Ravinia president and CEO Welz Kauffman today announced the festival’s summer lineup, over one hundred forty events from June 1 – September 16, 2018. Highlighting Ravinia 2018 is a celebration of the Leonard Bernstein centennial, being organized by the festival’s first-ever artistic curator, conductor and former Bernstein student Marin Alsop. The festival also highlights the eighty-third annual residency of the …

I grew up with Leonard Bernstein. No, I didn’t live anywhere near Lawrence, Massachusetts where he was born August 25, 1918. And he was more than thirty years older than I. But as a child growing up in the 1950s, I was the perfect age to enjoy The Mickey Mouse Club and Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts. I was 8 …

On May 9, 2017, The Leonard Bernstein Office announced “Leonard Bernstein at 100,” a two-year global celebration of Bernstein’s life and career. Following up on that announcement, the Ravinia Festival has announced its plans for a two-season Bernstein centennial celebration during the summers of 2018 and 2019. Conductor Marin Alsop, a Bernstein protégé, will be the musical curator for the …

Playing percussion is a lot harder than you might think. Unlike say, a violinist, who is responsible for playing one instrument, a percussionist must play dozens, if not hundreds, of different instruments.