HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. – Ravinia Festival has canceled its 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 120 acts were scheduled to perform from June 12 through Sept. 16 during the nation’s oldest music festival.
“Ravinia benefits from an informed and responsible Board of Trustees and engaged family of volunteers, and our lengthy and thorough discourse on this topic has brought us to the conclusion that it is impossible to move ahead with the season,” Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman said.
Anyone who has purchased tickets may receive a refund or a voucher for a future show. The festival said would-be attendees can also convert the refund into a tax-deductible donation.
In operation since 1904, the last time Ravinia stopped hosting performances was during The Great Depression, from 1932 to 1935.
Some of the major music acts that were booked for the 2020 season include:
- Sheryl Crow, June 13
- Jill Scott, June 14
- Steve Miller Band, June 27
- The Roots, June 28
- John Fogerty, July 1
- Macy Gray and Brian McKnight, July 14
- Carrie Underwood, July 18 and 19
- Dispatch, July 26
- Willie Nelson & Family, Aug. 2
- Ziggy Marley, Aug. 12
- Train, Aug. 21-23
- Bryan Ferry, Aug. 24
- Diana Ross, Aug. 26
- Tony Bennett, Aug. 29
- John Legend, Sept. 6
- Ms. Lauryn Hill, Sept. 11
The festival’s summer conservatory, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, will also be closed this summer.
Ravinia is looking to develop ideas to give the festival a “from home” presence across online platforms. They will offer virtual master classes, lectures and rehearsals for elementary students from Cook and Lake counties who participate in Reach Teach Play.
The festival plans to be back in 2021 by celebrating with “music under the stars.”
“The crisis created by the COVID pandemic has impacted so much of our lives in dramatic ways. Ravinia will do its part in helping the nation recover,” said Ravinia Board Chairman Don Civgin. “And we will celebrate that recovery with music under the stars next summer.”
For more information, visit www.ravinia.org.