Ravinia Festival

Ravinia, North America's oldest music festival, stands today as its most musically diverse. The privately run not-for-profit presents over 100 different events--something different every day--throughout the summer. These concerts run the gamut from Sting to Matisyahu to the annual summer residency of the nation's finest orchestra, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Welz Kauffman has been president and CEO of Ravinia since 2000, his accomplishments have included expanding the institution's REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs and attracting a greater variety of new artists and audiences. One of the world's most accomplished conductors, James Conlon, serves as Music Director. Ravinia employs about 50 full-time staff year round, but that number explodes tenfold as summer arrives and seasonal jobs go to ushers, waiters, phone center operators and others who help the show to go on. Ravinia runs the Steans Music Institute on its grounds. This summer music conservatory awards 60-70 fully paid fellowships each year to the most talented young professional musicians from around the world to work with an esteemed faculty and the headliners who frequent the festival. Ravinia's 36-acre park is nestled in a gently wooded area that makes it an enchanting place to experience music. Guests can bring their own picnics or eat at one of the restaurants serviced by Levy Restaurants. Children up to age 15, high school and college students are admitted free to the lawn for classical performances.