Ravinia Festival facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ravinia Festival |
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One of the entrances to Ravinia Festival
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| Location(s) | Highland Park, Illinois |
| Years active | 1904–present |
| Founded by | Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad |
The Ravinia Festival is a famous outdoor music venue located in Highland Park, Illinois. Every summer, from June to September, it hosts many outdoor concerts and shows.
The very first orchestra to play at Ravinia was the New York Philharmonic on June 17, 1905. The Chicago Tribune newspaper said it was "musical entertainment so satisfying in quality and so delightful in environment." Since 1936, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has called Ravinia its summer home.
Ravinia Festival is in the Ravinia neighborhood. It is built on the grounds of Ravinia Park, which is about 36 acres large. The park has many outdoor and indoor places for performances. One of these is the Martin Theater, which has a special prairie style of architecture. About 600,000 people visit Ravinia each summer. They come to enjoy 120 to 150 events. These events include all kinds of music, from classical to jazz and even musical theater.
The Ravinia neighborhood used to be its own village before 1899. Today, the Ravinia Neighbors Association helps keep its history, buildings, and environment special. Near the festival grounds, on Roger Williams Ave., you can find local shops and restaurants. The name "Ravinia" comes from the many steep-sided ravines (small valleys) that cut into the shoreline near Lake Michigan.
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What is the Ravinia Festival?
In 1904, a company called A.C. Frost created Ravinia. It started as an amusement park. The idea was to get people to ride the new Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad. The amusement park had a baseball field, a cool electric fountain, and a building with dining rooms and a dance floor. The Martin Theatre, which was then called Ravinia Theatre, is the only building from that original park that is still there today.
When the railroad went bankrupt, the park was in danger of closing. So, in 1911, local people, mostly business owners from Chicago, bought the park. From then on, music became a big part of summer at Ravinia. The festival only closed for short times during the Great Depression and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ravinia Festival has always been very popular. In the 1920s, it was known as the best place for summer opera in the world. This was thanks to a businessman named Louis Eckstein. He brought famous opera singers and groups from the Chicago Opera and New York Metropolitan Opera Companies. By 1930, stars like Yvonne Gall and Giovanni Martinelli had performed there.
However, putting on opera shows was very expensive. This caused Ravinia to face financial difficulties, and it closed for four years. In 1936, people living on the North Shore raised enough money to bring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to Ravinia. The orchestra has been its permanent summer home ever since.
What kinds of performances are at Ravinia?
Besides symphony concerts, which often feature guest soloists, Ravinia hosts many other types of shows. You can see opera, jazz, blues, folk, rock, and popular music performances. There are also ballet and drama shows.
Ravinia also has educational programs that run all year. These programs help about 75,000 people each year. They especially help schools in the Chicago area that do not have their own music programs. One of the longest-running programs is called Jazz Mentors and Scholars. It brings together the best young musicians from Chicago Public Schools with city musicians to form a larger group.
Over the years, many famous artists have performed at Ravinia Festival. Some recent artists include John Legend, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Maroon 5, Carrie Underwood, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Dolly Parton, Sheryl Crow, Patti LaBelle, James Taylor, and Sting.
In November 2023, the Ravinia Festival Association had a disagreement with Ravinia Brewing Company. The festival said the brewery's name and pictures were confusing people. They felt it made people think the brewery was connected to the festival. The brewery said the lawsuit was "baseless" and that they wanted to get along peacefully. This legal discussion is about how brands use names and marketing.
Where do performances happen?
- The Pavilion is a large outdoor area with 3,350 seats. This is where the biggest music events and concerts take place, including performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
- The Martin Theatre is an indoor hall with 850 seats. It is often used for smaller classical music groups, opera shows, and cabaret performances.
- Bennett Gordon Hall has 450 seats. It is home to Ravinia's Steans Music Institute. This hall is also used for talks before concerts and preview shows. Ravinia's Steans Music Institute is a special summer program for young musicians who want to become professionals. It has programs for jazz, piano and strings, and singers.
- The Lawn is a big open area where people can have picnics during performances. The music is played through a sound system, and sometimes a large video screen shows the concert.
Exploring the Ravinia Grounds
Most people who visit Ravinia enjoy the 36-acre parkland and lawn. Ravinia is one of the few concert places in the country that lets you bring your own full meals and drinks, including alcoholic beverages. Because of this, many grocery stores and restaurants near Highland Park sell ready-to-eat Ravinia picnics.
The Metra train provides service to Ravinia Park. The Union Pacific North Line has a special stop right outside the front gate. Trains stop there before and after concerts. It is the last private train stop in Illinois. A famous British conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham, once called Ravinia "the only railway station with a resident orchestra." Visitors can get dropped off and picked up right at the front gate.
Who leads the Ravinia Festival?
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See also
In Spanish: Festival de Ravinia para niños
- List of contemporary amphitheatres
- List of opera festivals
