Ravinia Schedule for 2017!

Ravinia just released its schedule for 2017, and as always there's a ton of great music to be heard.

In case you were unaware, Ravinia is an outdoor park in the Northern suburbs of Chicago, easily accessible by car or by Metra (there is a Metra station right out front!) During the summer, they present world-class musicians in a pastoral and beautiful setting.  You can bring a picnic, make a day of it, and listen to some amazing music.  They focus on classical, but have a fair amount of classic rock and jazz, and occasionally even some more alternative music (Blondie and Garbage are making appearances this year.)

One of the most amazing things about Ravinia (other than the music of course) is the picnicking! You can see all kinds of elaborate picnic setups.  I'm hoping to go a couple of times this summer just to take photos of some of the best picnic solutions!  Or you can just go look at this Pinterest board.

Click image to see larger, or view the Ravinia calendar on their site.

I've included a screen captured shot of their full schedule to the right.  You can click here to see the schedule in all of its fabulous glory.

Tickets are various prices, and they do have deals for kids, seniors, and those who buy tickets in bulk.

If you are a textual person, you can look below to see their schedule in list format or download  from this link.

Here are some of the highlights, with special attention to stuff that is kid and family friendly.  I'm not even including all of the many CSO concerts, or some of the special events like Aretha Franklin or Joshua Bell.

GREAT KIDS SHOWS
AT RAVINIA 2017

June 3 at 11 am, 2 pm, and 5 pm Catskill Puppet Theatre performs Sister Rain and Brother Sun.

June 17 at 11 am
Ko-Thi Dance Company performs

June 18 at 8 pm
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performs live accompaniment to the movie La La Land

June 29 at 7 pm Stars of the Peking Acrobats

July 15 at 12 noon Laurie Berkner performs a solo concert.

July 29 at 11 am
The Joyous String Ensemble

August 18-20 at 7 pm
The CSO, the Chicago Children's Choir, the Chicago Chorale, and the Lakeside Singers provide live musical accompaniment to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  Each night, one movie plays.

August 29 at 11 am 
Opera For the Young’s The Elixir of Love 

September 16 & 17 
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a performance by the Performer’s School has 5 performances spread out over the two days.

Click image to see larger, or click here for PDF version