2014 Annual Report

2014 ANNUAL REPORT Ravinia is an internationally renowned, RAVINIA not-for-profi t music festival that presents outstanding performances by the world’s MISSION greatest artists. Ravinia’s principal STATEMENT objectives are: • to present performances of a full range of classical music in its open-air Pavilion and enclosed recital halls by the world’s greatest composers and musicians, along with a variety of other kinds of light classical, jazz and popular music; • to maintain a beautiful park that is welcoming to all and attractive to families in which the music experience is enhanced by a beautiful environment and excellent dining opportunities; • to enable gifted young performers to study under great teachers and perform in concert settings; and • to develop broader and more diverse audiences for classical music through education and outreach programs and by maintaining aff ordable ticket prices. e’re proud to report that by any measure the 2014 Ravinia season was a rousing success. Th e photos over the next several pages should give you an idea of its artistic success, and going A MESSAGE Wstrictly by the numbers, Ravinia exceeded its goals in both FROM CHAIRMAN earned and contributed income. Perhaps the measure we’re proudest of is that we exceeded JOHN L. ANDERSON our most important goal of increasing Pavilion audiences for Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts. We aspired to AND PRESIDENT average 2,000 seats sold per CSO concert, and we actually sold 2,225. Th at’s equivalent to a sold-out concert at Disney AND CEO Hall, oversold at Severance Hall and 750 seats more than the Harris Th eater’s capacity. Th is was achieved in large WELZ KAUFFMAN part with $25 tickets for most Pavilion seats and a wide spectrum of programming, including symphonic pops with Th e Lord of the Rings—Th e Return of the King the runaway hit of the 2014 residency. We supported these CSO programs with $10 pricing for most lawn tickets and free lawn admission for children and students. We dedicated one entire side of our foldout calendar/brochure to a deeper look at our classical programs and added more notes and information to our composer Richard Strauss; Highland Park resident and redesigned, mobile-friendly website. We experimented Smashing Pumpkins talent-trust Billy Corgan making with little surprises for the audience at all CSO events, his Ravinia debut with a critically acclaimed concert that such as free wedding cake at Th e Marriage of Figaro; created covered every era of his music making; the virtuosic and brief video intros for select concerts; and the Ravinia charismatic Joshua Bell headlining the Women’s Board’s Associates Board hosted audience-building, pre-concert annual gala to support the not-for-profi t Ravinia Festival parties, such as “Beer, Brats and Beethoven” and “A Hobbit and its REACH*TEACH*PLAY education programs; one of Happening.” the country’s great jam bands, Chicago’s own Umphrey’s McGee, paying homage to Ravinia’s rich history in their All told, more than 150,000 people attended CSO concerts festival debut by having a string ensemble join them on and other classical events, meaning that Ravinia attracted stage; the inimitable fl utist James Galway and the CSO over 10 percent of our potential audience from the 20- performing the American premiere of Riverdance composer mile radius documented to be where our classical music Bill Whelan’s Linen and Lace concerto; and the many audience lives; that’s almost three times the NEA’s wonderful artists on the year-round $10 BGH Classics population penetration for classical music nationwide. Do series, which gives audiences of all ages an intimate we want to do better? Certainly, and we are implementing experience with classical music for less than the price of a new strategies for growing our classical music audience, movie ticket. some of which will work, some of which may not. But we refuse to confuse “hope”—generally accepted elsewhere in Guests enjoyed several changes at Ravinia this season, classical music—with strategy. including the installation of Silent Music by Jaume Plensa (best known to Chicagoans for the spitting fountains Of course, classical music is just part of the picture for our at Millennium Park), a sculptural representation of audience of cultural omnivores. Ravinia presented more a childhood enveloped in his father’s music making. than 140 performances, from Mozart to Maxwell, between Th at subject makes it a fi tting focal point for the newly June 14 and September 16. In the fi nal “Welz Around established KidsLawn, a friendly environment where Town” column in the local Landmark newspapers, we families with young children can picnic and enjoy a concert challenged audiences to name their favorite concerts of the after playing with large-scale musical instruments (which season, and the results proved why Ravinia is considered parents seemed to enjoy as much as the children). We the most programmatically diverse festival in the country. changed the menu and ambiance of our donor dining club, Some 2014 highlights include Patricia Racette starring for the Freehling Room, to include lighter fare in a more the fi rst time in the title role of Salome with James Conlon conducting the CSO in honor of the sesquicentennial of casual atmosphere on non-classical concert nights, and Public Schools with the best jazz pros in the city, honing changed membership policies to allow more donors to take them into a true ensemble (one of these students, Alexis advantage of this exclusive perk. We replaced the Ravinia Lanier, even joined Welz Kauff man in a four-hand piano app with a completely redesigned, mobile-friendly website performance at Millennium Park this summer). that allows all of Ravinia.org to function as an app. Finally, we erected a new lighting system to help lawn audiences Ravinia could not exist without its donors and corporate pack up at the end of a concert. sponsors, who provide nearly half the money it takes to run the festival each year. Special recognition goes out to More changes are coming for 2015, including enhanced Wi- Food Network for hosting its daylong festival of music, Fi; a reconstructed bus turnaround that safely segregates food and wine, which brought more than 150 of Chicago’s pedestrians from motorists and allows Park ’n’ Ride users fi nest purveyors along with performances by John Mayer more effi cient load-in while reducing noise and emissions and Phillip Phillips to Ravinia—furthering the link for our neighbors; a widened entrance to our south between music and food that makes up the full Ravinia parking lot to match the width of the street that feeds it, experience, considering that chefs are the latest maestros removing the bottleneck; and beautifi cation of the back of of our time. the Harza Building with architectural features that speak to the nearby south gateway. We applaud the fi ne teaching artists and fellows who make Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute one of the world’s most Next year will also bring a celebration of James Conlon immersive post-graduate music conservatories, giving in his 11th and fi nal season as music director of the young professionals a chance to reach audiences with such CSO residency. Programs, including Ravinia’s fi rst full off erings as a music theater night and a Kiri Te Kanawa performance of Wagner’s Th e Flying Dutchman, will recall residency that featured the world premiere of a Jake the themes and music of his more than three decades of Heggie–penned song cycle commissioned by Ravinia to conducting at Ravinia. We cannot thank James enough for celebrate the singer’s 70th birthday. the artistry and passion he exudes. We acknowledge the wonderful relationship we have We must also thank the most impressive group of business with our hometown, Highland Park, and we are proud leaders and philanthropists one is likely to see gathered in to contribute to the city more than a million dollars this a single room, our fi scally wise board of trustees. Ravinia year, representing 5 percent of the festival’s gross ticket would never have reached its 110th anniversary, which we revenue. marked in 2014, without the stewardship of such inspired leaders. Last but not least, we thank all 600,000 music lovers out there who appreciate what we do. It’s more than a goal; it’s A huge debt of gratitude is owed to our Women’s Board, our mission to bring you the world’s fi nest music across an insightful and active-beyond-description group a variety of genres. Th e ultimate measure of our success of volunteers whose hosting of the annual gala and would be welcoming you back next summer. management of the gift shop and chair-rental service have made them the single biggest donor in Ravinia John L. Anderson Welz Kauffman history. Th anks also go to our Associates Board, which Chairman, Board of President and CEO celebrated its 25th anniversary this summer with its most Trustees successful Music Matters fundraiser to date, honoring its founding president and Ravinia Life Trustee David Weinberg. Th eir annual support helps make possible such REACH*TEACH*PLAY programs as the Jazz Scholars and Mentors, which unites the best players from Chicago SILENT MUSIC & MUSICAL KIDS International sculptor Jaume Plensa, best known to Chicagoans for the spitting fountains in Millennium Park, visited Ravinia for the unveiling of his giant walk-in sculpture Silent Music. Plensa’s intent was to create a piece that evoked the feeling of being enveloped in music that he felt as a child hiding in his father’s piano.

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