Adriana Avila's blog
The music continues indoors at Ravinia Festival from now through April 2008. The Rising Stars series features up and coming performers in the world of classical music and is designed to provide gifted young musicians with the opportunity to refine their performing skills. This unique program encourages audiences to experience and support new talent in an intimate setting.
Brazilian Guitar Quartet showcases traditional Brazilian guitar music as well as Western classical music on Friday, October 19. The Houston Chronicle calls the group, “Attentive, respectful, authoritative and irresistibly musical.”
The Chicago Tribune hails the Rising Stars series as “one of the nation’s primary launching pads.” Ravinia Festival is dedicated to developing the full potential of emerging artists, beginning performances on the Rising Stars series and, ultimately, their Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut on the pavilion stage during the festival’s summer season. Rising Stars concerts have introduced Ravinia patrons to such major artists as pianists Jonathan Biss and Lang Lang —both of whom have appeared at Ravinia in main-stage performances this past summer.
In the ten years since its formation, the Brazilian Guitar Quartet has been widely praised, performing at venues such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York, headlining the inaugural World Guitar Congress in Baltimore, and performing at festivals across the world. Tickets are available by calling 847-266-5100 or by visiting www.ravinia.org.
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On June 8 & 9 Opera Africa will be performing UShaka, the musical telling of the life of legendary Zulu warrior Shaka. Seventy singers from South Africa have flown to the U.S. to bring this incredible performance to the Ravinia stage.
Before the perfomance, Opera Africa will be participating in several community outreach events including a choral exchange with three professional choirs (Lira, Ngoma, and the Chicago Chamber Choir) on Friday, June 2, and with six high school choirs on Monday, June 5.
This is a fantastic opportunity for the UShaka cast and the local choirs to blend their styles, a learning experience for them both. We are especially excited for the high school choirs, who will present a pre-concert performance before both UShaka concerts here at Ravinia. It should be very interesting to see and hear the interaction between these widely varied choirs, a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved.
UShaka is also exploring the local community, bringing their unique sound and story to the Chicago Botanical Gardens on Saturday June 3 and the St. Sabina Church morning service on Sunday June 4. We’re eager to see UShaka take an active role in the community, giving the Chicago area a glimpse of African culture. These are all great chances to see UShaka live before their Ravinia premiere on Thursday and Friday.
~Nick Rego, Marketing Intern
Nick is this summer's marketing intern. He will be a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he is majoring in English and Art History.
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Happy April!
Tonight we move our clocks ahead an hour and I can’t tell you how symbolic this is for me. I feel like we are moving fast-forward-full-speed-ahead into another season at Ravinia Festival. That means one thing; winter is over! (Crossing my fingers it doesn’t snow at the end of April.)
For those of you like me, Ravinia is synonymous with summer. It’s a tradition. It’s the light at the end of the dark, winter tunnel. I remember getting so excited to see the announcement of the season in the paper before I became a part of the Ravinia staff. Memories of sitting on the lawn and listening to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or Celia Cruz or Bonnie Raitt always reminded me why I love summer at Ravinia.
Now it’s weird being on the other end of the schedule and being a part of the team that actually gets the information out to the public. I don’t get the surprise element of seeing the calendar as a whole along with everyone else. I guess that does take away part of the excitement. However, I still think about how nice it is to drink wine and picnic outside while listening to great music. Plus, I get the inside scoop before anyone.
I feel like I’m getting performance jitters, even though I’m not performing. Does anyone else get that “rush” before the start of a season?
I think part of those jitters is just hoping that everything goes off without a hitch. I’m sure we all dream of wonderful performances, high ticket sales, rave reviews and big success stories. In reality, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes of any arts organization.
The challenge we all face (and the reason this site even exists) is getting people just as excited for classical music as they do popular music. What else can we do to get the younger audience in to fill the seats? We started the “Full House” initiative last year, which was very successful. The surveys we conducted all showed positive reactions from first-time patrons.
While seeing a classical concert might not be at the top of a young person’s “To Do” list, I think that a lot of people would enjoy it more than they would expect. The problem is getting them out to experience it and discover that for themselves. From the thunder of the full orchestra or the softness of a soloist, the experience is really magical. Then again, you know that. How do we convince others?
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First, let me apologize for being absent over the past couple of weeks. It has been a busy, busy time here at the festival. Our season was just announced this week, which you can view
online now.
For the first time ever, you can listen to audio tracks and download podcasts on iTunes. The music coincides with a calendar date and gives an audio example of what you will hear at that particular concert. Plus it gives some background information on the composer, the piece and the performers.
It’s a really unique way to present the season, I think. Hopefully, this will take some of the mystery and fear away from those new to classical music and encourage them up to experience it live.
Individual tracks are available on certain calendar dates as well. So browse around and take a listen to some or all of the clips.
In addition to the podcasting, we are using a very popular online music community website called www.myspace.com to promote our concert series. You can see our page
here. Is anyone else using this or another related service?
Our page is fairly new and it takes some time to build a network of “friends,” but I think it’s a good way to attract a young audience. It’s a free service and you have total control over the content. Plus, you can post bulletins to alert those in your network about upcoming shows and events.
These are just a couple of ways to put a fresh spin on classical music and present it to a new generation. I think it’s important to keep up with the trends in technology and explore different ways to use them in promoting our organizations. I would love to hear what you think about these two new features.
*****
I just found this
article on Yahoo that discusses how live classical recordings are becoming more readily available online. It's an attempt to revive interest in classical music and attract new listeners. It's perfect timing.
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My poor co-workers have to put up with me singing in the office all the time. When I'm not driving them crazy with Christmas songs, I am humming along as I work on our 2006 season calendar. Believe me, I am no singer (unless you count how I like to pretend in the shower or car). No matter what I do, though, I keep going back to this particular piece.
I am sure you've seen the United commercials using this song. Are you humming it now too? The song is George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."
This summer the Ravinia Festival Women's Board Gala will recreate the night that Gershwin played in the park. I've heard stories about how there were people literally hanging from the trees to get a glimpse of this legendary composer and songwriter. So every time I go past that calendar square, the song keeps playing in my head.
Like many people, I am a big fan of Gershwin music and this is going to be one spectacular evening. "Gershwin at Ravinia: Who Could Ask for Anything More?" commemorates the 70th anniversary of Gershwin's only Ravinia performance in 1936. Four-time Tony winner Audra McDonald, veteran of Ravinia's Sondheim series; vocalist Brian Stokes Mitchell; and conductor/pianist Andrew Litton will headline the 2006 Women's Board Gala Benefit Evening, July 15.
Hershey Felder, creator and star of George Gershwin Alone and Monsieur Chopin, will host and perform a program that includes "Rhapsody in Blue" and selections from Porgy and Bess, taking guests back to that summer when Gershwin took Ravinia by storm.
Paulette talked about the role of music in film in a recent article posted here at Chicago Classical Music. I think it's a great way to remind people how important music is in theater, movies, television and even cartoons. Imagine watching Bugs Bunny run around with no music!
I always tell friends who think they don't like classical music to think about it again. I know they will discover a hidden love (or at least fondness) for it.
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In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share this with you all.
Ditty of First Desire
By Federico Garcia Lorca
In the green morning
I wanted to be a heart.
A heart.
And in the ripe evening
I wanted to be a nightingale.
A nightingale.
(Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.)
In the vivid morning
I wanted to be myself.
A heart.
And at the evening's end
I wanted to be my voice.
A nightingale.
Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.
In the green morning
I wanted to be a heart.
A heart.
And in the ripe evening
I wanted to be a nightingale.
A nightingale.
(Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.)
In the vivid morning
I wanted to be myself.
A heart.
And at the evening's end
I wanted to be my voice.
A nightingale.
Soul,
turn orange-colored.
Soul,
turn the color of love.
I thought this was especially sweet for today. I’ve been reading a lot of Lorca’s poetry again lately. That was sparked by the announcement that we are having Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar (“Fountain of Tears”) at the festival on June 14. Ainadamar is based on the life of Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca.
Golijov brought such excitement to the festival a couple of years ago with his St. Mark Passion. “Fountain of Tears” is getting equally impressive reviews. In a recent New York Times profile of Golijov, Jeremy Eichler wrote, "Mr. Golijov's works jump off the stage with exuberant rhythm and passionate song; they swing seamlessly from the earthy to the sublime and tap rich veins of aching lyricism."
I can’t wait to see this performance!
You can order tickets now on our website.
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People are often under the impression that Ravinia Festival sleeps during the off season. On the contrary, we are busy getting things ready for this coming summer. (Ah, summer sounds so great right now. Doesn’t it?) Just because the poor lawn in the park is frozen doesn’t mean we are all inside hibernating.
In fact, the office is buzzing today as we are trying to get our new calendar together. I can’t reveal all of our secrets but I’m excited about the many wonderful artists who will be performing here this summer. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will welcome special guests such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Renee Fleming, Patti LuPone in Gypsy and many more. You’ll have to stay tuned to get more details later on.
Plus, the music doesn’t stop after the summer is over. We are still welcoming performers in a series called “Rising Stars” throughout the fall and spring. You can be among the first to see new talent as they play in an intimate theater setting, the next concert is the Corigliano String Quartet on March 3! You can read more details on our web site about the artists and concert dates. It’s such a great and affordable way to see these exciting, young artists.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more details about those concerts. For now, I just wanted to say hello and welcome you to the new Ravinia blog at Chicago Classical Music. At this point, you are probably wondering who I am. Well, I am not a classical music genius. I will not try to out-wit you in a musical match of who knows more in “Name that Tune.”
I am simply a fan who has always loved music in all varieties and styles. When I was young, my mother would blast the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Eagles on the huge turntable, which took up a good chunk of our living room. (Remember when a stereo was more of a piece of furniture than the smaller plastic/metal ones we know now?) I loved listening to those bands too but insisted that Sundays be dedicated to classical music only. (It felt weird going to church and coming home to “Start Me Up” anyway.)
I still love classical music on Sundays and listen to it much more than just that particular day. It’s not because I’m an expert or because I can play an instrument (unless you count “chopsticks”). I just love the way it makes me feel. I imagine there are a lot of other folks out there like me. Don’t be afraid to listen to something new, if you are not already a fan.
I’ll keep sharing what going on behind the scenes here at the festival and hope that you will share your thoughts and ideas with me.
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