Illinois’s Ravinia Festival, the US’s longest-running outdoor music festival, has announced a $75m plan for renovation over the next four years. Founded in 1904, the festival is currently the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
As well as symphonic concerts, the 36-acre parkland complex hosts opera, ballet, jazz, blues, pop and drama performances. The main Pavilion venue will be upgraded and renamed, thanks to gifts of $10m from the Hunter Family Foundation and $25m from the Negaunee Foundation.
Lohan Architecture, the Chicago-based firm that succeeded Mies van der Rohe’s studio, is overseeing the Pavilion’s renovation. All other areas of the Ravinia Festival campus are expected to be renovated successively until the 2029 season, when the festival celebrates its 125th anniversary.
Ravinia Festival’s grounds in Highland Park, 25 miles north of Chicago, are unusual in being built around their own seasonal train station – owing to the festival’s founding by the Chicago & Milwaukee Electric Railroad. Former artistic directors of the festival include Seiji Osawa, Christoph Eschenbach, and the festival’s current Chief Conductor is Marin Alsop.
In a statement, Alsop said: “Ravinia is a truly special place for all of us. It is a privilege to make music at the highest level in such a gorgeous, nature-filled setting. When it came to redesigning the Pavilion, a few Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians and I shared ideas to improve acoustics and deepen the connection between performers and the audience, all while preserving the charm and history that make Ravinia unique. It’s exciting to see how these improvements will elevate the experience for everyone.”
The new Hunter Pavilion will offer a deeper stage, enhanced acoustics, and improved production facilities. Meanwhile the Negaunee Foundation Artist Center will improve artists’ backstage experience, with renovated dressing rooms and warm-up rooms, and a broadcast media studio.
“For more than a century, Ravinia has been a cherished destination for generations of artists and audiences from our region and around the world,” Ravinia Festival CEO Jeffrey P Hayden said. “Our goal is to make every part of Ravinia more welcoming, comfortable, and exciting, while keeping us at the forefront of artistic presentation and programming for generations to come.”