The Pavilion at Ravinia. (Photo: Provided by Ravinia Festival)
The longest-running outdoor music festival in North America will return this summer as the Ravinia Festival opens its 2026 season across four stages. This year’s program coincides with several milestones: the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the 90th anniversary of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s summer residency at Ravinia, and the reopening of the newly renovated Hunter Pavilion.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Residency
The CSO’s annual six-week residency at Ravinia beginning on July 11 will feature special guests to celebrate the orchestra’s 90th year as the festival’s resident orchestra.
The season’s first CSO concert on July 11, 2026 marks the reopening of the Hunter Pavilion which had been undergoing renovations in 2025. The program features the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn Competition, Yunchan Lim, in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major, and a special appearance by flutist Lizzo.
The orchestra tackles Mahler’s Sixth Symphony on July 23, then a fan-favorite from Dvořák on July 31. The CSO will also be delivering two premieres this season: the Midwest premiere of Good News Mass by Carlos Simon on July 31, followed by John Williams’ new piano concerto on August 1 performed by Emanuel Ax. The famed pianist is also marking a milestone this season: 50 years since his CSO debut in May 1976.
CSO Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä will make his Ravinia debut with two August concerts, leading the orchestra through Strauss’s Alpine Symphony and Stravinsky’s Firebird. James Conlon returns to conduct the CSO on July 16 and 18 in Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio, featuring soprano Kathryn Lewek and tenor Miles Mykkanen as well as additional English narration.
Marin Alsop and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra receive an ovation at Ravinia Festival.
Alongside programs of classical music, the CSO will also appear with conductor Jules Buckley and six-time Grammy winner St. Vincent on July 25. Tony Award-winning conductor Ted Sperling joins the orchestra on August 2 for an all-American program that spans more than 200 years of popular song.
Chicago-born composer and producer Quincy Jones gets his own tribute on August 13 when his longtime collaborator Jules Buckley leads the CSO through the composer’s catalog. Finally, Steve Hackman visits the orchestra on August 14 for a program fusing selections from Brahms’ First Symphony with tracks from Radiohead’s album Ok Computer.
Other special guests this season include violinists Stella Chen, Daniel Lozakovich, and Gramophone’s Young Artist and Instrumentalist of the Year 2025 María Dueñas, before an all-Tchaikovsky evening concludes the CSO series on August 16.
Chamber Music and Visiting Ensembles
The festival continues its chamber music series with a variety of recitals. Longtime duo partners Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk launch Ravinia’s chamber music programming on June 5. Other highlights include Alisa Weilerstein and Inon Barnatan (June 7), Augustin Hadelich (June 22), and Misha Dichter (August 9) who is celebrating his 50th season at Ravinia.
Chanticleer
Guest ensembles appearing on the Ravinia stage include Chanticleer on July 26, Black Moon Trio on August 2, and the Danish String Quartet on August 5. Dame Jane Glover and Music of the Baroque return for their annual Ravinia show on September 3, this time focusing on Handel’s Royal Fireworks music and other music for royalty.
Throughout the festival, Marin Alsop celebrates the fifth Breaking Barriers initiative dedicated to women in the music industry, with a July 24 centerpiece that highlights women film composers.
Additional Programming
The Black Moon Trio returns to Ravinia for a family-friendly program combining music with Jamey Christoph’s picture book The Great Lakes (August 8). It’s one in a series of programs on this theme offered by the festival each season, which this year also includes a children’s opera program called “Dr. Seuss Goes to the Opera” (August 29).
Chicago Philharmonic performs with two guest artists making their Ravinia debuts: singer and actor Hugh Jackman (August 9) and singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov on August 19. Other appearances of note include Terrence Blanchard & Ravi Coltrane (June 3), Paul Simon (July 17 & 18), Emmylou Harris & Graham Nash (Jul 26), Tom Jones (September 18), and six-time Grammy winner Jacob Collier (September 23).
