Ravinia Park

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Ravinia Park is a private park in Highland Park, Illinois with a variety of outdoor and indoor performing arts facilities, and it is best known as the site of the Ravinia Festival, the oldest outdoor music festival in the United States^[1], with a series of outdoor concerts and performances held every summer from June to September. It has been the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1936.

The park takes its name from the ravines found nearby along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.

1 Performance and other venues
2 Overview
3 Grounds
4 Artistic director
5 Music directors
6 Ravinia neighborhood
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Performance and other venues

The Pavilion, a 3,200-seat venue where the park's major music events and concerts, including all Chicago Symphony Orchestra performances, are held. Other than general lawn seating, attendees who choose to pay an extra fee see the shows in a traditional concert setting in an open-air theater with state-of-the-art sound, video and lighting equipment.

The Martin Theatre, an 850-seat acoustically perfect indoor hall often used for chamber music, Martinis at the Martin cabaret series, and other intimate shows.

Bennett Gordon Hall, the 450-seat home of the Steans Institute for Young Artists, Rising Stars series, also used for pre-concert discussions and preview concerts.

[edit] Overview

Ravinia was originally developed in 1904 as an amusement park and destination point on the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad, located in the then-Village of Ravinia. When the park's existence became jeopardized following the railroad's bankruptcy, local residents (for the most part Chicago businessmen) formed a corporation in 1911 to purchase and operate the park. Music was a confirmed summer activity from then on, except for a brief hiatus during the Depression.

The Festival includes symphony concerts, often with guest soloists, as well as opera, jazz, blues, folk, and rock performances, plus ballet, drama, and educational programs which take place year-round.

In the early 1900s the park also served as an exhibition ground for both the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Cubs^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Grounds

For most attendees Ravinia is experienced on the 36 acre (150,000 m²) parkland and lawn. The unique setting allows for open seating and picnicking, where families and attendees can choose to use as much (or little) space as they need, with a powerful sound system broadcasting the live performance throughout the park. Most attendees choose to bring complete picnics and dinners to shows, with various lawn chairs, coolers full of food, blankets, candles, and lawn accessories in tow. Ravinia is one of the few concert venues in the country to allow full meals to be brought in and consumed at concerts, even allowing alcoholic beverages and bottles of wine. Accordingly, most grocery stores and specialty restaurants in and around the Highland Park area offer ready-to-eat "Ravinia picnics" for purchase.

The park is served by the Metra commuter railroad with special stops before and after concerts. Attendance often tops 600,000 annually.

[edit] Artistic director

Walter Hendl (1959-1963)

[edit] Music directors

Seiji Ozawa (1964-1971)
James Levine (1971-1994)
Christoph Eschenbach (1994-2005)
James Conlon (2005-)

[edit] Ravinia neighborhood

The neighborhood, once an incorporated village before annexation, is variously known as Ravinia or Ravinia Park, and retains its own post office. The business district on Roger Williams Ave., within walking distance from the Park itself, includes neighborhood service businesses and restaurants.