While the Ravinia Festival’s summer season has come to an end, work is well underway to prepare for next year.
The Highland Park concert venue known for a varied mix of classical performers and current acts is already anticipating the return of summer. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s schedule for next year is set and chamber music performances and classical recitals are already nearly booked, organizers said.
By November, the festival’s bookers will begin the process of lining up its eclectic schedule of non-classical acts.
“We’ve always had a varied approach,” said Welz Kauffman, Ravinia’s president and CEO. “Whatever the popular music of the day was, it was always part of the Ravinia diet.”
That approach produces a concert lineup that saw Tony Bennett, Train and Yo-Yo Ma all appearing in the span of a few weeks this summer.
“We want every audience to feel welcome,” Kauffman said. “We want everyone to know that we cast a very wide net and we pitch a very wide tent. Everyone should come and everyone should feel welcome at this glorious, elegant and beautiful place to hear a concert.”
Kauffman cited a September performance by Lauryn Hill as a prime example of how the festival attracts varied audiences with each performer.
“It was maybe one of the most thrilling live concert experiences I’ve had in my life anywhere in the world,” Kauffman said. “(You) had an audience of great age variation, different ethnic and racial backgrounds, different sexual orientations and everybody was dancing.”
To create a space that can welcome a wide range of musical acts day in and day out requires a large staff of behind-the-scenes workers who provide the ingredients that add up to a magical night under the stars.
Mike Robinson is Ravinia’s technical director and is responsible for the seamless set up of rock bands and violinists alike.
“Our goal is that one day you look at the stage and there’s a top show … and the next day you blink your eyes and the orchestra is here,” Robinson said.
For a recent concert by rock band Train, the setup involved four trailers of gear, lighting rigs and sound equipment, Robinson said.
“For the symphony we only have four people here, for (Train) we will have 25 people here,” he said.
While the stage might be set by mid-afternoon, the preparation for a concert also involves teams of people thinking about everything from cocktails to security wands.
“You just need more people to make sure you are taking care of all those people, whether it’s getting them a great burger, or a great salad or great cocktail … or just getting them into the park,” Kauffman said.
Hoping to accomplish that first part is Ali Saboor, Ravinia’s executive chef. With options ranging from massive catering packages to small snacks at the cafe, the dining team spent the summer balancing a variety of menus and service styles.
“It’s an interesting place, we get to go all over the map in a single day,” Saboor said.
While the music lineup at Ravinia is varied, the dining options often take their cues from the performers.
“At the CSO shows we try to keep the menu more classic with maybe some French dishes,” Saboor said “And then we get the country shows and we definitely love doing barbecue . . . at the a la carte restaurant we try to stay local and seasonal.”
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As September turns to October, the summer touring season has ended and the work of Robinson’s crew is largely complete. Saboor’s core team of cooks is preparing to move on to ski resorts to work throughout the winter. But back at Ravinia’s offices, the work continues.
Kauffman said balancing the classical performances with the competitive booking of touring acts can be like solving a musical Rubik’s cube.
“I find that kind of thrilling and kind of exhilarating,” he said.
For more information about Ravinia and its lineup of upcoming performances, got to ravinia.org.
@DanLambert22