Ravina Festival Kicks Off Chicago Symphony Orchestra Summer Residency 6/28

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the crown jewel of Ravinia's classical programming, begins its 74th annual summer residency at the festival with a concert at 8 p.m. on Monday, June 28, featuring piano virtuoso Garrick Ohlsson and conducted by Ravinia Music Director James Conlon. This performance celebrates the 200th birthday of Frédéric Chopin with a program featuring Fantaisie in F Minor, Scherzo in B-flat Minor, and Piano Concertos No. 1 and 2. Ohlsson is the first American ever to win the coveted gold medal at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. The CSO concert also features a dining and ticket package for $65. Prior to the main-stage concert, a free preview concert in Bennett • Gordon Hall featuring artists from Ravinia's Steans Music Institute begins at 5:45 p.m.

Conlon returns on Wednesday, June 30, to conduct the CSO in a performance featuring soprano Christine Brewer and tenor John Treleaven at 8 p.m. in the pavilion. The concert includes excerpts from Wagner's Ring cycle, including from Götterdämerung "Siegfried's Rhine Journey," "Funeral March" and "Brünnhilde's Immolation" and from the final scene from Siegfried. This concert will feature supertitles. Conlon is currently conducting L.A. Opera's first complete performances of Wagner's Ring cycle through the end of June featuring Treleaven as Siegfried. Grammy Award winning American soprano Brewer is described by Opera magazine as "the possessor of arguably the world's most beautiful and exciting soprano." Treleaven, who has garnered praise for his interpretation of Wagner roles worldwide, will make his Ravinia debut. The evening also features a dining and ticket package for $45. A free preview concert in Bennett • Gordon Hall featuring artists from Ravinia's Steans Music Institute begins at 5:45 p.m.

The Juilliard String Quartet returns to the Martin Theatre at 8 p.m. on Monday, June 29, to celebrate Robert Schumann's 200th birthday with a performance of his Quartet No. 3 in A Major. The program also includes Davidovsky's Quartet No. 5 and Mendelssohn's Quartet No. 3 in D Major. Founded in 1946, the Juilliard String Quartet is quartet-in-residence at The Juilliard School in New York.

The Emerson String Quartet performs in the Martin Theatre at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 2. The program includes five fugues from Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier (arr. Mozart), Mozart's String Quartet in C Major, and his Clarinet Quintet in A Major featuring clarinetist David Shifrin. Shifrin is one of only two wind players to have been awarded the Avery Fisher Prize since the award's inception in 1974. Over its 30-year history, the Emerson String Quartet has won eight Grammy Awards, including two for Best Classical Album, and three Gramophone magazine awards. This night also features a dining and ticket package for $70. Earlier that day Ravinia's Steans Institute will present violist Kim Kashkashian in a master class at 2 p.m. in Bennett • Gordon Hall that is free and open to the public.

Ravinia continues the celebration of the bicentennial of Robert Schumann at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 3, with a performance by pianist Vladimir Feltsman in the Martin Theatre. The program will include Schumann's Arabeske in C Major and Carnaval, and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, this year's One Score, One Chicago selection. With a repertoire encompassing pieces from Baroque to 20th-century composers, Feltsman has recorded six albums of keyboard works.
A Prairie Home Companion, the Saturday evening mainstay on National Public Radio since 1974, returns to the festival for a live broadcast in the pavilion at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 3. Hosted by Minnesota-born Garrison Keillor, the broadcast features sketches and monologues, such as "Guy Noir" and "The News from Lake Wobegon," as well as special musical guests.

At 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 1, John Hiatt & The Combo and The Levon Helm Band will appear at Ravinia on a double bill in the pavilion. Writing for nearly three decades, Hiatt is well known for such hits as "Have a Little Faith in Me" and "Thing Called Love" and his compositions have been covered by such artists as Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and B.B. King. During a career that has spanned over five decades, Levon Helm has nurtured a tradition of professionalism with a deep respect for his craft as master storyteller who weaves his tales with the magic thread of universality.

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.

Monday, June 28, 5:45 p.m. - Bennett • Gordon Hall

Chamber Music Preview Concert

Artists from Ravinia's Steans Music Institute

Tickets: FREE to those holding tickets to main stage performance/Park opens at 5 p.m.

Monday, June 28, 8 p.m. - Pavilion

Frédéric Chopin 200

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

James Conlon, Conductor

Garrick Ohlsson, Piano

Chopin: Fantaisie in F Minor/A-flat Major, Op. 49

Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21

Scherzo in B-flat Minor/D-flat Major, Op. 31

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11

Season Sponsor: Jenner & Block LLP

Program Sponsor: McGladry

Tickets: $50-$40/Lawn $12/Ticket & dining package $65/Park opens at 5 p.m.

Tuesday, June 29, 8 p.m. - Martin Theatre

Robert Schumann 200

Juilliard String Quartet

Schumann: Quartet in A Major, Op. 41, No. 3

Davidovsky: Quartet No. 5 *

Mendelssohn: Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44, No. 1

Program Sponsor: Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation

Tickets: $50-$30/Lawn $10/Park opens at 5 p.m.

Wednesday, June 30, 5:45 p.m. - Bennett • Gordon Hall

Chamber Music Preview Concert

Artists from Ravinia's Steans Music Institute

Tickets: FREE to those holding tickets to main stage performance/Park opens at 5 p.m.

Wednesday, June 30, 8 p.m. - Pavilion

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

James Conlon, Conductor

Christine Brewer, Soprano

John Treleaven, Tenor +

All-Wagner program:

Final Scene from Siegfried (supertitles)

"Siegfried's Rhine Journey" from Götterdämmerung

"Funeral March" from Götterdämmerung

"Brünnhilde's Immolation" from Götterdämmerung (supertitles)

Keene H. Addington II Memorial Concert

Tickets: $25/Lawn $10/Ticket & dining package $45/Park opens at 5 p.m.

Thursday, July 1, 7 p.m. - Pavilion

John Hiatt & The Combo

The Levon Helm Band +

Media Support: 93XRT

Tickets: $45/Lawn $22**/Park opens at 4 p.m.

Friday, July 2, 2 p.m. - Bennett • Gordon Hall

Steans Music Institute Master Class

Kim Kashkashian, Viola

Tickets: FREE
Friday, July 2, 8 p.m. - Martin Theatre

Emerson String Quartet

David Shifrin, Clarinet +

Bach/Mozart: Fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier

Mozart: String Quartet in C Major, K. 465 ("Dissonance")

Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581

Program Sponsor: Sue and Tom Pick

Tickets: $50-$30/Lawn $10/Ticket & dining package $70/Park opens at 5 p.m.

Saturday, July 3, 4:45 p.m. - Pavilion

Live National Broadcast

A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor

Media Sponsor: WBEZ 91.5 FM

Tickets: $65-$35/Lawn $10/Park opens at 3 p.m.

Saturday, July 3, 8 p.m. - Martin Theatre

One Score, One Chicago

Robert Schumann 200

Vladimir Feltsman, Piano

Schumann: Arabesque in C Major, Op. 18

Carnaval, Op. 9

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Program Sponsor: Diana and Bruce Rauner

Tickets: $50-$30/Lawn $10/Park opens at 3 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.

Photos of artists and Ravinia Festival are available upon request or at Ravinia's online press room at Ravinia.org/pressroom.aspx