Ravinia Festival’s cover photo
Ravinia Festival

Ravinia Festival

Music

Highland Park, IL 7,372 followers

About us

Ravinia Festival®, North America’s oldest music festival, stands today as its most musically diverse, presenting over 100 different events throughout the summer. These concerts run the gamut from Yo-Yo Ma to John Legend to the annual summer residency of the nation’s finest orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Jeff Haydon is Ravinia’s President and CEO, bringing more than two decades of arts management and programming experience to the top job, as well as a lifelong love of music as both an avid audience member and musician. Haydon is dedicated to building on the “Ravinia experience,” including inspiring and enabling communities to engage with music through the festival’s Reach Teach Play programs. One of the world’s most accomplished conductors, Marin Alsop is Chief Conductor and Curator for multiple weeks of concerts with the CSO. The festival employs a full-time staff of about 55 year-round, but that number grows tenfold when summer arrives and seasonal jobs go to ushers, food service, phone center operators, and others who help the show to go on. Ravinia also runs its prestigious summer music conservatory, the Steans Music Institute, on its grounds. Each year, 60–70 talented young professional musicians from around the world are awarded fully paid fellowships to come work with an esteemed faculty and the headliners who frequent the festival. The 36-acre park, just north of Chicago, is nestled in a gently wooded area that makes it an enchanting place to experience music, whether in the 3,350-seat open-air Pavilion and the surrounding Lawn, or indoors in the 850-seat Martin Theatre or 450-seat Bennett Gordon Hall. Guests can bring their own picnics or enjoy food and drinks from the restaurants and bars in the park. Children up to age 15 and high-school and college students are admitted free to the Lawn for classical performances.

Website
http://www.ravinia.org
Industry
Music
Company size
51-200 employees
Headquarters
Highland Park, IL
Type
Nonprofit
Founded
1904
Specialties
A wide variety of musical genres, REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs, Summer residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Steans Music Institute, a summer conservatory, and Food services by Levy Restaurants

Locations

Employees at Ravinia Festival

Updates

  • Ravinia Festival reposted this

    It's been almost a week and the elation has not worn off. I am honored and deeply grateful to share that this year's fundraising efforts at Music Matters, hosted by the Ravinia Associates Board, were record-breaking. What made the evening truly special was the community behind it - our sponsors, donors, Ravinia family and dedicated staff who continue to believe in the power of music education. Your generosity and commitment make this work possible. A special thank you to our honoree, Bob Crawford, whose inspiring remarks reminded us why this mission matters and the power each of us has to make a difference. The success of this event supports Ravinia's Reach Teach Play music education programs, which brings access to music and opportunities to over 20,000 kids and their families in Lake and Cook counties year after year. That impact will continue long after the evening ended. (Yes, Ravinia Festival is much more than just the world's best outdoor music venue!) Ryan Razowsky and Amanda Baker, our spectacular Music Matters Co-Chairs sure know how to throw a great party with significant purpose. I'm feeling incredibly inspired, thankful, and proud of what we accomplished together.

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      +4
  • On Monday, Ravinia was proud to join fellow cultural leaders and Illinois State Rep. Nabeela Syed and Sen. Steve Stadelman at the Lyric Opera of Chicago to advocate for a critical piece of legislation: IL House Bill 4984. This bill aims to ban speculative ticketing—a predatory practice where sellers list tickets they don't actually own, often at 10 times the face value. The bill is advancing to the State Senate, and we appreciate the support from our local legislators and Chicagoland cultural institutions toward helping it pass.

    At Ravinia Festival, we believe live performance should be a source of inspiration and joy. To honor that mission, we work tirelessly to keep our tickets accessible and provide a best-in-class experience for every guest who enters our park. However, we are seeing an exponential rise in speculative ticketing—a deceptive practice where tickets are sold before they go on sale, often at exorbitant markups.  On Monday, I joined Rep. Nabeela Syed, Sen. Steve Stadelman, and leaders from the Lyric Opera of Chicago Harris Theater for Music and Dance, The Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Auditorium Theater to demand change. Together, we are pushing for the passage of House Bill 4984 to end this predatory practice in Illinois.  When a guest’s night is ruined at our front gate by a misleading or fraudulent listing, the entire industry loses. As arts leaders, we are unified: our reputation and our audience's trust are not for sale. We look forward to seeing this bill move through the Senate to protect the "heart" in the heartbeat of our cultural community. WBEZ Coverage: https://lnkd.in/gCSW6Gnn

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  • This week, the world's eyes turn to Chicago for the 15th UNESCO International Jazz Day, and we are so proud that this city is in the spotlight. Ravinia was honored to provide foundational support in making that happen, alongside our Jazz Advisor Kurt Elling, who was instrumental in bringing this celebration home. We had an incredible concert with John Clayton, Steve Wilson, the Steans Jazz Fellows, and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Fellows on April 26. Today, we're headed to the Kehrein Center with the Ravinia Jazz Scholars and Uniting Voices Chicago. It all culminates on April 30 with the International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert, live from the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The concert will be live-streamed to millions of viewers in over 190 countries, uniting the world from right here in Chicago. Details at the link below. https://lnkd.in/gGprsc3y 

  • Thank you, Chicago Star Media! We are so excited for this citywide Jazz celebration!

  • Ravinia Festival reposted this

    It is exciting to watch the Hunter Pavilion being unwrapped from my temporary office window across the lawn!!!!

    We keep getting closer to pulling down the "curtain" and seeing all the progress being made in renovating the Ravinia Festival Hunter Pavilion. Meanwhile, here's a preview of what to expect. Lohan Architecture's team includes Schuler Shook, Threshold, TGRWA, MEPC, Terra, NHA, JPL AV, and JH. The CM is W.B. Olson. #lohanarchitecture #ravinia #architecture

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  • View organization page for Ravinia Festival

    7,372 followers

    Summer at Ravinia is something special. Sunny days in the park, live music in the air, and a team that helps bring it all to life. If you’re looking for a seasonal role that’s dynamic, people-focused, and set to a live soundtrack, we’re hiring across the park for the 2026 summer season: • Sales Associate, Retail Operations • Chair Rental Staff • Parking Lot Attendant • Parking Admissions • Shuttle Ambassador • Gate Staff • Artist Merchandise Seller • Box Office Representative • Registered Nurse, First Aid Staff • First Aid Assistant, First Aid Staff • Seasonal Assistant, Corporate Relations • Program Assistant, Steans Institute Spend your summer surrounded by music, community, and some of the best sunsets in Chicagoland. Explore open roles and apply at ravinia.org

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  • Reach Teach Play Artistic Manager, Raimundo Pineda, to present at the 2026 National Symposium in Houston, joining a dynamic lineup of leaders and teaching artists from across the El Sistema USA® El Sistema USA community.

    View organization page for El Sistema USA®

    1,699 followers

    El Sistema USA® is pleased to introduce the lead presenters for the 2026 National Symposium in Houston, TX. Following the announcement of our keynote presenters, Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) and the Apollo Chamber Players, we are proud to highlight a distinguished group of speakers from across the El Sistema USA network. These leaders, teaching artists, and practitioners reflect the breadth of our community and the depth of work happening across the field across four symposium tracks. Learn more and explore the full schedule at https://lnkd.in/euR4bM7s Regular registration pricing is available through April 26.

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