Ravinia celebrates Sondheim's 80th bday - 3397 - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News

ALL-STAR CAST JOINS RAVINIA TO CELEBRATE STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S 80TH BIRTHDAY AT ANNUAL

GALA BENEFIT EVENING

Ravinia continues the celebrations of Schumann and Chopin and also presents works of Rachmaninoff including the festival premiere of his Symphony No. 1

Ravinia Festival's 2010 Gala Benefit Evening honors the 80th birthday of the great American composer Stephen Sondheim with a program featuring an evening of Sondheim's "greatest hits," starring Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, George Hearn and Michael Cerveris on Saturday, July 31. Conductor Paul Gemignani leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lonny Price will direct. The program will include highlights from past Ravinia Festival presentations of Sondheim shows including Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, Anyone Can Whistle and Gypsy. Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman launched the Sondheim 75 series in 2001 to honor the most influential music theater composer of the past three decades with an annual concert presentation of his work, culminating in 2005 with Sondheim's 75th birthday. Ravinia also presented the phenomenal first teaming of Patti LuPone and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Gypsy. LuPone would take the role to Broadway, winning the Tony Award and acknowledging Ravinia on the awards telecast. This concert will also feature a live video screen on the lawn. Hosted by the Ravinia Women's Board, the annual Gala Benefit Evening is the only performance fundraiser benefiting the not-for-profit festival. This special black-tie event begins with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on the lawn at 5 p.m., followed by the 7 p.m. performance, after which benefit guests will enjoy dinner in the Gala Marquee on the north lawn. To purchase tickets to the benefit dinner, please call 847-266-5045 or contact gala@ravinia.org .

On Wednesday, July 28, pianist Denis Matsuev performs Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the CSO, conducted by Ravinia Music Director James Conlon. The all-Rachmaninoff evening also features the Ravinia premiere of the composer's Symphony No. 1. Since winning the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Matsuev has performed in Russia, Asia and Europe and has appeared in recital at New York's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Salle Gaveau and Théâtre de Champs Elysée in Paris, Royal Festival Hall in London, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

Matsuev returns the next evening, Thursday, July 29, in an intimate Martin Theatre recital commemorating the 200th birthday celebrations of composers Chopin and Schumann at 8 p.m. The program includes Schumann's Kinderszenen ( "Scenes from Childhood" ) , Chopin's Ballade No. 4 in F Minor and Prokofiev's Sonata No. 7 in B-Flat Major.

Ravinia Music Director James Conlon presents a showcase in the Martin Theatre at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27, including the festival premiere of Milhaud's The Ox on the Roof, a pantomime farce with T. Daniel Productions and Chicago Chamber Musicians. The evening's concert will also include Grosz's Afrika Songs featuring CCM and soprano Ronnita Miller, baritone and Ravinia Steans Institute alum Brian Mulligan and pianist Di Wu, all making their Ravinia debuts, as well as Schulhoff's 5 Etudes de Jazz performed by Wu.

An all-Rachmaninoff piano program is presented at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 26, in the Martin Theatre by pianists Misha Dichter, Cipa Dichter, Ravinia Steans Music Institute alum Edisher Savitski, Vakhtang Kodanashivili, Marta Aznavoorian, Josephine Lee, and Ravinia Festival President and CEO Welz Kauffman. Savitski and Kodanashvili make their Ravinia Festival debut, joining Ravinia favorites the Dichters, Lincoln Trio pianist Aznavoorian, Chicago Children's Choir Artistic Director Josephine Lee and Kauffman for a program featuring works for four and six hands.

A concert in Bennett • Gordon Hall featuring artists from Ravinia's Steans Music Institute vocal program begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 1. This event is free and open to the public.

Awaken your inner "Dancing Queen" as the largest touring ABBA tribute band in the world, Arrival from Sweden, returns to the Ravinia stage at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 30. This concert will feature a live video screen on the lawn. Following the show, the band will participate in an artist signing in front of Ravinia Gifts.

Ravinia Festival is located at Lake Cook and Green Bay roads in Highland Park. For concert information or to purchase tickets, please visit Ravinia.org or contact the box office at ( 847 ) 266-5100. All season long Ravinia will accept donations of non-perishable food and toiletry items for local food depositories that can be dropped off near the information booth at the main entrance of the park. Follow, connect and interact online at backstage.ravinia.org, Ravinia.org/facebook and Ravinia.org/twitter. Ravinia Festival is a not-for-profit organization.

Monday, July 26, 8 p.m. — Martin Theatre

Misha Dichter, Piano <

Cipa Dichter, Piano <

Edisher Savitski, Piano + =

Vakhtang Kodanashvili, Piano + =

Josephine Lee, Piano ^

Marta Aznavoorian, Piano ^

Welz Kauffman, Piano ^

All-Rachmaninoff program: Two pieces for piano ( six hands ) ^

Russian Rhapsody ( two hands ) = *

Suite No. 1, Op. 5 ( four hands ) =

Suite No. 2, Op. 17 ( four hands ) <