In The Loop Magazine Summer Concerts In The Park Return As Highland Park's Ravinia Release 2026 Season For Their New And Improved Pavilion

Summer Concerts In The Park Return As Highland Park’s Ravinia Release 2026 Season For Their New And Improved Pavilion

Mar 12, 2026 admin_bitlc Breaking News, Features, Music News, Reviews, This Just In 0

RAVINIA FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS MILESTONE 2026 SEASON, FEATURING THE INAUGURATION OF THE UPDATED AND REDESIGNED HUNTER PAVILION

Artists include Paul Simon, Brandi Carlile, Chance the Rapper, Gladys Knight, Ricky Martin, Hugh Jackman, Miranda Lambert, Alabama Shakes, Bonnie Raitt, Kool & The Gang, Rod Stewart, and Ziggy Marley

Performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, celebrating its 90th anniversary at Ravinia this season, include the Midwest premiere of the co-commissioned Good News Mass led by Ravinia Chief Conductor Marin Alsop, an appearance by flutist Lizzo, The Abduction from the Seraglio conducted by James Conlon, and the Ravinia debut of
CSO Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä

More than 50 artists make Ravinia debuts in a wide-ranging season of 90-plus concerts

Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival today announced its highly anticipated 2026 season, heralding a bold new era for North America’s longest-running outdoor music festival. Running from June through September, the season highlights the ongoing renewal and enhancement of Ravinia’s historic 36-acre park, led by the opening of the updated and redesigned Hunter Pavilion, honoring Maxine M. and Thomas B. Hunter III.

The 2026 lineup offers such legendary performers and vital contemporary voices as Paul Simon, Gladys Knight, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, and Jacob Collier, as well as acclaimed artists such as Hugh Jackman, Rod Stewart, Kool & The Gang, Chance the Rapper, Ricky Martin, Alabama Shakes, and Ray LaMontagne, who are making their Ravinia debuts.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, returning for the 90th anniversary of its Ravinia residency, will perform six programs under the leadership of Ravinia Chief Conductor Marin Alsop, including the July 11 grand reopening concert with Yunchan Lim playing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major and an appearance by celebratedflutist Lizzo. On July 31, Alsop and the CSO give the Midwest premiere of a co-commissioned work, Good News Mass, by composer Carlos Simon, featuring librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph performing spoken word. The CSO’s Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä will make his Ravinia debut in August, conducting Strauss’s Alpine Symphony and Stravinsky’s The Firebird. And the orchestra will be joined by outstanding soloists and its chorus for a semi-staged production of Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio, conducted by James Conlon. Acclaimed soloists this season include Emanuel Ax, Stella Chen, María Dueñas, and Daniel Lozakovich.

Simon’s composition and Ax’s all-American program are among the highlights of Ravinia’s observance of the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independencethis summer. A wide range of artists, genres, and reflections in American music—from hip-hop and pop to classical and country—will be celebrated across Ravinia Festival concerts, including compositions focused on American themes that honor the nation’s history.

“The grand opening of the Hunter Pavilion marks a historic milestone for Ravinia,” says President and CEO Jeffrey P. Haydon. “It is particularly meaningful that this state-of-the-art venue will serve as the inaugural stage for our debut artists, including conductor Klaus Mäkelä, Ricky Martin, Miranda Lambert, Alabama Shakes, Rod Stewart, and many others. We are finding that the pavilion’s enhanced acoustics and sophisticated production capabilities are a powerful draw for world-class talent eager to perform in a venue that doesn’t just host music but creates an atmosphere that leaves both artists and audiences equally inspired.”

From pop powerhouses to classical stars, Fiesta Ravinia to rap, and historic venues to picnics on the Lawn, Ravinia 2026 promises something for everyone.

Tickets go on sale only at Ravinia.org beginning Thursday, April 23, with donors able to request tickets as early as Tuesday, March 17. Ravinia has no affiliation with websites that resell tickets. Third-party ticket prices and availability are pure speculation and frequently include large markups.

RAVINIA 2026 SCHEDULE
All performances take place in the Hunter Pavilion except where noted.

MT = Martin Theatre	BGH = Bennett Gordon Hall
SKC = Sandra K. Crown Theater	CSL = Carousel Stage

Artists making their Ravinia debut are marked with an asterisk (*).

Alumni of the Steans Institute are marked with a hash (#).

Artists making their Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut are marked with a caret (^).

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The CSO’s annual six-week residency—July 11 through August 16 this season—includes programs led by Marin Alsop and distinguished guest conductors.

July 11 \ An international star as the youngest-ever Van Cliburn Competition winner, Yunchan Lim returns to join the CSO and Marin Alsop in adding gleams of Art Deco style to the Hunter Pavilion’s first concert with Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, brimming with Parisian jazz, Basque soulfulness, and American spirit. Lizzo*^ plays flute with CSO, sharing her spark for transforming lives with music.
- Woven around this concert are spotlights on our Reach Teach Play programs and the access to music they create. Our Women’s Board hosts the Gala before and after the performance to raise funds for Ravinia and these initiatives.
July 16 & 18 \ James Conlon returns to lead Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio, a tale of love’s unimpeached loyalty winning out over fame and gain. Mozart built his theater legacy on this comic opera, not long before Figaro, tweaking norms of power by giving each man a hapless streak and showing women as agents of constancy. Kathryn Lewek and Miles Mykkanen^ star with scene-stopping songs in German and action narrated in English. (MT)
July 19 \ Gramophone’s Young Artist and Instrumentalist of the Year for 2025, María Dueñas*^ makes her CSO and Ravinia debuts joining Marin Alsop for Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, lending “memorable, highly individual” flair with “bold, languorously romantic” cadenzas (The Strad). Alsop also sets out the rustic tranquility of Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony, where storm music swirls and brightly passes with Midwestern energy and grace.
July 23 \ “A symphony must be like the world,” Mahler said. “It must contain everything.” Marshaling the profound energy of the CSO for Mahler’s Sixth Symphony,Marin Alsop leads a riveting search for meaning in a complex, rapidly changing world. Moving through moments of idyllic nostalgia to devastating fanaticism and fateful blows, this monumental work perfectly anticipates the challenges and longing of the 21st century.
July 24 \ Marin Alsop and Emmy-winning composer Laura Karpman co-curate spotlights on original orchestral music’s magic in screen storytelling. A 30-year veteran of prestige TV, documentary, game, and Marvel scores, Karpman demonstrates how music can guide the interpretation of a film scene, with performances by Alsop and the CSO. Together, they also focus on women composers—long under-represented on the screen—sharing music by the likes of Shirley Walker, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Rachel Portman, and Chanda Dancy. Alsop premieres Karpman’s Unsung, featuring music for iconic female characters who never before had a theme, and Taki Alsop Fellow Chi-Yuan Lin*^ leads Star Wars themes by John Williams and Natalie Holt, the first woman to compose for the storied franchise.
- This centerpiece of the fifth Breaking Barriers Festival is bookended by a pre-concert panel and, before July 25’s concert, an extended live demonstration of music setting film moods.
July 25 \ One of the most innovative artists in modern music, six-time Grammy winner St. Vincent^ offers audiences a kaleidoscope of sonic and visual exploration. In a limited, first-ever run of performances with orchestra, she joins the CSO alongside orchestrator/conductor Jules Buckley*^ to share a new dimension of favorites and deep cuts from her whole catalog, from Marry Me to All Born Screaming.
July 31 \ Marin Alsop returns to Dvořák’s famous Ninth Symphony, which borrows themes of Indigenous and Black American music to depict the essence of our “New World” home. Carlos Simon’s Good News Mass, a Ravinia co-commission, has its Midwest premiere with the CSO, spreading gospel-music spirituality of thanks, loss, joy, and hope layered with Black Catholic tradition and classical-music liturgy.
August 1 \ The “always thoughtful, lyrical, and lustrous” (Washington Post) pianist Emanuel Ax celebrates the 50th anniversary of his CSO debut by joining Marin Alsop and the orchestra on John Williams’s new concerto, each movement an homage to a jazz icon. Alsop wraps the all-American program in Rachmaninoff’s jazzy Symphonic Dances and John Adams’s driving Short Ride in a Fast Machine.
August 2 \ Tony Award–winning orchestrator and conductor Ted Sperling mines more than 200 years of popular songs to share enchanting gems that center our country’s triumphs and challenges, featuring the CSO and vocalists Micaela Diamond*^, Bryonha Marie*^, and Noah Ricketts*^ gleaming like amber waves of grain on “Summertime,” “A Change Is Gonna Come,” “Shenandoah,” “Over the Rainbow,” the hoedown from Copland’s Rodeo, and more standards and contemporary anthems.
August 6 \ Hailed as “a rivetingly energetic presence” (New York Times), CSO Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä* leads the polar expedition of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with soloist Daniel Lozakovich*, whose “exceptional talent” (Le Figaro) made their joint debut downtown in 2022 a landmark moment reprised tonight. Mäkelä also scales the mountainous tone-tale of Strauss’s Alpine Symphony.
August 7 \ Dedicated to sharing the renowned artistry of the CSO, Klaus Mäkelä reignites his history-launching debut with Stravinsky’s complete, storied score for The Firebird. Mäkelä keeps the spotlight on the orchestra with works by Debussy that weave captivating themes around each section, from the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun to Ibéria, called an “intoxicating spell of Andalusian nights” by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla.
August 13 \ One of history’s most versatile musicians, Quincy Jones amassed 30 Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Awards as the composer/producer behind iconic music like “Soul Bossa Nova,” “P.Y.T.,” and “Stuff Like That”; scores for The Wiz, The Italian Job, and The Color Purple; and the Thriller, Bad, and The Dudealbums. Decade-long Jones collaborator Jules Buckley leads the CSO in a tribute to the groundbreaking catalogue of the Chicago-born artist.
August 14 \ Polymathic conductor and producer Steve Hackman*^ coils together 150 years of musical pathos and tension in his fusion of Brahms’s First Symphony with the equally anxious tracks of Radiohead’s OK Computer, leading the CSO and three guest vocalists to confront both the 1876 fears of following up Beethoven and the 1997 fears of entering the internet age in seamless counterpoint. Note: Radiohead does not perform in this concert.
August 16 \ The CSO’s 90th summer residency concludes with the nearly 50-year Ravinia tradition of an all-Tchaikovsky evening, including the triumphant exhilaration of the 1812 Overture punctuated with cannons for the finale. Solti Conducting Award winner Earl Lee#^ returns with the irresistible Romeo & Juliet love theme and the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, and Stella Chen# brings “brilliant command” (The Strad) to the Violin Concerto.

RECITALS, CHAMBER MUSIC, and GUEST ORCHESTRAS
A wide array of classical music beyond the symphonic repertoire is offered this summer, including recitals, chamber music, and uniquely curated presentations.

June 5 \ From over 20 years in concert together, Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk# have “developed the sixth sense” for shared musicality (New York Times). This special performance—Bell’s first chamber concert at Ravinia since 1995—features the lush Romanticism of duo sonatas by Schubert, Grieg, and Ravel, plus a solo work each. (MT)
June 7 \ Alisa Weilerstein, “one of the most characterful cellists around” (The Times), and Inon Barnatan#, “one of the most admired pianists of his generation” (New York Times), come together for an afternoon of sweeping emotion, performing Falla’s Suite populaire espagnole, several Shostakovich preludes, and sonatas by Chopin and Rachmaninoff. (MT)
July 22 \ A Grammy winner and Musical America Instrumentalist of the Year, Augustin Hadelich# returns to “revel in [his] myriad ways of making a phrase come alive on the violin” (Washington Post), fusing Baroque and blues forms in works at the pinnacle of solo music, from Bach and Telemann to Paganini and Ysaÿe to Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson. (MT)
July 26 \ Known as “an orchestra of voices,” Chanticleer shines its “pure and deeply felt singing” (New York Times) on the diverse lyrics, harmonies, and rhythms in the musical heritage of the U.S. The male chorus traces from African American spirituals through bluegrass and folksong to the legacy of those songs in contemporary classics. (MT)
August 2 \ Music, verse, and visuals coalesce in Black Moon Trio’s* premiere of Lakenotes, a multi-dimensional tribute to the mystery and majesty of Lake Michigan. A new work by Stacy Garrop centers this program of richly textured soundscapes and sweeping video that portray our Great Lake as a living, breathing presence. (SKC)
August 5 \ “There are simply two kinds of string quartets: the Danish, and the others,” writes Boston Classical Review of Danish String Quartet. The 2020 Musical America Ensemble of the Year romps around the jovial final quartet by Beethoven, as well as youthful Mozart and Shostakovich’s profoundly inquisitive Third Quartet. (MT)
August 9 \ A nearly annual Ravinia guest artist since age 22, pianist Misha Dichter triumphantly marks his 50th season at the festival with the alternating vigor and sentimentality of Brahms and Prokofiev sonatas. He also pays homage to his Polish-immigrant parents with performances of polonaise and mazurka dances by Chopin and Beethoven. (BGH)
August 9 \ Making his Ravinia debut, beloved Tony- and Grammy-winning singer/actor Hugh Jackman* showcases his “endless charm, energy, and charisma” (New York Stage Review) with the Chicago Philharmonic.
August 16 \ Hailed as “one of America’s finest artists” (New York Times), Frederica von Stade shares a rare post-retirement performance, joining the “vocally resplendent” (Schmopera) Susan Graham for a truly legendary concert of art song with pianist Kevin Murphy, Artistic Director of the Singers Program at the Steans Institute. (BGH)
August 19 \ “A Gregory Alan Isakov show is a kind of spell, no matter where you see him play,” writes American Highways. In his first performance at Ravinia, singer/songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov* takes the audience on a journey with the Chicago Philharmonic, under the baton of Christopher Dragon.
September 2 \ “British artist Labrinth* is known for pushing boundaries when it comes to how his music can sound — often resulting in experimental production that defies genre,” Billboard says of the star, known for his work on Euphoria’s score. Backed by the Chicago Philharmonic, he brings to life works including those from his latest album, Cosmic Opera: Act I, which features orchestra.
September 3 \ Highly regarded among Chicago’s classical jewels, Music of the Baroque and Dame Jane Glover summon the full voice of their orchestra and chorus in 18th-century grandeur. Handel’s Royal Fireworks music and coronation anthems adorn the spectacle of Steven Isserlis* performing Haydn’s First Cello Concerto.
September 5 \ A cellist and composer with “tremendous heart … joy and captivating sound” (The Strad), Karen Ouzounian# regularly collaborates with the Silkroad Ensemble, among other singular musicians. Her chamber-music project, Mayrig (“mother” in Armenian), lifts three generations of family voices in songs and stories from their post-genocide home and weaves them around historic Armenian music and new compositions on resilience, rage, and roots. In this enhanced edition, Mayrig features deeper chamber music with oud, viola, and bass alongside cello, piano, and electronics, plus an immersive, new physical dimension including hand-drawn illustrations integrated with the performance. This is the first production powered by the Steans Institute Alumni Catalyst Fund, which supports artistic innovation by Steans alumni. (SKC)
September 6 \ “A decisive, powerful player … with exquisite nuance and shadings” (Seattle Times), pianist Olga Kern musters microcosms of drama and comedy, from the masked faces of Schumann’s Carnaval and Rachmaninoff’s breathless miniatures to songful Scriabin études and Beethoven variations, then sparks off hot-jazz Gershwin for a finale. (BGH)
September 23 \ Coldplay’s Chris Martin once called Jacob Collier “the best musician in the world” (Rolling Stone). The six-time Grammy winner comes to one of Ravinia’s most intimate spaces, offering a chance to experience his genre-defying musicality up close. (MT)

FAMILY PROGRAMMING and FILM
Ravinia offers a variety of programs for all ages, including a series of performances specially presented for young children and families. For more information about the Kids Concert Series, which has special ticketing for children and their family members, visit Ravinia.org/KidsConcerts. To learn more about pre-concert activities and events at select Kids Concerts and Sunday CSO concerts, visit Ravinia.org/KidsLawn.

August 1 \ Laurie Berkner
August 8 \ Black Moon Trio: “The Great Lakes”: A companion to Barb Rosenstock and illustrator Jamey Christoph’s picture book The Great Lakes, Black Moon Trio’s concert is a family-friendly journey through the scientific wonder of our five freshwater jewels, offering an approachable way to gain appreciation for their role in sustaining nature and culture. (SKC)
August 15 \ Okee Dokee Brothers (CSL)
August 22 \ Divi Roxx Kids (CSL)
August 23 \ Grease Sing-Along
August 29 \ JAM Orchestra*: Dr. Seuss Goes to the Opera: JAM Orchestra gives a joyful introduction to opera, featuring professional opera singers in an interactive performance of the complete Green Eggs and Ham and Gertrude McFuzz Dr. Seuss stories paired with playful music to enchant all ages. (MT)

JAZZ and BLUES

June 3 \ Terence Blanchard & Ravi Coltrane* (MT)
June 4 \ Stella Cole* (BGH)
June 6 & 7 \ Wildflowers: Kurt Elling with Fred Hersch (SKC)
July 14 \ Squirrel Nut Zippers (CSL)
July 15 \ Harry Connick Jr.
August 12 \ Joe Bonamassa*

POP, HIP-HOP, RAP, LATIN, and REGGAE

July 12 \ Billy Idol*
July 28 \ Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band* with special guest The Docksiders*
August 4 \ Magic City Hippies* (CSL)
August 8 \ Chance the Rapper*
August 11 \ Brian McKnight & Gladys Knight
August 20 \ Ricky Martin*
August 27 \ Kool & The Gang* with special guest Morris Day & The Time* and ConFunkShun*
September 5 \ Rod Stewart* with special guest Richard Marx
September 13 \ 10th Fiesta Ravinia: Los Tigres del Norte
September 17 \ Ziggy Marley and Thievery Corporation*
September 18 \ Tom Jones

ROCK, INDIE, COUNTRY, and FOLK

July 17 & 18 \ Paul Simon
July 26 \ Emmylou Harris & Graham Nash
July 29 \ The Kody Norris Show* (CSL)
August 15 \ moe.* and Umphrey’s McGee on the moe.mentUM Tour
August 21 \ Alabama Shakes* with special guest Liam Kazar*
August 22 \ Bonnie Raitt
August 25 \ Deep Purple with special guest Kansas
August 26 \ Brandi Carlile with special guest I’m With Her
August 28 \ Alabama
August 29 \ Ray LaMontagne* (Trouble 20th Anniversary Tour) with special guest The Weather Station*
August 30 \ Miranda Lambert*
September 6 \ Squeeze with special guest Adam Ant*
September 12 \ Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas (Arcadia Tour) with special guest Theo Lawrence*
September 19 \ Martina McBride*

SETTING THE STAGES
Supported by a privately funded $75 million “Setting the Stages” campaign, the renovation of the Hunter Pavilion is the largest phase of an ambitious project that will renew all the venues and the entire landscape at Ravinia. While the signature roof of the pavilion remains intact, the venue now boasts the deeper Negaunee Foundation Stage with a new acoustic shell for orchestral performances; a state-of-the-art audio system; a robust show-lighting system, along with new lighting throughout the pavilion; modernized production booths; and a video production room, as well as new audience seating with increased accessibility.

Back-of-house facilities for the Hunter Pavilion have been improved by the construction of the Negaunee Foundation Artist Center. It includes a more welcoming artists’ entrance; updated dressing rooms and artist areas; two new warm-up rooms for musicians; a warm-up room wired to double as a media production studio to support radio and TV broadcasts; renovated offices for the production department and stagehands; and an expanded loading area for more efficient show management.

The first venue to receive a full refresh was the Sandra K. Crown Theater, now part of The Audrey, formerly the Ravinia Music Box. This 100-seat live performance venue offers a state-of-the-art immersive audio and visual experience, as well as Ravinia’s closest encounters with live music.

Future phases of Ravinia’s renovation will include structural restoration and enhanced production capabilities of the historic Martin Theatre, the only original performance structure at Ravinia, which opened in 1904; a new outdoor performance space to replace the modified Carousel Stage; and a thorough updating of the production, aesthetics, and audience areas of Bennett Gordon Hall. Phases will continue in the coming years as Ravinia moves toward its 125th anniversary celebration in 2029.

STEANS INSTITUTE
Ravinia’s Steans Institute is an international destination for exceptional musical talent, cultivating the next generation of classical and jazz musicians. Our world-renowned programs empower emerging professional pianists, string players, singers, composers, and jazz musicians to refine their craft, collaborate with peers, and elevate their musicianship to new heights. Since opening its doors, Steans has offered coaching, master classes, and performance opportunities to more than 1,700 exceptional musicians, many of whom have cultivated highly visible and successful careers in performance, artistic leadership, and music education.

Steans musicians perform roughly two dozen programs during the summer season on their home stage, the purpose-built Bennett Gordon Hall. All concerts are open to the public and are a mix of free and ticketed events. Most performances are also livestreamed or later uploaded to Ravinia’s YouTube channel.

Bridges Competition: On June 10, the Steans Institute presents the 2026 David Baker Prize-winning compositions from the eighth Bridges Competition, which is devoted to advancing the fusion of jazz and classical chamber music with new works from emerging composers. The three co-Artistic Directors of the Steans Jazz Program—bassist John Clayton, pianist Billy Childs, and saxophonist Steve Wilson—will select three winning pieces and work closely with the composers to refine the music in collaboration with the house ensemble of Steans Jazz and Piano & Strings Programs alums, who will perform the premieres.

Jazz Grandstand: Musicians from the Steans Jazz Program showcase their compositional and instrumental chops on June 17 in an evening of original charts, all written and workshopped during their one-week residency at Ravinia under the guidance of Childs, Clayton, and Wilson.

Piano & Strings Concerts: The Piano & Strings Program emphasizes the collaborative artistry of sonata and chamber music. Members of Artistic Director Midori’s faculty lead and perform on specially themed concerts: cellist Clive Greensmith explores a golden century of Vienna (July 12), pianist Benjamin Hochman illuminates Franck and his Parisian protégés (July 23), and violinist Carolin Widmann meditates on music for love and loss (July 15). Master classes and concerts will be presented in Bennett Gordon Hall on July 1, 3, 5, 9, 16, 17, 19, 21, and 24; all events will be livestreamed, except the curated concerts on July 12, 15, and 23.

Vocal Concerts: The Singers Program gives classical vocalists space to delve into the vast repertoire of art song. Among the songs spanning time and place, Artistic Director Kevin Murphy welcomes dramaturg Cori Ellison to turn through a kaleidoscope of impressions on the U.S. from Weill, Rameau, Britten, Ives, and more (August 8). For the Steans season finale (August 22), multi-genre pianist/arranger Damien Sneed directs spiritual songs from classical, jazz, and gospel traditions. Master classes and concerts will be presented in Bennett Gordon Hall on August 5, 6, 13, 15, 18, and 20; all events will be livestreamed except the curated concerts on August 8 and 22.

Visit Ravinia.org/Steans to learn more about the Steans Institute.

TRANSPORTATION
Ravinia Festival continues its collaboration with Metra through the 2026 summer season. Under this partnership, all trains on the Union Pacific North Line will honor Ravinia tickets as train fares; patrons can show their dated concert tickets for a free train ride to and from the park on the day of the event.

As in previous summers, remote parking will be consolidated in downtown Highland Park; on designated concert days, park-and-ride buses will shuttle to and from the park, as needed.

On-site parking is available, though limited, and the festival operates a free park-and-ride shuttle bus service to nearby lots along the train line.

FOOD AND DRINKS
Patrons can bring picnics or choose from a selection of in-park dining options to elevate their concert experience. The Ravinia Market features a selection of fresh, made-to-order dishes, snacks, and local and international beers and wines. The Café will be open on most concert nights, offering rich, locally brewed coffee; decadent ice cream; and an assortment of light grab-and-go snacks to satisfy every craving.

Mobile carts throughout the park provide a variety of seasonal delights, including craft-ready-to-drink cocktails, spiked seltzers, fine wines, and locally sourced beers, ensuring that refreshments are always within reach. Indoor and outdoor dining options will be available at the Park View and Lawn Bar restaurants in the Dining Pavilion. Each restaurant has a covered outdoor patio for open-air service, and reservations are strongly recommended. Serving handcrafted cocktails and light bites, the Tree Top Lounge, perched above the park, offers both indoor and outdoor seating. No reservations are required—Tree Top Lounge is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For those seeking a more exclusive experience, customized catering options are available for group events in designated spaces, allowing guests to pair their evening of music with a tailored experience. Visit ravinia.org for more information.

Ravinia donors at Opus level and above can also book reservations at the Freehling Room, now under the purveyorship of J&L Catering. Enjoy elevated global cuisine and beloved classics in the serene space, which was refreshed in the off-season and received an all-new kitchen.

ABOUT RAVINIA
Ravinia believes in the power of shared, live-music moments to inspire ourselves, our communities, and the world. Ravinia’s historic 36-acre park is home to North America’s longest-running outdoor music festival and serves as an enchanting place to experience concerts throughout the summer. With a foundational focus on classical music, featuring the long-standing annual summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia is one of the most artistically diverse music festivals in the world, spotlighting renowned rock, pop, jazz, R&B, indie, and country artists across the concert schedule.

A not-for-profit organization, Ravinia also enriches lives through professional music performance training in the Steans Institute as well as through youth and adult educational programs and community engagement with Reach Teach Play. Ravinia’s initiatives and programming create memorable experiences that connect people, foster curiosity, and ensure that the joy of live music is accessible to all.

Ravinia is located about 20 miles north of Chicago in Highland Park, IL. Bordered by Green Bay and Lake Cook Roads, Ravinia has the only private train platform in Illinois, with Metra’s Union Pacific North Line stopping at the Grand Entrance during the summer.

SPONSORS
Ravinia Festival is a not-for-profit cultural institution that depends on the support of individual donors, foundations, and corporations. Among the many benefits of supporting Ravinia’s mission, donors receive access to tickets as early as March 17.

Ravinia is grateful to welcome back Allstate for a tenth year as its Lead Reach Teach Play Sponsor.

Premier Sponsors: BMO; Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Audi Dealers; In Honor of Sandra K. Crown; Elizabeth Crown and Bill Wallace, in loving memory of Catherine Crown Sanders; The Dancing Skies Foundation; Discover; Tera and Richard McBlaine; Midtown Athletic Clubs; The Negaunee Foundation; The Sedge and Henry Plitt Charitable Trusts; Ravinia Women’s Board; Sage Foundation; Audrey L. Weaver; Wintrust

Mainstage Sponsors: Abbott; Acceligence; In Memory of Keene H. Addington II; Megan P. and John L. Anderson; Baird; In Memory of Charles and Margery Barancik; Ellen Rudnick and Paul Earle; ITW; Katten; McKinsey & Company; Northern Trust; PNC Bank; Terlato Wines

Spotlight Sponsors: AbbVie; Baxter International Inc.; Casa Famosa; The Coca-Cola Company; Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.; Dottie B.B. and Jason Gordon; Greenberg Traurig, LLP; Hunter Family Foundation; JPMorganChase; Latham & Watkins LLP; Pamela J. Mayo; The Susan Nicholas Fasciano Family Foundation; Perkins Coie LLP; Reed Smith LLP; Sidley Austin LLP; Stepan Company; Testa Produce; In Honor of Nancy Zadek from Craig and Linda Umans; White Claw

Sponsors: Mr. and Mrs. Larry A. Barden; Judy and Merrill Blau; Jane and David Casper; Don and Susan Civgin; Winnie and Bob Crawford; Bobbie and Charlie Denison; Shawn M. Donnelley and Christopher M. Kelly; Betsy and Arthur Holden; Chris and Elise Klein; Kenneth and Jodi Meister; Daniela O’Leary-Gill and George Gill; Ravinia Associates Board; John Snyder and Mignon Dupepe; Lynne and David B. Weinberg