CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A sign that summer is around the corner - Ravina released its 2019 lineup.
Ravinia Festival has been known to have "something for everyone" and this year is no different.
The 100 day festival season is filled with 70 debuts and 50 premieres; and the lineup features classical, pop, country, jazz, hip-hop and R&B artists scheduled to perform at the Highland Park venue.
Ravinia announced Thursday that it officially opens May 31 with Ramseyfest, a concert featuring the Chicago jazz legend Ramsey Lewis & the Urban Knights, plus a trio of friends including Philip Bailey of EWF, John Pizzarelli Trio, Ann Hampton Callaway.
“I’m not sure I ever really start off planning any season with a specific thought in mind when it comes to the programming other than the driving force that is our mantra: something for everyone,” said Ravinia CEO Welz Kauffman, in a statement. “Our season continues to be something for audiences of all ages, local audiences and regional audiences. … There are very few [venues] that can do what we do. You can hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra here and you can hear Maxwell [July 9] here — the location is the same, but the vibe takes on a whole new personality with each artist. I think that is truly unique and what makes a concert at Ravinia such an experience.”
Among the 140 concert events, top pavilion headliners include Lionel Richie, Sting, Tony Bennett - in his 40th Ravinia concert, Buddy Guy with Blues Traveler and Shemekia Copeland, Steve Miller Band, Little Big Town, Sugarland, Lady Antebellum - for the first time, Kesha, Morrissey, Pentatonix, TI, Queen Latifah and Common, and many, many more.
Ravinia will also hold a Kids Concert Series, featuring Vy Higginsen’s Sing Harlem Choir, the Mames Babegenush Klezmer band, the Ko-Thi Dance Company, the Catskill Puppet Theater and Stars of the Peking Acrobats.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will begin a summer residency at Ravinia highlighting classical music and performing a concert in celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s 101st birthday, with a screening of “West Side Story,” and Oscar and Grammy Award winner Jennifer Hudson makes her debut with the CSO as the featured soloist for Ravinia’s annual Women’s Board fundraising gala.
Tickets will go on sale to Ravinia donors beginning March 19. The general public sale begins May 7 for May, June, and July concerts, and May 8 for August and September concerts, exclusively at ravinia.org.
Check out the complete 2019 festival schedule:
Opening Night, May 31 - Ramseyfest - Ramsey Lewis & Urban Knights, plus a trio of friends - Philip Bailey of EWF, John Pizzarelli Trio, Ann Hampton Callaway
June 1 - Tash Sultana with special guest Pierce Brothers
June 6 - Rob Thomas with Abby Anderson
June 7 - Josh Groban
June 8 - John Prine with Tyler Childers
June 9 - Bobby McFerrin & The SpiritYouAll Band with the Chicago Children’s Choir
June 11 - Lionel Richie
June 12 - Lionel Richie
June 13 - Lake Street Dive and The Wood Brothers
June 14 - Buddy Guy with Blues Traveler and Shemekia Copeland
June 21 - Tony Bennett with very special guest Antonia Bennett
June 26 - The Stars of the Peking Acrobats
June 28 - Little Big Town with Jillian Jacqueline
June 29 - Counting Crows
June 30 - Sugarland
July 1 - Steve Miller Band with Matt Andersen
July 2 - T.I.
July 6 - Michael McDonald and Chaka Khan
July 7 - The Music of Queen by the Ravinia Festival Orchestra
July 9 - Maxwell
July 10 - Lady Antebellum
July 12 - CSO: West Side Story (film with orchestra)
July 13 - CSO: Jean-Yves Thibaudet
July 14 - CSO: Jennifer Hudson
July 15 - Well-Strung
July 20 - CSO: MASS
July 21 - CSO: Ghostbusters: 35th Anniversary (film with orchestra)
July 23 - Lyle Lovett & His Large Band
July 26 - Mahler's Symphony No. 8
July 27 - Lenny: A Musical Portrait In Symphony, Song and Story
July 28 - “Weird Al” Yankovic and the Ravinia Festival Orchestra
July 30 - ABBA The Concert
Aug. 1 - CSO: Beethoven & Brahms
Aug. 2 - CSO: Beethoven & Brahms
Aug. 3 - Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band with The Beach Boys
Aug. 4 - Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band with The Beach Boys
Aug. 7 - CSO: Denis Matsuev Plays Rach 3
Aug. 8 - Angel Blue
Aug. 9 - CSO: On The Waterfront (film with orchestra)
Aug. 10 - Chicago
Aug. 11 - Chicago
Aug. 12 - Sarah McLachlan with Ravinia Festival Orchestra
Aug. 13 - Nickelback
Aug. 14 - Nickelback
Aug. 15 - Pentatonix: The World Tour with special guest Rachel Platten
Aug. 16 - Alisa Weilerstein with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Aug. 17 - Laurie Berkner (kids concert series)
Aug. 17 - CSO: Perlman Plays Bruch
Aug. 18 - Tchaikovsky Spectacular
Aug. 19 - Anne Akiko Meyers with Lucerne Symphony Orchestra
Aug. 20 - George Li with Lucerne Symphony Orchestra
Aug. 21 - Philippe Quint Celebrates the Music of Charlie Chaplin Films
Aug. 22 -Bernstein's Trouble In Tahiti, Chicago Philharmonic
Aug. 23 - Sting
Aug. 24 - Opera for the Young: Super Storm (kids concert series)
Aug. 24 - Sting
Aug. 26 - Gil Shaham Plays Brahms with The Knights
Aug. 28 - Bernstein's Candide, The Knights
Aug. 29 - An Evening with Michael Feinstein and Christine Ebersole
Aug. 30 - O.A.R. with American Authors and Rozzi
Aug. 31 - Queen Latifah and Common
Sept. 1 - Steely Dan
Sept. 2 - Mames Babegenush (kids concert series)
Sept. 2 - Steely Dan
Sept. 7 - Yevgeny Kutik
Sept. 8 - Kesha
Sept. 14 - The Performer's School: Cinderella (kids concert series)
Sept. 14 - Morrissey
Sept. 15 - The Performer's School: Cinderella (kids concert series)
Sept. 15 - Coco with Chicago Philharmonic accompanies (film with orchestra)