All at Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., free admission, Paired pipes: From 2018 to 2020, Camille Thurman — as alluring a singer as she is a tenor saxophonist — made history as the first woman to join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra roster. But she's a commanding, charismatic bandleader in her own right, as this local run of shows will no doubt co-sign. June 26-29 at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Court, tickets $25-$45, more information at Big news for people who hit things: Chicago institution Third Coast Percussion is turning 20. The quartet rings in the milestone with 'Rhythm Fest,' an all-day bash with collaborators past and present. Noon to 10 p.m. June 28 at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave., tickets $60-120 and $30 for students, Irakere at 50: The iconic Cuban ensemble technically celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. Then again, no celebration is big enough to capture its outsized mark on contemporary Latin jazz. Founder and bandleader Chucho Valdés is joined by former bandmates Paquito D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval — a rare convening of the genre's elder statesmen — for this one-night-only Ravinia extravaganza. 7:30 p.m. July 9 at the Ravinia Pavilion, 201 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park, tickets $29-$65, One day, two premieres: Slather on sunscreen if you must, because new music fans are advised to post up at the Ravinia grounds on July 20. Steans Institute musicians debut a string quartet by American composer Joel Thompson at Bennett Gordon Hall (1:30 p.m.). A few short hours later, the CSO gives the first performance of Malek Jandali's 'Rhapsody for Orchestra' (5 p.m.). Both July 20 at Ravinia, 201 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park, free admission for the Steans recital, tickets $15-$95 for the Pavilion concert, Early music everywhere: 'Baroque-and-before' need not mean 'boxed in.' Creative and unconventional early-music performances abound this summer, starting with 'Secret Byrd,' a theatricalized account of William Byrd's Mass for Five Voices devised by Bill Barclay. (Barclay was the mind behind 2023's excellent 'The Chevalier.') Meanwhile, at Ravinia, Cleveland- and Chicago-based early music troupe Apollo's Fire presents a 'dueling double concerto' program — as do actual fencers, demonstrating the sport on the lawn. Haymarket Opera Company also makes its festival debut with a semi-staged 'Alcina'; soprano Nicole Cabell, who starred in the company's recent 'L'Amant anonyme,' sings the title role. 'Secret Byrd,' two shows each, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., on July 20 and 21 at Salvage One, 1840 W. Hubbard St., tickets $65-$75, 'Fencing Match' with Apollo's Fire, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at Ravinia's Martin Theatre, tickets $15-$75, Handel's 'Alcina' with Haymarket Opera, 1 p.m. Aug. 24 at Ravinia's Martin Theatre, tickets $15-$75, Partitas na praia: Bach and Brazil meet in Plínio Fernandes. The São Paulo-born guitarist's 'Bacheando,' featuring Bach arrangements, was one of the illustrious Decca label's most striking 2023 releases. He picks up where the album left off with this Ravinia recital. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall, tickets $20,
Time Out
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Here's everything you'll be eating at Ravinia Festival 2025
Ravinia's not just feeding your soul this summer—it's coming for your stomach too. As the 2025 Ravinia Festival kicks off its summer season on June 6, with over 100 concerts and an eye-popping 40 artist debuts (hello, Janelle Monáe, Kygo and Nas), festivalgoers can expect more than just top-tier tunes. The food lineup, curated by Levy and Executive Chef Mark Hill, is a headliner in its own right. Returning guests will find classic comforts with serious upgrades, like the Pulled Pork Stack, a decadent layering of creamy mac and cheese, barbecue mole-drizzled pork and crispy tortilla strips; or the Cappuccino Crunch Float, featuring cappuccino chip ice cream topped with whipped cream for the ultimate caffeinated cool-down. But the biggest culinary glow-up might just be at Park View, where new fine-dining flair includes lamb tartare with house tzatziki and oregano, and a smoked short rib served over annatto potato purée with roasted corn and mole demi-glace. Would you prefer to graze while watching the show? The revamped Tree Top Lounge is now a chic communal hangout with a full bar and live concert feeds. It plans to serve small plates with global flair, like burrata with Thai pesto, cured tuna with kimchi and sesame leaves, and wagyu sliders spiced up with togarashi tomato jam. Even the seafood fritto misto gets the Chicago treatment: calamari, shrimp, scallops and giardiniera with lemon aioli. And for one night only, Ravinia is serving up a menu as iconic as its guests. On June 7, in honor of Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe (who share a love for Jamaican flavors), you'll find jerk chicken with brown sugar glaze, pigeon peas and cornbread, plus jerk pork tacos at the Lawn Bar—because nothing says 'festival royalty' like spiced meat and a side of mac.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
High schoolers introduce youngsters to Beethoven at concert at Ravinia
Music written 213 years ago — such as Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 — is undeniably old. But when such music reaches a kid's ears for the first time, it's a brand-new experience. Several kids had that experience at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park on Thursday, as part of an annual program celebrating classical music. "I think it's really beautiful how music from a long time ago can bring so many people together," said violinist Momo Fredrickson. Momo has played on big stages before. So has French horn player Julian Kolthammer, who along with Momo talked with CBS News Chicago outside the Martin Theatre at Ravinia. But a spring performance at Ravinia is a highlight for the high schoolers. "It is definitely my favorite concert every year to play in," said Momo. At the concert, Momo, Julian, and other members of the Midwest Young Artists Youth Orchestra play for fourth- and fifth-graders visiting Ravinia from around Chicagoland. "It's so exciting!" said Madelyn Tan-Cohen, Ravinia's director of teaching and learning. "It is so exciting that these are high school kids and they're playing at this caliber." The concert takes place in the Martin Theatre — the only remaining structure that remains from the original construction of Ravinia in 1904. It is part of "One Score, One Chicago," a yearly program where Ravinia picks a piece of classical music for Chicago kids to explore. "It's amazing and inspiring for me, and I'm sure for the kids who are in the audience," said Tan-Cohen. This year's selection is Beethoven's 7th Symphony, completed in 1812, and first performed in Vienna in December 1813 at a benefit concert for soldiers wounded battling Napoleon's Army — in case it was not already clear how old the iconic piece is. "Typically, we're playing for our parents and friends, which is fun and valuable," said Julian, "but this is people, the kids, who don't often get to experience live music and classical music." "I hope that they are inspired to listen to more classical music, and I hope they will want to play an instrument," added Momo. Beethoven is coming back to Ravinia this summer. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will perform Beethoven's 7th Symphony on July 20. contributed to this report.
Time Out
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Ravinia Festival tickets are officially dropping today for over 100 summer concerts
The oldest music festival in North America is back in the Chicago area this summer: Ravinia Festival will return to Highland Park from June 6 to August 31 with a stellar programming lineup featuring over 100 concerts and more than 40 artist debuts. A lively mix of legendary performers and fresh talent across multiple genres, the 2025 season will feature acts like Cynthia Erivo, Lenny Kravitz, Janelle Monáe, Maren Morris and John Legend, among many others—and the tickets for the festival are officially on sale right now. As of Thursday, April 24 at 8am CDT, ticket sales are open exclusively at where you can also find the full schedule of performers and programming. (Note: Tickets are available through the Ravinia app and will be delivered digitally.) There are several seating options available, from the covered outdoor amphitheater The Pavilion (which holds 3,350 seated attendees) to lawn seating associated with general admission tickets. Keep in mind that price points differ based on the type of ticket you're looking for and the act you want to watch, but there are definitely some affordable options out there to look through. Among the highlights are Grace Jones with Janelle Monáe and Queen! on June 7; James Taylor and His All-Star Band with special guest Tiny Habits on June 19; Kygo with special guest Victoria Nadine on July 6; Beck with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on July 23; John Legend celebrating the 20th anniversary of Get Lifted on August 23 and 24; and the Marvel Studios' Infinity Saga Concert Experience with Chicago Philharmonic on August 29. Along with return festival favorites like Heart, Al Green, The Black Crowes, The Roots, Diana Krall and Chicago, Ravinia will welcome several exciting newcomers for the season, including Nas, Sutton Foster, Juanes, Ray LaMontagne, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and The Mohan Sisters. And a notable component of this year's festival is the 89th Chicago Symphony Orchestra residency, which spans six weeks and features an extraordinary range of performances, with the works of Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Gershwin and more on the setlist.
