Idina Menzel to Appear at the Ravinia Festival This Summer

Ravinia Festival today announced the show-stopping Broadway superstar and star of television hit Glee Idina Menzel will make her Ravinia debut on Sunday, July 8. The concert, featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, will be led by renowned composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch, who returns to the festival for the first time since 2001. It is Menzel's first time performing with the CSO.

Tony Award-winner Menzel has been a powerhouse performer on Broadway for the past two decades, including her breakout performance as Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked, for which she won the Tony award for lead actress in a musical. Currently appearing in FOX's Glee, she has been featured in ABC's Private Practice and PBS's Mastercard Soundstage series performing her solo concert, as well as the concert version of Chess: The Musical. A skillful songwriter who writes and performs her own music, Menzel has captivated audiences at sold-out concerts across the country.

Menzel will announce the Ravinia concert during a special live appearance on Chicago's WTTW at 9 p.m. on January 9, which will include a special airing of her new symphonic PBS special.

Hamlisch has won numerous awards, including three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony and three Golden Globes. As a Broadway composer, he has written the scores for such hit shows as They're Playing Our Song, The Goodbye Girl, Sweet Smell of Success and A Chorus Line, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize. Hamlisch has also composed for more than 40 films, including The Way We Were, The Sting, Sophie's Choice, Ordinary People, Ice Castles and Take the Money and Run. Hamlisch was musical director and arranger of Barbra Streisand's 1994 concert tour of the U.S. and England as well as of the television special Barbra Streisand: The Concert. He currently holds the position of principal pops conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony and Pops, Seattle Symphony and San Diego Symphony.

Tickets for this concert and all other shows during the 2012 summer season go on sale on March 8 to festival donors and to the public exclusively online on April 26 at Ravinia.org. A full list of summer events will be announced on March 8.

Ravinia welcomes all festival fans to follow, connect and interact online at backstage.ravinia.org, facebook.com (search Ravinia Festival) and twitter.com/raviniafestival. Ravinia Festival is a not-for-profit organization.