Ravinia Festival Announces 2010 Season, Features Tsujii, Gill, Martin & Caillat

Ravinia Festival's 2010 season opens offering up great variety and more than 50 artist debuts beginning on opening night at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 3, with pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii in the Martin Theatre. Blind since birth and a 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold-medal winner, 22-year-old Tsujii will present works by Chopin, Schuman and Lizst as well as Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Ravinia's 2010 One Score, One Chicago selection. Inspired by the Chicago Public Library's One Book, One Chicago, Ravinia's One Score promotes the enjoyment of classical music and creates a cultural touchstone to enable people at different levels of understanding classical music to engage in community-wide discussion of a single masterwork.

One of the surprise hits of 2009, the Chicago Children's Choir, which has appeared numerous times on the Ravinia stage alongside such artists as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Wyclef Jean, returns to perform a choral concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 4, in the pavilion. Led by Artistic Director Josephine Lee, the choir is a multiracial, multicultural choral music education organization shaping the future by making a difference in the lives of children and youth through musical excellence. This family event of the year includes great song variety and infectious high energy, a not-to-be-missed opportunity for families. A special Family Fun Pack includes a Picnic Box dinner, face painting and lawn ticket for $25 per person.

Concert Dance, Inc., the official performance company of The Ruth Page Foundation, celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence and commemorates the 20th anniversary of the deaths of composers Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein with two world-premiere works at
8 p.m. on Thursday, June 10, with a second performance at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 11. Irregular Pearls and Copland's El Salón México, arranged for two pianos by Bernstein, are choreographed by CDI Artistic Director Venetia Stifler. Pianists Adam Marks and Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman join them for these performances. These programs are also part of Ravinia's Ruth Page Festival of Dance celebrating the late dancer/choreographer. Both shows are sold out.

Country Music Hall of Famer and owner of the most Grammy Awards by a male country artist (19), Vince Gill makes his Ravinia debut at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 5. He is joined by James Otto, whose hit "Just Got Started Lovin' You" was declared Billboard's number-one country single of 2008.

Chicago-formed R&B group Earth, Wind & Fire make their Ravinia debut at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 6. Founder Maurice White, who began his career as the drummer for the Ramsey Lewis Trio in the 1960s, co-wrote the band's biggest hits, including "Shining Star" and "September." This show is sold out on the lawn and pavilion.

Actor, comedian, producer, author, playwright and bluegrass musician Steve Martin makes his festival debut with The Steep Canyon Rangers at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 12. A banjo player since a young child, Martin recently recorded his debut album The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, which won him a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album this past January. They are joined by special guest bluegrass quintet the Punch Brothers, who incorporate classical masters into their own original compositions. This show is sold out in the pavilion, but lawn tickets are still available.

Singer/songwriter and six-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow, whose top-20 hits include "Everyday Is a Winding Road," "Soak Up the Sun" and "If It Makes You Happy," returns to Ravinia at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 13. Joining Crow and making her festival debut is singer/guitarist Colbie Caillat, whose single "Bubbly" spent 14 weeks at number one on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart and was certified platinum, signaling sales of more than 2.6 million downloads. This show is sold out on the lawn and pavilion.

The Kraft Kids Concert series opens with a pavilion concert at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 12, with Baltimore rock music veterans Milkshake performing lighthearted songs that speak to parents and children alike. The band has been featured on Noggin television, PBS Kids, and Discovery Kids' Emmy-winning ToddWorld cartoon. For this performance only, Levy Restaurants will sell milkshakes at the Carousel Ice Cream Shop to concertgoers. Following the performance, the band will take part in a CD signing in front of Ravinia Gifts located in the dining pavilion. The Kraft Kids Concert series emulates the festival's main-stage programming to foster a lifelong appreciation of the arts in children through live music performances.

Ravinia Festival is located at Lake Cook and Green Bay roads in Highland Park. For concert information or to purchase tickets please visit Ravinia.org or contact the box office at (847) 266-5100. All season long, Ravinia will accept donations of non-perishable food and toiletry items for local food depositories which can be dropped off near the information booth at the main entrance of the park. Follow, connect and interact online at backstage.ravinia.org, Ravinia.org/facebook and Ravinia.org/twitter. Ravinia Festival is a not-for-profit organization.

Thursday, June 3, 8 p.m. - Martin Theatre
One Score, One Chicago
Nobuyuki Tsujii, Piano +
Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 1
Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2
Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2 *
Liszt: "Un sospiro" from Three Concert Etudes, S.144
Concert Paraphrase of Verdi's Rigoletto, S.434
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Program Sponsor: Sharon and Eden Martin
Tickets: $40-$25/Lawn $10/Park opens at 5 p.m.

Friday, June 4, 7:30 p.m. - Pavilion
Chicago Children's Choir
Josephine Lee, Artistic Director
Judy Hanson, Associate Director +
Mollie Stone, Madrigals Ensemble Director +
John Goodwin, Principal Accompanist +
Presented by Target
Media Support: Time Out Chicago Kids
Tickets: $45-$10/Lawn $10, $5 for kids ages 6-10, free for kids 5 & under/
Family Fun Pack including ticket, dinner and face painting $25/Park opens at 5 p.m.
Saturday, June 5, 7:30 p.m. - Pavilion
Vince Gill +
with special guest James Otto +
Season Sponsor: Abbott
Media Support: US99.5 America's Country Station
Tickets: $55/Lawn $22**/Ticket & dining package $65/Park opens at 5 p.m.

Sunday, June 6, 7 p.m. - Pavilion
Earth, Wind & Fire +
Season Sponsor: Illinois Tool Works
Media Support: V103
Tickets: SOLD OUT/Park opens at 4 p.m.

Thursday, June 10, 8 p.m. - Bennett • Gordon Hall
Ruth Page Festival of Dance
Aaron Copland 20 years later
Leonard Bernstein 20 years later
Concert Dance, Inc.
Adam Marks, Piano +
Welz Kauffman, Piano
Program to include:
Stifler: El Salón México *
(music by Copland/arr. Bernstein for two pianos)
(World premiere)
Irregular Pearls (World premiere) *
Tickets: SOLD OUT/No lawn sales/Park opens at 7 p.m.

Friday, June 11, 8 p.m. - Bennett • Gordon Hall
Ruth Page Festival of Dance
Aaron Copland 20 years later
Leonard Bernstein 20 years later
Concert Dance, Inc.
Adam Marks, Piano
Welz Kauffman, Piano
Program to include:
Stifler: El Salón México
(music by Copland/arr. Bernstein for two pianos)
Irregular Pearls
Tickets: SOLD OUT/No lawn sales/Park opens at 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 12, 11 a.m. - Pavilion
Kraft Kids Concert
Milkshake +
Featured Sponsor: Kraft Foods Inc.
Media Support: 101.9FM THE MIX
Tickets: $10/Lawn $5/Park opens at 10 a.m.

Saturday, June 12, 7:30 p.m. - Pavilion
"An Evening of Bluegrass & Banjo"
Steve Martin performing with the Steep Canyon Rangers +
With special guest The Punch Brothers
Program Sponsors: Annette and David Dezelan and The Edward and Lucy R. Minor Family Foundation
Tickets: SOLD OUT/Lawn $22**/Park opens at 5 p.m.

Sunday, June 13, 7 p.m. - Pavilion
Sheryl Crow
with special guest Colbie Caillat +
Season Sponsor: Ernst & Young LLP
Media Support: 101.9FM THE MIX, Michigan Avenue magazine
Tickets: SOLD OUT/Park opens at 4 p.m.

Repertoire being performed at Ravinia for the first time is marked with an asterisk (*). Artists making their Ravinia debut are marked with a plus sign (+). Lawn ticket prices are increased by $5 on the day of the show when marked by a double asterisk (**). All artists and programs are subject to change.

 

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