In the 1960s and 1970s the festival’s list of performers expanded and boasted names like Tina Turner, Miles Davis and Judy Collins, though the festival’s new pop and more mainstream artists never stopped the traditional classical performances from getting their spot in the lime-light. Afterwards, a new concrete pavilion was built and nearly doubled its capacity and now seats 3,200 people.Īlthough Ravinia festival started with opera, it certainly didn’t end there. During this time Ravinia was the summer residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has remained so to this day.Įven after the original wooden pavilion burned down in 1949, the festival (with a little improvisation with 33 tons of canvas) was still able to open on schedule. Ravinia Park closed for a few years during the Great Depression. Instead of swings and slides Ravinia Park became a concert hall with its first shows featuring classical music and opera with performers like Giovanni Martinelli and Rosa Raisa. He hoped it would bring business to his railroad - the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad.Įven though the park was unsuccessful and closed down in 1910, area residents came together and re-opened the park, creating the Ravinia Company in 1911. Frost built a skating rink, pavilion, a small hotel, baseball diamond and even a casino. When A.C Frost first purchased North Shore land in 1904, his goal was to build a year-round amusement park.
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