Ravinia Festival's Customer Appreciation Day Offers 20 Percent Discount 5/22

Ravinia Festival celebrates its patrons with Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, May 22, during a day filled with discounts and the chance to purchase added seating to some sold-out pavilion concerts, as well as promotions and samples from some of Ravinia's supporters. This is the first day that the Ravinia Box Office is officially open for walk-up sales, and all in-person purchases will be discounted by 20 percent (discounts are not available for the July 31 Gala Benefit Evening, Aug. 4 Kelli O'Hara and Sept. 3 Nelly Furtado concerts, the June 26, Aug. 29 Carrie Underwood and Sept. 1 world's largest lawn parties and already discounted dining/ticket packages). The box office is open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on May 22. Place in line numbers will be distributed starting at 8 a.m. Please note that based on past experience, customers may begin lining up prior to this time.

Tickets to the 2010 season will be sold throughout Customer Appreciation Day until 6 p.m. A limited number of additional, temporary seats will be added to the sides of the pavilion for some sold-out events, and tickets for those seats will be sold exclusively on

May 22 to in-person customers on a first-come, first-served basis (limited to four per ticket-buyer). Extra chairs will not be available for the sold-out June 20 Jethro Tull, July 17 and 18 Sting, June 13 Sheryl Crow, Aug. 22 Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Sept. 7 Hershey Felder concerts.

The opening-day festivities will be broadcast live on the grounds by 98.7 WFMT, the official classical music station of Ravinia Festival. The broadcast will feature glimpses of the complete Ravinia season and will include live interviews with artists appearing during the 2010 season as well as live performances by the Lincoln Trio; pianists Josephine Lee,

Marta Aznoovorian and Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman; and jazz singer Tony Andriacchi. Kauffman will join WFMT host Carl Grapentine on the air to discuss the summer season beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 1:30 p.m. in the Mirabelle Restaurant located inside Ravinia's Dining Pavilion.

Also in the Mirabelle will be an area filled with Ravinia's supporters and vendors distributing free souvenirs, food samplings and promotional items from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Patrons are also asked to donate a new or gently used children's or young adult book to Rock for Reading, which will have a table in the Mirabelle. Ravinia Gifts, located on the first floor of the Dining Pavilion, will feature Ravinia apparel, picnic accessories and gift items up to 50 percent off.

Families can also engage in an "instrument petting zoo" where kids can touch and play instruments and children 12 and under can sign up for the ever-popular free Ravinia Kids Club and participate in a coloring activity. Balloons and face painting will also be available for kids.

Ravinia's 2010 season presents a diverse lineup of more than 120 events from June 3 through Sept. 7, with over 50 artist debuts and the summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra featuring Ravinia Festival Music Director James Conlon. Guest artists include Sting, Renée Fleming, Sheryl Crow, Nathan Gunn, Dave Brubeck, Joshua Bell, Train, Ramsey Lewis, Earth, Wind & Fire, Frederica von Stade, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Christoph Eschenbach, Nelly Furtado, Audra McDonald, Carrie Underwood and many others.

Tickets to Ravinia events are now available online, prior to Customer Appreciation Day, at www.ravinia.org. Orders are also being accepted now by fax at 847-266-0641 or through mail by sending a printable online order form and payment to Ravinia Festival, P.O. Box 896, Highland Park, IL 60035. Phone orders begin on May 23 at 847-266-5100 from

9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and during the season Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. until end of performance and Sundays and holidays (closed July 4) 12 p.m. until end of performance.

Walk-up sales will be accepted beginning May 23 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and during the season Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. until end of intermission, and Sundays and holidays (closed July 4) 1 p.m. until end of intermission.

Ravinia Festival is located at Lake Cook and Green Bay roads in Highland Park. For more information on Ravinia, please visit www.ravinia.org or follow, connect and interact online at backstage.ravinia.org, twitter.com/raviniafestival, myspace.com/raviniafestival and facebook.com, search "Ravinia Festival." Ravinia Festival is a not-for-profit organization.

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