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Ravinia adds concerts, begins sales
Andy Grammer
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Updated: May 13, 2012 12:25PM
Ravinia is known for its wealth of summer music, and now there’s more.
A number of artists have been added since the initial season brochure became available.
The festival’s updated schedule for the summer of 2012 is online at www.ravinia.org and ready for folks who want to get their tickets early. Tickets are available day and night now at the website.
Some newly added pop performers making their Ravinia debuts this summer are: Andy Grammer (“Keep Your Head Up”) on June 29; Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Macy Gray on July 22; teenage singer-songwriter, musician, and actress Demi Lovato on Aug. 4; singer-songwriter Mat Kearney on Aug. 11 and 12; multiple-Grammy Award winner Anita Baker on Aug. 25; and R&B guitarist Steve Earle on Aug. 26.
Grammer, the first male pop star since 2003 to reach the top five in Adult Pop Radio on his first single and certified gold record, opens for Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw on June 29 in the pavilion. Kearney, a Billboard Top 40 artist, will open for Train both Aug. 11 and 12.
Returning pop favorites include Huey Lewis and The News and Joe Cocker on Aug. 10; Lyle Lovett and His Large Band on Aug. 24; John Hiatt & Combo on Aug. 26; and Daryl Hall & John Oates on Sept. 1.
New views
The Ravinia Festival has had video screens on either side of the pavilion since 2010. This year, for a full week from June 25 through July 1, screens will also be provided on the lawn.
They will be set up Monday, June 25 for Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding and the Radio Music Society in the pavilion, and will remain for Sergio Mendes’ “Go Brazil” and Ramsey Lewis’ Latin Jazz Night on June 27; Campbell’s Goodbye Tour on June 28; Caillat and DeGraw on June 29; Sarah McLachlan, making her Ravinia debut June 30, accompanied by the Ravinia Festival Orchestra; and Jake Shimabukuro on July 1.
The Zukerman Chamber Players will give a concert in the Martin Theatre on June 26, and for the first time the performance in that venue will be shown on the video lawn screens.
The lawn screens return on July 31 for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” conducted by John Axelrod. A suite of seven videos by Emmy-nominated astronomer Jose Francisco Salgado will be shown as the music plays.
“The Planets” is Ravinia’s selection for its “One Score, One Chicago” initiative, and on July 31, NASA-sponsored astronomers will be on the festival grounds with their telescopes, so audience members can scan the night sky.
Kid stuff
Parents and grandparents take note — the lineup for Ravinia’s Kraft Great Kids Concert series is now complete. Programs begin on Sunday, June 24, with the Mariachi Divas, an all-female multicultural ensemble from Los Angeles. Subsequent concerts, all on Saturdays, include the Elgin Youth Symphony’s presentation of “Beethoven Lives Upstairs” on July 7, and Ralph’s World on July 14.
WFMT’s “Introductions,” showcasing pre-college classical musicians, will be broadcast live on the station from the park July 21; and Laurie Berkner, known for her entertaining CDs and DVDs, gives a solo performance July 28.
Local favorite Justin Roberts & The Not Ready for Naptime Players, nominated for a Grammy in 2010 for Best Musical Album for Children, plays Aug. 18. The series concludes with the popular Tom Chapin, five- time Grammy winner for Best Musical Album for Children, on Sept. 9.
Online sales have begun and phone sales commence May 20 at (847) 266-5100. For the first time this year, a one-time $7 handling fee per order will be added to all ticket purchases, whether online, phone or fax.
