Festival Season Is Back At Ravinia Park
When A.C Frost first purchased North Shore land in 1904, his goal was to build a year-round amusement park. Frost built a skating rink, pavilion, a small hotel, baseball diamond and even a casino. He hoped it would bring business to his railroad — the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad.
Even though the park was unsuccessful and closed down in 1910, area residents came together and re-opened the park, creating the Ravinia Company in 1911. Instead of swings and slides Ravinia Park became a concert hall with its first shows featuring classical music and opera with performers like Giovanni Martinelli and Rosa Raisa. Ravinia Park closed for a few years during the Great Depression. During this time Ravinia was the summer residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has remained so to this day.
Even after the original wooden pavilion burned down in 1949, the festival (with a little improvisation with 33 tons of canvas) was still able to open on schedule. Afterwards, a new concrete pavilion was built and nearly doubled its capacity and now seats 3,200 people.
Although Ravinia festival started with opera, it certainly didn’t end there. In the 1960s and 1970s the festival’s list of performers expanded and boasted names like Tina Turner, Miles Davis and Judy Collins, though the festival’s new pop and more mainstream artists never stopped the traditional classical performances from getting their spot in the lime-light.
Since then, the park has been ringing with music and is the oldest outdoor music festival in America, attracting nearly 600,000 listeners to 120- 150 performances on its 32- acre parkland and lawn during its four month season (June through September). The open atmosphere is perfect for picnics and Ravinia is one of very few venues that allow guests to bring in outside food and beverages (yes, even alcoholic). Stores in the Highland Park area have even created ready-to-eat “Ravinia picnics” for purchase.
Ravinia Park also created music, performing arts education and other outreach programs that help young artists from all over the globe to grow and hone their craft with a world renowned staff and faculty. These programs started in the 1980s and haven’t lost steam. This summer the RSMI Program for Piano and Strings as well as the RSMI Program for Singers will be offered.
Who will be playing the stage in the coming months? A wide variety of artists and performers such as Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, Sheryl Crow, Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan and Old Crow Medicine Show. There’s even a long list of kid’s shows like the Golden Dragon Acrobats, Fantasia and Dan Zanes & Friends.
Tickets go on sale April 28th. For more performers, information, and tickets you can visit www.ravinia.org. While you’re in Highland Park, be sure to visit Lexus of Highland Park and take our new models for a test drive.
