Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Two renowned rockers help close out Ravinia's summer.
Last Labor Day weekend brought two lively shows to Ravinia: Jack's Mannequin with Guster and Carrie Underwood. Saturday night, Jack's Mannequin shared a bill with Guster, though the bands also played together briefly. Despite turbulent weather before the show, a mostly young audience braved the wet lawn with ponchos and umbrellas. Jack's Mannequin also lost power briefly during their set but played on regardless to loud cheers from those in the pavilion. Sunday night, Carrie Underwood made her third appearance at the outdoor venue and was joined on stage by the Ravinia Festival Orchestra. Young girls in country attire lined up outside the pavilion gates to catch a glimpse of the former American Idol contestant.
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Thursday, September 1, 2011
Legendary band plays two hometown concerts
Legendary band Chicago played a weekend of hometown concerts this past Saturday and Sunday at Ravinia Festival. This was only the second time in its long careers the band played the outdoor venue. Read the review: Chicago Plays Old and New at Ravinia The set for the night covered many of their hits from their classic catalog, including "Make Me Smile," "Old Days," "Saturday," and many more. Half the proceeds from the weekend shows will go to fight breast cancer. Fourteen-year-old Isabela Nanni opened the show both nights. Editor's note: This article originally stated that Isabela Nanni bid through Chicago's website to play with the band. She actually was discovered by Chicago's manager when she performed at a Notre Dame football game.
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200 Ravinia Park Rd, Highland Park, IL
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Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Singer celebrates 85th birthday in Highland Park.
Tony Bennett celebrated his 85th birthday Friday night at Ravinia in front of an exuberant, sold-out crowd. Read the review: Bennett Wows at 24th Ravinia Performance The legendary performer drew an audience of nearly 20,000 and eight standing ovations after he sang hits like “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” “The Shadow of Your Smile” and “I Wanna Be Around.” The singer's daughter, Antonia, opened the show with several numbers before her father took the stage.
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Ravinia Festival
200 Ravinia Park Rd, Highland Park, IL
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Thursday, August 25, 2011
Country singer brings his large band to music festival.
Lyle Lovett and His Large Band came to Ravinia Sunday night to play to a packed house and lawn. Lovett's large band features several guitar players, keyboards, back-up singers, a cellist, a violinist and several others. The country singer sang fan favorites spanning his 13-album career. Check out photos from the performance above and stay tuned for a review of Lovett's show.
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Ravinia Festival
200 Ravinia Park Rd, Highland Park, IL
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Sunday, August 21, 2011
Performs '5 Shakespeare Sonnets' Song Cycle.
Rufus Wainwright made his debut with the Chicago Syphony Orchestra last Sunday evening at Ravinia. The singer performed his song cycle "5 Shakespeare Sonnets" with the CSO then returned to the stage for a solo set. Before the show, Ravinia put on an instrument petting zoo where children and adults could try out a number of different string, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Kids even got the chance to make their own shakers. Ravinia offers the event several times throughout the concert season during Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances.
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Ravinia Festival
200 Ravinia Park Rd, Highland Park, IL
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Monday, August 15, 2011
Bands Bring Tejano Rock To North Shore
Ravinia was on its feet and rocking last Wednesday night as brown-eyed soul bands Los Lonely Boys and Los Lobos brought the house down with their mix of rock n' roll, blues, and latin music. Los Lonely Boys took the stage first, playing a number of their songs both new and old. Los Lobos joined the band halfway through their set. Los Lonely Boys then joined Los Lobos on stage partway through their subsequent set. The groups co-headlined the event.
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Ravinia Festival
200 Ravinia Park Rd, Highland Park, IL
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Thursday, August 4, 2011
Ravinia makes overtures to encourage student attendance at CSO concerts.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) performed with a bang last Sunday at Ravinia in Highland Park. The weekend saw the return of the popular all-Tchaikovsky program that concludes with an ear-popping rendition of the 1812 Overture that featured live cannon fire. The CSO is celebrating its 75th year in residency at Ravinia this summer. Conductor James Conlon led the musicians in renditions of several popular Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky numbers concluding with the iconic 1812 Overture. Ravinia on Sunday also held its Cannon Ball 2011, a preconcert celebration featuring fun activities, free food and beverages, and chances to win prizes. The festivity is part of the organization's Classical Youth Initiative, an effort to bring in a …
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Ravinia Festival
200 Ravinia Park Rd, Highland Park, IL
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Monday, July 18, 2011
'Dreamgirls' star showcases Chicago roots at Ravinia debut.
Jennifer Hudson returned to her hometown of Chicago last weekend for a two-night stint at Ravinia. This was Hudson's first time performing at the outdoor venue. Hudson was catapulted to stardom with her 2006 Oscar winning performance in Dreamgirls, but when she came home to Chicago and Ravinia it was clear she never forgot her roots or those who helped her along the way. Check out the photos above, then click here to read our review of the show.
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Ravinia Festival
200 Ravinia Park Rd, Highland Park, IL
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Dave Smith
5:44 pm on Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Mike Allen. If I may, actually it's over 15,000 people on the lawn. I was there in the "O" row. I saw Carrie there two years ago. She sold out the 1st concert, and so they booked up a SECOND, the next day, and she sold that one out also. I had row 7 for that one. LOVE her! more ›