Stories

Acclaimed Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa dies at age 88

The Japanese conductor amazed audiences with the lithe physicality of his performances during three decades at the helm of the BSO. He served as the first music director of Ravinia from 1964 to 1968.

Associated PressDecember 31, 2019

German opera director Harry Kupfer dies at 84

Kylie HarwellDecember 30, 2019

6 Easy Steps to Finding a New Instrument

Candice AgreeDecember 30, 2019

In Their Own Words: Inspiring and evocative quotes from classical artists who died in 2019

Artist Icebreaker: Pianist Lara Downes

Adela SkowronskiSeptember 7, 2021

Ahead of her appearance at Ravinia this week, we sat down to talk with Lara Downes about her efforts to broaden the classical canon, her first introduction to Black composers like Florence Price and Margaret Bonds, and why she loves to work with Rachel Barton Pine.

Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Favorite Composers’ Habits?

Adela SkowronskiSeptember 5, 2021

Can you tell the procrastinators from the diligent workers? How did Stravinsky fix his writer's block? Test your knowledge of composers' habits with these 10 tricky questions!

Playlists

See All

Video: Music of the Baroque Shares a Louis XIV-Era Take on the Christmas Antiphon

Keegan MorrisDecember 20, 2019

As part of an Impromptu of secular and devotional holiday music from around the world, conductor Patrick Dupré Quigley led Music of the Baroque and organist Stephen Alltop in a performance of this lesser-known French Baroque Christmas song, 'Hodie Christus natus est' by Louis-Nicolas Clérambault.

Notre Dame Cathedral to miss first Christmas in centuries

Associated PressDecember 20, 2019

As the lights stay dim in the once-invincible 855-year-old Paris landmark, officials are trying hard to focus on the immediate task of keeping Notre Dame alive in exile.

Video: Chanticleer Sings Christmas Classics in Stunning Fourth Presbyterian Church

Keegan MorrisDecember 18, 2019

Chanticleer shares festival carols spanning over three centuries at the gorgeous Gothic-inspired Fourth Presbyterian Church on the Magnificent Mile!

Through the Night with Peter van de Graaff