Ravinia Festival announces $75 million renovation

Ravinia, North America’s longest-running outdoor music festival, has announced a multiyear renovation of its 36-acre park and venues just north of Chicago. The plans, revealed by festival president and CEO Jeffrey P Haydon and board chair Christopher J Klein, will see the venue’s architecture and park preserved and improved.

The renovation is supported by the festival’s $75 million Setting the Stages campaign. Already underway, the first phase of construction is expected to be finished before Ravinia’s summer 2025 season (6 June – 31 August). Work will then resume in the autumn for a second phase due to be completed for the opening of Ravinia’s following season in July 2026.

Ravinia Festival chief conductor Marin Alsop said: ‘Ravinia is a truly special place for all of us. It is a privilege to make music at the highest level in such a gorgeous, nature-filled setting. When it came to redesigning the Pavilion, a few Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians and I shared ideas to improve acoustics and deepen the connection between performers and the audience, all while preserving the charm and history that make Ravinia unique. It’s exciting to see how these improvements will elevate the experience for everyone.’

The first phase is set to include a complete renovation of Ravinia’s largest venue, the Pavilion, which will be renamed the Hunter Pavilion in recognition of a leadership gift of $10 million from the Hunter Family Foundation. The Pavilion will keep its signature roof but receive a new stage, seating and lighting, plus enhanced acoustics. The redesigned back-of-house areas will be named The Negaunee Foundation Artist Center in recognition of a major gift of $21 million from The Negaunee Foundation.

All other areas of the campus are expected to be renewed and enhanced successively until the 2029 season, when Ravinia will celebrate its 125th anniversary. The Sandra K. Crown Theater will receive a new concert stage, and the Bennett Gordon Hall will be updated a new outdoor performance stage will be built to replace the Carousel Stage. Structural restoration will be undertaken on the Martin Theatre, which dates back to the opening of Ravinia in 1904.