RAVINIA FESTIVAL HOLDS ‘LIVING ROOM LAWN PARTY’ VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER ON JUNE 27

Jun 19, 2020 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

Event host Kristin Chenoweth among the various artists
across genres who will give featured performances

HIGHLAND PARK, IL – Ravinia Festival will be holding its first-ever virtual fundraiser, titled the “Living Room Lawn Party,” on Saturday, June 27, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. CDT. Emmy and Tony Award–winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth will host the streamed event. A 15-minute pre-show featuring a slideshow with fun Ravinia surprises, beginning at 7:45 p.m. CDT, will set the stage for grand performances by Chenoweth, soprano Patricia Racette, pianist Kevin Cole, Emeritus Artistic Director of Jazz at Ravinia Ramsey Lewis with Ravinia Jazz Scholars and Steans Music Institute (RSMI) alumnus trumpeter Marquis Hill, RSMI alumna mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, and more. Gary Griffin is directing the event.

The fundraiser, sponsored by Allstate, BMO, The Dancing Skies Foundation, and the Ravinia Women’s Board, will benefit the non-for-profit festival and its mission, especially its efforts to bring music back into schools through its Reach Teach Play education programs that serve over 85,000 community members across Lake and Cook Counties. Even though those programs are virtual now, Ravinia is ensuring music education remains accessible and alive (and fun!) for all students. The festival’s Reach Teach Play programs are designed to educate, foster diverse audience involvement, and provide equitable access to music experiences and resources in communities and at home.

“Music is a vital part of our students’ lives, and although they are not meeting with teachers and peers in person right now, it has not stopped us from providing the support and guidance to continue to musically enrich them. From moving our in-person programs to a virtual setting, to providing easy access to sessions and lessons on YouTube to our students, parents, and educators, and to mobilizing the entire Ravinia Family to assemble and deliver musical care packages, we continue to keep music alive for all,” said Ravinia Festival President and CEO Welz Kauffman. “In accomplishing our fundraising goals with the help of our community and patrons through the Living Room Lawn Party, we are excited to continue to support and expand music accessibility to all of our students.”

All Ravinia fans are invited to tune in to the Living Room Lawn Party at Ravinia.org/LawnPartyas well as the festival’s YouTube and Facebook pages. More information about the event can be found on Ravinia’s website or through text message updates; text JOIN to 855-RAV-LAWN (855-728-5296) to subscribe. (Message and data rates may apply. Messages will be limited to communications regarding this event and time frame only. Replying STOP at any time will remove the recipient’s number from the subscriber list.) Ravinia fans are also encouraged to share photos of their best in-home picnics on Instagram, tagging @RaviniaFestival and #RaviniaLawnParty for a chance to be featured in Ravinia’s Instagram Story during the event. Every living room lawn party shared to Ravinia will be entered to win a very special prize pack from Ravinia’s Festival Shop, with the winner announced at the end of the event.

Ravinia welcomes all festival fans to follow, connect, and interact online with @RaviniaFestival on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as its blog, backstage.ravinia.org. Ravinia Festival is a not-for-profit organization.