Cynthia Erivo, Sutton Foster, & More Set for The Ravinia Festival's 2025 Summer Lineup

The Ravinia Festival has unveiled its 2025 summer lineup, which features more than 100 concerts and 40 artist debuts. Highlights include performances by Cynthia Erivo, Lenny Kravitz, Janelle Monáe, Maren Morris, Lang Lang, Beck, and Earth, Wind & Fire, and the 89th Chicago Symphony Orchestra Residency. In addition to Erivo, Broadway names include Tony Award winners Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara. 

Heart, John Legend, James Taylor, The Black Crowes, Al Green, The Roots, Diana Krall, and Chicago are some of the favorites returning to the Ravinia stage, while Kygo, Juanes, Nas, Ray Lamontagne, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, and The Mohan Sisters are among those making debuts.

From superhero-movie scores to ’90s nostalgia, from Fiesta Ravinia to reggae, and from historic venues to picnics on the Lawn, Ravinia 2025 promises something for everyone. Tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday, April 24. Take a look at the full lineup below!

---

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The CSO’s annual six-week residency—July 11 through August 17 this season—comprises three weeks of programs led by Alsop and three weeks with distinguished guest conductors. All performances take place in the Pavilion.

• July 11  The CSO opens its 89th summer season at Ravinia Festival under the baton of Marin Alsop. Highlighting the conductor’s passion for contemporary music, the evening begins with Carlos Simon’s Amen, a work inspired by the composer’s youthful experiences of African American Pentecostal Church services. Next, piano virtuoso Bruce Liu* joins the orchestra for Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, whose striking melodies resonate through popular culture. Alsop and the CSO complete their program with Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, the ballet score that revolutionized 20th-century music. The opening night performance will be broadcast live on WFMT radio.
• July 12  Written a hundred years ago this year, Gershwin’s jazz-infused Concerto in F will feature French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, of whom “there’s no mistaking his understanding of [Gershwin’s] blues-based melancholy [and] Impressionism,” wrote the Chicago Tribune. Marin Alsop bookends the program with Jessie Montgomery’s folk-dance-inspired Strum and Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, a deeply emotional work known for its lyrical beauty and ultimately tragic finale.
• July 13  Ending their opening weekend on a high note, Marin Alsop and the CSO welcome Tony Award winners Sutton Foster* and Kelli O’Hara to celebrate the transformative impact of music on budding young minds. That moment so often strikes at iconic venues like Ravinia and Carnegie Hall, where a Young People’s Concert first set Alsop on the path to become one of the world’s foremost conductors, and where Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett once enraptured a generation of singers. Inspired by these catalysts, Foster and O’Hara perform the songs—from theater stages and beyond—that have captured their imaginations. The concert forms part of the annual Gala Benefit Evening, hosted by the Ravinia Women’s Board to support the festival and Ravinia’s Reach Teach PlayⓇ programs.
• July 18  Continuing their ongoing Mahler cycle, Marin Alsop and the CSO perform the composer’s otherworldly Second Symphony (“Resurrection”) with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, soprano Janai Brugger^, and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke^. Brugger’s “steely core” (San Francisco Classical Voice) and Cooke’s “pure and powerful … dusky tone” (Minnesota Star Tribune) enhance the work’s journey from darkness to transcendence.
• July 20  Following their New Year’s Eve concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Marin Alsop and violin prodigy Himari* reunite for a pair of Spanish dance-inspired violin showpieces: Waxman’s Oscar-nominated Carmen Fantasie and Kreisler’s La Gitana. Similarly lively rhythms permeate the CSO’s premiere of a new Ravinia commission from Malek Jandali, and the 2025 One Score® feature, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. To celebrate One Score and conclude the school-year’s studies in Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play programs, there will be a series of family activities, pop-up performances, and interactive musical experiences around the park, open to all guests, before the CSO’s performance. The Ravinia Associates Board also hosts its ticketed Beer, Brats & Beethoven audience engagement event before the concert.
• July 23  The winner of eight Grammys, including Album of the Year, Beck* has embraced a world of styles since his early-’90s breakout with “Loser” and Mellow Gold. His arrival at his most recent album, Hyperspace, comes by way of his touchstone Odelay, world-tripping Mutations, somber Sea Change, laureled Morning Phase, and more. The reluctant generational spokesman performs selected standards and rarities from his catalogue with the CSO and conductor Edwin Outwater*.
• July 25  Marin Alsop takes audiences on a global adventure of music and food in Breaking Barriers 2025. She and the CSO bring to life Sinbad’s ocean journey from the One Thousand and One Nights in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade, the Havana dance rhythms of Gershwin’s Cuban Overture, and a landmark closer to home in Tim Corpus’s Great Lake Concerto, which features CSO assistant principal timpanist Vadim Karpinos and Lyric Opera percussionist Ed Harrison. Finally, Alsop and the CSO recall their adventures in Reena Esmail’s RE|member. With a ticket add-on, Breaking Barriers guests can enjoy food inspired by the program—created by guest celebrity chefs Maneet Chauhan, Jacqueline Eng, Sarah Grueneberg, and Mika Leon—at pre-concert tasting stations, as well as attending presentations with the chefs in a casual setting. At the CSO concert, the chefs will explain their culinary pairings in introductions to the works.
• July 27  To cap her three weeks at Ravinia and the 2025 Breaking Barriers Festival, Marin Alsop leads a program embracing the richness of life. She and the CSO capture the joyous Mediterranean spirit of Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony, join principal clarinetist Stephen Williamson for Copland’s Clarinet Concerto—a work inspired by jazz and travels in Brazil—and illuminate Elgar’s Enigma Variations: portraits of friends made along the way.
• July 31  Returning to the stage where he launched his career 24 years ago, superstar pianist Lang Lang performs The Disney Book, his ode to the magical journeys through animation and music that, as he put it, “sparked my imagination … and led to my life-long love of classical music.” Together with the CSO and conductor Edwin Outwater, Lang Lang is joined by guest soloists Yimiao Chen* on erhu, Plínio Fernandes* on guitar, and singers Celeste Morales^ and Edmond Rodriguez^. The event encompasses specially written arrangements of the pianist’s personal favorites and other beloved hit songs from Snow White, Encanto, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Cinderella, Pinocchio, and many more classic and contemporary Disney films.
• August 1  Combining the CSO’s vibrant sonorities with the soul-stirring roots of the blues, Oscar winner Morgan Freeman* live-narrates a transformative journey through the music, culture, and legacy of the Mississippi Delta in the Symphonic Blues Experience. Led by conductor and Ground Zero Blues Club artist Martin Gellner*, this program draws on cinematic storytelling and performances by authentic blues artists to celebrate the Delta’s lasting influence on global music.
• August 3  Rich in emotion, celebration, and drama, Tchaikovsky’s music is a multi-generational CSO concert tradition at Ravinia. Reno Philharmonic Music Director Laura Jackson returns to lead the composer’s Fourth Symphony, often understood as capturing the struggle for free will. This contrasts with the pristine elegance of his Rococo Variations, featuring cellist Zlatomir Fung^, who took first prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition with his interpretation of the concertante work. The program concludes with the CSO’s signature account of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, complete with cannons.
• August 9  “Tour-de-force” conductor and 2020 Chicagoan of the Year (Chicago Tribune) Lidiya Yankovskaya* juxtaposes the earthly with the mythical, captaining the CSO through Debussy’s La mer and evoking the conflict between sacred and profane love in the Overture of Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Ray Chen returns as the soloist in Bruch’s First Violin Concerto, famously dubbed the “richest, most seductive” concerto by a German composer.
• August 10  After serving as Music Director of Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival for two decades, now Louis Langrée* makes his CSO and Ravinia debuts with an all-Mozart program that ranges from the pomp and ceremony of the Overture to La clemenza di Tito to the exuberance of the “Jupiter” Symphony. Garrick Ohlsson brings “a sound so lush it almost glistens” (Seattle Times) to the Piano Concerto No. 22.
• August 15  Stage and screen powerhouse Cynthia Erivo returns, fresh from her third Oscar nomination—for her widely celebrated portrayal of Wicked’s Elphaba—to showcase her Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning voice. With the support of the CSO, Erivo performs soul-stirring standards, beloved Broadway hits, and her own original songs.
• August 16  “The definition of virtuosity” (The Observer UK), Nobuyuki Tsujii makes his CSO debut with Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, whose climactic melodies have inspired films and songs, under the baton of Peter Oundjian. The conductor also leads Brahms’s First Symphony and the new Suite distillation of Joan Tower’s Concerto for Orchestra, which draws on the virtuosity of the CSO musicians.
• August 17  Sheku Kanneh-Mason* makes his Ravinia debut with Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No. 1, a work that “suits the unforced lyricism of Kanneh-Mason’s style exceptionally well” (The Guardian). Led by David Robertson, the CSO complements the concerto with Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Something for the Dark and two works inspired by Spanish dance: Chabrier’s España, which rhapsodizes on the jota and malagueña, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnole, a work based on the fandango and aubade.

RECITALS, CHAMBER MUSIC, and GUEST ORCHESTRAS

A wide array of classical music beyond the symphonic repertoire is offered this summer, from recitals to chamber music and uniquely curated presentations in the Martin Theatre, Bennett Gordon Hall, and Pavilion.

• June 11  Pianist Angela Hewitt performs Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Since giving her first concert performances of the Baroque masterpiece as a teenager, a full 50 years ago, she has become the first woman to be honored with the City of Leipzig Bach Medal (2020) and has been named to Gramophone’s Hall of Fame in recognition of the “joy, wit, and profound understanding” (The Sunday Times) she brings to Bach’s keyboard works.  Martin Theatre
• June 21  Pianist Tony Siqi Yun* gives a solo recital of Beethoven’s “Appassionata,” Liszt’s transcription of Wagner’s “Liebestod,” variations by Brahms, and Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes, of which Yun’s interpretation has been praised for its “bravado [and] flair” (San Diego Story).  Bennett Gordon Hall
• June 22  Noted for its “exquisite poise and balance” (Chicago Classical Review), the Isidore String Quartet^ performs works spanning two centuries of harmonic invention, from Mozart’s “Dissonant” Quartet to Dutilleux’s surreal Ainsi la nuit, by way of the sensuous tone colors of Ravel’s sole quartet.  Bennett Gordon Hall
• June 25   After pairing Jörg Widmann’s Quartet No. 8 with the work that inspired it, Beethoven’s Op. 130, the Juilliard String Quartet joins forces with its protégé, the Isidore String Quartet^, for Mendelssohn’s genre-defining Octet.  Martin Theatre
• July 26  The rich variety of food and classical music in Breaking Barriers 2025 includes a smorgasbord of bite-sized chamber works. Co-curators Marin Alsop and Food Network star Molly Yeh introduce French and pan-American pieces performed by CSO musicians and guests. Both inspired by the Greek god Pan, Debussy’s Syrinx and Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun showcase Principal Flutist Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson and other winds; the latter also features Yeh herself on percussion, in a chamber-ensemble arrangement by Néstor Bayona. Copland’s Quiet City uses English horn and trumpet to bluesy, melancholy effect; Piazzolla’s Libertango combines jazz with the Argentine dance; and Victoria Bond’s Bridges—a work written for Assistant Principal Clarinetist John Bruce Yeh and his ensemble Birds and Phoenix—offers a lively East-West fusion of folk and jazz. At the program’s center, Bernstein’s La Bonne Cuisine, a cycle of humorous songs set to recipes from a French cookbook, will feature Steans Institute Singers Program director Kevin Murphy on piano, with alums. With the concert ticket, guests are invited to build a tapas box with sample bites inspired by the music, created by Breaking Barriers guest chefs, who introduce the pairing before each piece’s performance.  Bennett Gordon Hall
• July 30  Grammy winner Ana María Martínez brings “poignant emotional intensity” (Chicago Tonight) to micro-dramas of classical song, for which she is joined by pianist and Steans Singers Director Kevin Murphy.  Martin Theatre
• August 8  French-American pianist and composer Dan Tepfer returns for two performances of his 2019 multimedia project, Natural Machines, which explores the intersection between natural and mechanical processes in music.  Sandra K. Crown Theater
• August 13  Apollo’s Fire, led by artistic director and harpsichordist Jeannette Sorrell, sets sparks flying in the musical fencing matches of “double concertos”—works that feature a pair of soloists—like Bach’s Double Violin Concerto and Vivaldi’s stormy Concerto for Two Cellos. Two fencing artists give a thrilling demonstration on the Lawn during intermission.  Martin Theatre
• August 14  “Close harmony doesn’t get more flawless” writes The Times (UK) of the world’s most-streamed classical vocal group, VOCES8*, whose program ranges from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary arrangements.  Martin Theatre
• August 19  Known for performances “imbued with vitality” (BBC Music), the Lincoln Trio returns for piano trios by Argentinian bandoneónist Daniel Binelli, as heard on the group’s recent recording, a nominee for the 2024 Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album.  Bennett Gordon Hall
• August 24  Soprano Nicole Cabell stars in Haymarket Opera*’s semi-staged concert production of Handel’s Alcina—a tale of passion, power, and illusion from Baroque opera’s golden age. Chase Hopkins directs, and Haymarket’s acclaimed period-instrument orchestra will be led by Craig Trompeter.  Martin Theatre
• August 26  Acclaimed for fusing the classical guitar tradition with Brazilian folk music, Plínio Fernandes performs works by modern Brazilian composers who have been deeply affected and influenced by the works of Bach.  Bennett Gordon Hall

FAMILY 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.

• June 14  Elena Moon Park & Friends*  Carousel Stage
• June 28  Opera for the Young performs its own specially adapted production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, featuring a cast of professional opera singers and a chorus of students from Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play programs. Martin Theatre
• July 19  Laura Doherty & the Heartbeats  Carousel Stage
• July 31  Lang Lang performs The Disney Book, an evening of piano arrangements of personal favorite and beloved hit songs from Snow White, Encanto, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Cinderella, Pinocchio, and other classic and contemporary Disney films, featuring the CSO and guest singers and instrumental soloists.  Pavilion
• August 9  Laurie Berkner  Pavilion
• August 16  Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats*  Martin Theatre
• August 28  Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music Sing-Along: The Oscar-winning 1965 movie musical The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, is presented in full-screen Technicolor, complete with onscreen lyrics for guests to sing along to the timeless songs by Rodgers & Hammerstein—including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”—as the complete original soundtrack recording is played with the film.  Pavilion
• August 29  Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience: Covering 23 films in one momentous concert experience, the Chicago Philharmonic and conductor Anthony Parnther revisit the earliest days of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor in establishing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Accompanied by their heroic music, the musicians recapture the excitement as Earth’s mightiest heroes join forces for the first time and open the door to the next wave of Avengers—Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and more—as the ultimate trials of the Infinity Saga build to their climactic resolution.  Pavilion
• August 30  Magic Piano & The Chopin Shorts: Pianist Victor Santiago Asunción performs Chopin’s études alongside screenings of the animated feature Magic Piano—the story of a 10-year-old who, while searching for her absent father, stumbles on an old piano that transforms into an airship—and a series of short films by award-winning animators.  Sandra K. Crown Theater (two performances)

JAZZ and BLUES

Ravinia continues to lead the way with its signature mix of programming across a wide array of genres, including several presentations at the Carousel Stage featuring either opening acts or stand-alone events. All performances take place in the Pavilion except where noted.

• June 14  Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’: Room on the Porch Tour, with special guest Abraham Alexander on the Carousel Stage
• June 15  Audrey L. Weaver Jazz Advisor Kurt Elling celebrates Weather Report, featuring Peter Erskine*, with special guest performances by Ravinia’s Steans Institute Jazz Fellows  Martin Theatre
• June 20  David Foster and Chris Botti featuring Katharine McPhee
• June 22  Diana Krall, with a special guest performance by Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play Jazz Mentors & Scholars on the Carousel Stage
• July 1  Brass from the Past*  Carousel Stage
• July 17  Ronnie Baker Brooks*  Carousel Stage

LATIN, INDIAN, and CARIBBEAN MUSIC

All performances take place in the Pavilion except where noted.

• June 8  The Mohan Sisters* starring Neeti, Shakti, and Mukti Mohan
• July 9  Chucho Valdés, Paquito D’Rivera & Arturo Sandoval: Irakere 50 featuring Emilio Frías, including a large open dance floor and free group dance lessons on the Lawn
• July 15  Juanes*
• August 27  UB40 with the Buena Vista Orchestra
• August 31  The ninth annual Fiesta Ravinia provides the grand finale to the Ravinia Festival season, featuring La Original Banda El Limón in the Pavilion; Como La Flor: The Ultimate Selena Experience Tribute on the Carousel Stage; and another headlining artist in the Pavilion (to be announced in late April).

POP, HIP-HOP, R&B, ELECTRONIC, and AMBIENT

All performances take place in the Pavilion except where noted.

• June 7  Grace Jones* and Janelle Monáe*, featuring Queen! at the Carousel Stage (in collaboration with Metro/smartbar)
• June 26  Lindsey Stirling with Chicago Philharmonic
• June 27  The Roots
• June 28  Al Green
• June 29  “Weird Al” Yankovic: Bigger & Weirder Tour with special guest Puddles Pity Party*
• July 2  Nas* with Chicago Philharmonic
• July 6  Kygo* with special guest Victoria Nadine*
• July 10  The Reset: An Immersive Sound Experience with Davin Youngs, including a free group yoga session in the park before the performance  Carousel Stage
• August 7  Earth, Wind & Fire
• August 12  Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe*  Carousel Stage
• August 21  Lenny Kravitz
• August 22  Maren Morris*
• August 23 & 24  John Legend celebrates the 20th anniversary of Get Lifted.

ROCK, INDIE, COUNTRY, and FOLK

All performances take place in the Pavilion except where noted.

• June 6  An Evening with Heart
• June 12  The Allman Betts Band* and The Record Company*
• June 13  Counting Crows: The Complete Sweets! Tour with special guest The Gaslight Anthem*
• June 18  The Black Crowes
• June 19  James Taylor and His All-Star Band with special guest Tiny Habits
• June 21  Dispatch and John Butler (with band), with special guest Donavon Frankenreiter* on the Carousel Stage
• July 5  Chicago with special guest Stevie McVie*
• July 8  Dan Tyminski Band*  Carousel Stage
• July 19  Classic Albums Live performs The Eagles’ Hotel California
• July 22  Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: All the Good Times—The Farewell Tour with special guest Brit Taylor*  Carousel Stage
• July 26  Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms with special guest Spin Doctors*
• July 29  Spafford*  Carousel Stage
• August 2  Train with special guest Edwin McCain*
• August 6  King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Phantom Island Tour with conductor and music director Sarah Hicks and Chicago Philharmonic
• August 20  Henhouse Prowlers with special guest Almond & Olive*  Carousel Stage
• August 30  Ray Lamontagne* celebrates the 20th anniversary of Trouble, playing the album in its entirety as well as songs from across his catalog.

Visit the website for the most up-to-date programming. Tickets go on sale to the public on April 24. Supporters of the not-for-profit Ravinia receive advance ticketing, as early as March 18.

STEANS INSTITUTE

Ravinia’s Steans Institute is an international artist development program for young professional classical pianists and string players, classical singers, and jazz musicians, all of whom are devoted to honing and advancing their talents as collaborative artists. 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.

This season marks the first summer of esteemed bassist John Clayton as a co-Artistic Director of the Jazz Program at Steans. Clayton succeeds bassist Rufus Reid, who was a founding member of the program’s faculty. Multi-instrumentalist David Baker led the program from its inception until his passing in 2016; pianist Billy Childs and saxophonist Nathan Davis were appointed co-Artistic Directors in 2017 alongside Reid. Saxophonist Steve Wilson succeeded Davis in 2021.

About his appointment, Clayton said, “I am thrilled and deeply honored to join Ravinia's Steans Institute as an artistic director for its jazz programs. Working alongside my esteemed colleagues, Billy Childs and Steve Wilson, to guide the next generation of musical talent is a tremendous privilege. I recognize the significant legacy left by the incomparable Rufus Reid, and I look forward to sharing my experiences and artistic perspective with these promising emerging musicians. I'm excited to help them develop their artistic voices as they begin their professional journeys.”

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 2025 David Baker Prize-winning compositions from the seventh 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 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. This follows an April performance of four previous Bridges Competition-winning works at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY.

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. Fellows in the Jazz Program will also be featured in an opening set at the Martin Theatre on June 15, before Audrey L. Weaver Jazz Advisor Kurt Elling leads an evening celebrating the fusion music of Weather Report.

Piano & Strings Concerts: During their intensive multi-week Steans residency, Piano & Strings fellows will be featured across three master classes and ten concerts throughout the summer, including an open rehearsal led by violinist and Piano & Strings Artistic Director Midori and specially curated programs by faculty violists Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt and Ettore Causa, and violinist David Grimal. Master classes and concerts will be presented in Bennett Gordon Hall on July 2, 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18–20, 23, and 24; all events will be livestreamed, except the curated concerts on July 12, 18, and 23.

Vocal Concerts: The multi-week residency of fellows in the Program for Singers offers two master classes and six performances spotlighting the breadth of vocal song repertoire. Highlights include August 9’s curated concert by former Ravinia Music Director James Conlon and Cori Ellison; August 16’s Schubert on the Road, curated by Graham Johnson; and August 23’s Tribute to Barbara Cook and Tony Bennett with Lee Musiker. Master classes and concerts will be presented in Bennett Gordon Hall on July 31 and August 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 21, and 23; all events will be livestreamed except the curated concerts on August 9, 16, and 23.

To post a comment, you must register and login.