Violent Femmes, Ben Platt, Fitz & the Trantrums and more this summer at Ravinia

The groundhog had his day, but a more predictable sign of warmer weather, at least for North Shore residents, is the annual release of Ravinia Festival’s season lineup.

The music venue announced its 2024 roster of entertainment on Thursday morning, providing details of more than 100 concerts with more than 60 Ravinia debuts between June 7 and Sept. 15.

View the full lineup HERE. Tickets go on sale to the public on April 24, but Ravinia donors can begin purchasing on March 19.

Big-named artists from a variety of genres will hit the Ravinia stage this season, such as James Taylor (June 8-9), Michael Franti and Spearhead (June 15), Daryl Hall with Elvis Costello (July 6), Norah Jones (July 14), O.A.R. and Fitz and the Tantrums (Aug. 23), Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Aug. 24), and Samara Joy (Aug. 25).

Additionally, in special performances, the Violent Femmes will be joined by the Chicago Philharmonic while they play their debut album (self-titled) in its entirety on June 21; and Big Boi (of OutKast) and Danielle Ponder will join Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue on June 19.

Other popular artists include Ben Platt on June 28, The Beach Boys with John Stamos on July 7, Indigo Girls and Melissa Ethridge on Aug. 11, and The Roots on Aug. 24.

“With an extraordinary range of concerts and artists, we are excited to offer an inspiring and captivating season for everyone who comes to Ravinia,” said Jeffrey Haydon, Ravinia’s president and CEO. “Whether in Bennett Gordon Hall, Martin Theatre, Pavilion, Lawn, or Carousel, concertgoers will surely experience the spirit of summer with incredible music under the stars.”

Family events include Divi Roxx Kids on June 15, Elena Moon Park and Friends on July 20, and a showing of Pixar’s “Up” with live music from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Aug. 17.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra also returns for its six-week residency beginning July 14. It will feature three weeks of programs led by chief conductor Marin Alsop and three weeks with distinguished guest conductors.

Other events include the third year of the Breaking Barriers festival — which will again celebrate women conductors with concerts, discussions, a workshop and more — on July 26-27; and the second National Seminario Ravinia: Orchestras for All, a gathering of more tan 100 students from across the globe from July 7-11.

Ravinia is well-known for its concert lawn space, where guests can bring their own picnics, including food and liquor. Other dining options are available at the park. For more information, visit www.ravinia.org.

Here is a complete list of the 2024 lineup as submitted by Ravinia Festival:

RECITALS, CHAMBER MUSIC, and GUEST ORCHESTRAS

A wide array of classical music beyond the symphonic repertoire is offered this summer, from recitals to chamber music and uniquely curated presentations in the Martin Theatre, Bennett Gordon Hall, and the Pavilion. 

• Kronos Quartet celebrates its 50th anniversary with a program of recent commissions and pieces from the Kronos Fifty for the Future project. – June 13; Martin Theatre
• Jonathan Biss, piano, surrounds a new piece by MacArthur Fellow Tyshawn Sorey with beloved works by Franz Schubert. – June 20; Martin Theatre
• The Knights and Aaron Diehl Trio perform Mary Lou Williams’s Zodiac Suite, and the orchestra interprets Louise Farrenc’s Finale-Allegro from Symphony No. 3 in G minor and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”). – June 29; Martin Theatre 
• Chamber orchestra A Far Cry returns with Kinan Azmeh, clarinet, and Dinuk Wijeratne*, piano. The performance will feature music by Kareem Roustom and Leoš Janáček, as well as by the two soloists. – July 2; Martin Theatre
• The King’s Singers will perform Northern Lights featuring Norse and Celtic folksongs, music by Grieg and Sibelius, and more. – July 3; Martin Theatre
• Ravinia Steans Music Institute faculty Midori and Mihaela Martin, violin; Kim Kashkashian, viola; Frans Helmerson and Clive Greensmith, cello; and Marc-André Hamelin, piano, take the stage for music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Timo Andres, Carlos Simon, and Robert Schumann. – July 6; Martin Theatre
• Takács Quartet performs music by Dvořák and Ravel alongside the Ravinia premiere of Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s Flow. – July 17; Martin Theatre
• Miloš Karadaglić, guitar, and the Viano String Quartet^ explore themes of migration, identity, and belonging with music by Vivaldi, Glass, Lena Frank, Piazzola, The Beatles, and more. – July 18; Martin Theatre 
• Karen Slack^, soprano, joins Kevin Miller*, piano, for African Queens, a new project celebrating the history and legacy of seven acclaimed African queens who were revered as rulers and warriors. – August 1; Martin Theatre 
• Conductor Gustavo Dudamel leads the National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela* in John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Alberto Ginastera’s Dances from Estancia, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, and Antonio Estévez’s Mediodía en el llano (Midday on the Plain). – August 6; Pavilion
• Matthias Goerne, baritone, returns to Ravinia with Anton Mejias*, piano, for an evening of Schubert songs. – August 13; Martin Theatre
• Apollo’s Fire returns to Ravinia with artistic director, conductor, and harpsichordist Jeannette Sorrell for their curated program Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Rediscovered. The group presents Vivaldi’s revolutionary acts of musical storytelling, bringing his pictorial descriptions to life. – August 15; Martin Theatre
• Matthew Polenzani, tenor, and Kevin Murphy, piano – August 20; Martin Theatre
• Stella Chen^, violin, and Matthew Lipman^, viola, join Brannon Cho*, cello, for an afternoon of string trios by Beethoven, Klein, and Mozart. – August 25; Bennett Gordon Hall
• Third Coast Percussion*, reconnect with Sérgio Assad, guitar, and Clarice Assad*, multi-instrumentalist, for their Archetypes program, which features 12 musical portraits of character types that appear in stories throughout the world. – August 27; Martin Theatre 
• Zlatomir Fung^, cello, and Dina Vainshtein, piano, join together for a program of chamber music. – August 28; Bennett Gordon Hall
• David Kaplan^, piano, presents Quasi una fantasia, with works by composers as varied as György Ligeti, Christopher Cerrone, Kaija Saariaho, and Johannes Brahms in addition to the two famed Beethoven sonatas in the fantasy style. – September 1; Bennett Gordon Hall
• Yevgeny Kutik, violin, and Renana Gutman^, piano, perform selections from Kutik’s Music from the Suitcase as well as Mendelssohn’s F-major sonata, Bloch’s Baal Shem, Milhaud’s The Ox on the Roof, and more – September 5; Bennett Gordon Hall
• Music of the Baroque, led by Dame Jane Glover, conductor, and Anthony McGill, clarinet, present music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and George Frideric Handel. – September 10; Martin Theatre 
• Aznavoorian Duo, comprising sisters Ani Aznavoorian^, cello, and Lincoln Trio’s Marta Aznavoorian, piano, perform selections from their 2022 debut album, Gems from Armenia, and works by American composers – September 12; Bennett Gordon Hall

FAMILY AND FILM 

Ravinia continues to offer a variety of programs for all ages, with some events specifically geared toward children and families. Performances take place in the Pavilion unless otherwise noted.

• Divi Roxx Kids*, June 15; Carousel Stage
• Birdman 10th Anniversary: The complete film is shown while its solo jazz percussion score is performed live by composer Antonio Sánchez. – June 26; Martin Theatre 
• Elena Moon Park & Friends* – July 20; Martin Theatre
• Chicago Philharmonic performs Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony – July 27; Bennett Gordon Hall 
• Laurie Berkner – August 3, two performances
• The Princess Bride, complete film with live score performed by the CSO – August 16
• Disney and Pixar’s Up, complete film with live score performed by the CSO, led by conductor Anthony Parnther* – August 17
• Fyütch* – August 31; Bennett Gordon Hall 
• Big Drum / Small World* – September 7; Bennett Gordon Hall

JAZZ, BLUES, FOLK, GOSPEL, and AMERICAN SONGBOOK

Ravinia continues to lead the way with its signature mix of programming across a wide array of genres, with an expanded set of offerings at the Carousel, both as opening acts and stand-alone events. All performances take place in the Pavilion except when noted. 

• Jazz in June: Battle of the Big Bands featuring Adonis Rose & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra* and Orrin Evans & the Captain Black Big Band*, with special guests Kurt Elling and Rufus Reid, plus Ravinia Steans Music Institute Jazz Fellows. The student and professional musicians of the Ravinia Jazz Mentor Program, one of the Reach Teach Play programs, open the night on the Carousel Stage. – June 16
• Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with Big Boi* and Danielle Ponder* – June 19
• Because of You starring Michael Feinstein and the Carnegie Hall Big Band in A Tribute to the Legendary Tony Bennett– June 23
• Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper* – June 27; Carousel Stage
• Norah Jones and very special guest Mavis Staples – July 14 
• Victor Wooten & the Wooten Brothers – August 7; Carousel Stage
• Samara Joy* – August 25

GLOBAL MUSIC and LATIN

All performances take place in the Pavilion except when noted. 

• Little Feat and Los Lobos on the Can’t Be Satisfied Tour – June 22
• The Reset: An Immersive Sound Experience with Davin Youngs* – July 11; Carousel Stage
• Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes and Choco Orta with Caribe Project*, July 31
• Conductor Gustavo Dudamel leads the National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela* in two works by South American composers –Alberto Ginastera’s Dances from Estancia and Antonio Estévez’s Mediodía en el llano (Midday on the Plain)– among other pieces on the program. – August 6 
• Eighth annual Fiesta Ravinia, with Julieta Venegas* and La Santa Cecilia* featured for the main-stage performance of the day – September 15

POP, ROCK, R&B, INDIE, HIP-HOP, COUNTRY, and DJs

All performances take place in the Pavilion except when noted. 

• The Flock featuring Jerry Goodman* – June 7; Carousel Stage
• James Taylor & His All-Star Band – June 8 and 9 
• Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and JD McPherson* on the Can’t Let Go Tour – June 12
• Hauser* on his Rebel with a Cello tour – June 14
• Michael Franti & Spearhead, Trevor Hall*, and Bombargo* on The Togetherness Tour – June 15
• Violent Femmes* play their debut album in its entirety with Chicago Philharmonic and conductor Stuart Chafetz* – June 21
• Ben Platt* – June 28 
• Roger Daltrey and KT Tunstall* – June 29 
• Lyle Lovett & His Large Band and Clint Black – June 30
• The Music of ABBA with Arrival From Sweden – July 5
• Daryl Hall and Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton – July 6
• The Beach Boys with special guest John Stamos – July 7
• Norah Jones with very special guest Mavis Staples – July 14
• Killer Queen: Tribute to Queen featuring Patrick Myers* as Freddie Mercury – July 27
• Angélique Kidjo and Meshell Ndegeocello* – August 8 
• Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge – August 11
• Robert Glasper* and J. Ivy* – August 14
• Gaelic Storm* and The High Kings* – August 22
• O.A.R., Fitz & the Tantrums, and DJ Logic* – August 23
• The Roots, Digable Planets*, and Arrested Development* – August 24
• ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd on The Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour – August 29 
• Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit and Alejandro Escovedo – September 8 
• Crowded House* – September 11
• Queen! featuring resident DJs Derrick Carter, Michael Serafini, and Garrett David, hosts Lucy Stoole and Nico, and special guests – September 14; Carousel Stage

DANCE

This season Ravinia celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Ruth Page Festival of Dance, presented annually in partnership with The Ruth Page Center for the Arts in Chicago.

• Ruth Page Professional Dance & Friends, artistic director of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Jumaane Taylor, and Moonwater Dance Project* present a program that highlights two commissioned contemporary works from Mexican choreographers—Apophonia by Adrián Marcelo Sáenz and La Tierra de Canela y Maiz (The Land of Cinnamon and Corn) by Francisco Aviña. – June 20 & 22; Bennett Gordon Hall
• Joffrey Ballet performs the world premiere of choreography by Houston Thomas on music by the late Ramsey Lewis, as well as Cathay Marston’s Heimat and Nicolas Blanc’s Under the Trees’ Voices. – September 13; Pavilion
• Joffrey Ballet presents Rita Finds Home, a performance choreographed by Amy Hall Garner, based on the children’s book by author Karla Estela Rivera and author and illustrator Elisa Chavarri. September 14; Pavilion

FALL PERFORMANCES

Performances in October and November are also being announced and put on sale alongside the summer season. Additional performances in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 will be announced at a later date.

• Shelly Berg Trio* – October 26; Bennett Gordon Hall
• Alexander Hersh^, cello, Victor Santiago Asunción, piano, present Beyond Borders, with works by Debussy, Wiancko, Britten, Schumann, Say, and Sollima. – November 2; Bennett Gordon Hall
• PROJECT Trio* – November 9; Bennett Gordon Hall
• Ryan Townsend Strand*, tenor, and Karina Kontorovitch*, piano, present Letters to Jackie, a newly conceived song cycle based on the letters sent to Jacqueline Kennedy by the American people following the assassination of her husband, the 15 settings in Letters to Jackie represent the collective grief of a nation and the power of community and healing in a time of great tragedy. – November 16; Bennett Gordon Hall

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