On the Movies
Music’s descriptive magic, written by women and about women
Marin Alsop & Laura Karpman, co-curators
-
DateJuly 24, 2026
-
VenueHunter Pavilion
-
Donor Gates4:30 PM
-
Public Gates5:00 PM
-
Ticket Prices$17–$91
All tickets show the “all-in” price, fees included. Availability and prices are subject to change.
-
Seating ChartView Seating Chart
“The Female Perspective” Add-On Event Ticket: $65
Tickets for this special add-on event do not include admission for tonight’s concert, which must be purchased additionally.
Join us before the Breaking Barriers signature concert for a discussion with Ravinia Chief Conductor Marin Alsop, Oscar-nominated composer Laura Karpman, and special guests from the making and study of cinema, sharing the stories within the stories being told through music on screen. This engaging panel conversation also includes a private dinner in celebration of Women Composers in Film.
Donor PresaleMore About This Pre‑Concert Event
“The Female Perspective” is hosted from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Tree Top Lounge.
Reserved Seat Ticket: $38–$91
Reserved Block Ticket: $17
Price per person; must reserve full block of 2, 4, or 6
General Admission Ticket: $17
Special pricing for guests ages 15 and under, as well as 65 and above: More Info
Wintrust Chair & Table Rental Reservation
The Park View is open with a classic dining menu and full-service bar, and the Freehling Room is open to eligible Ravinia donors. Reservations are recommended for dinner.
Ravinia Café and Concession Stands are open with hot food plus chilled grab-and-go, drinks, ice cream, and snacks.
Cashless: Cash will not be accepted at Dining Pavilion restaurants, bars, or concessions. Please bring a credit/debit card or other cashless forms of payment.
Know Before You Go
Getting to Ravinia: Parking, Rideshare & Train
$15 Parking Onsite • Free Metra UP-N Train
Park in the West Parking Lot at 201 Ravinia Park Rd. The lot opens 1 hour before the listed “Public Gates” time.
Park and Ride shuttles are not in service for this event – please come directly to the onsite parking lot.
Alert your driver: Uber, Lyft, and other car services must use one of the following parking lots to drop off and pick up guests.
- West Parking Lot (201 Ravinia Park Rd) — inbound access allowed up to 30 minutes before the end of the performance
- Braeside Train Station (10 N. St. Johns Ave) — ¼ mile walk from Ravinia
- Ravinia Train Station (680 St. Johns Ave) — ½ mile walk from Ravinia
- No drop-offs or pick-ups are allowed on public streets. If Highland Park Police or Ravinia staff redirect traffic, please follow those instructions.
Ride the Metra Union Pacific North Line train to and from our main entrance for free with your Ravinia ticket.
More Train Info
Inside the Hunter Pavilion
Please note the following food, drink, and personal item policies before entering the Hunter Pavilion:
- Drinks are allowed inside the Pavilion at all performances, but must be in an approved container. Drinks must be in plastic cups or plastic bottles sized for 24oz or smaller. No metal or glass containers are permitted, including metal water bottles.
- No food is permitted at reserved seats.
- No bags larger than 18″×12″×12″, coolers, wagons, strollers, large umbrellas, or any other large items Large items may be returned to your vehicle or stored (unsupervised) along the outer perimeter inside the Pavilion.
- Items brought into the Pavilion are subject to search at the entrance.
- All guests must have a ticket for entry, regardless of age.
Prohibited Items
Any item deemed harmful or unsafe by Ravinia staff is prohibited.
While comfort and enjoyment of a night out at Ravinia are our top priorities, guests are prohibited from bringing the following items into the park:
- Firearms or explosives (including those possessed by off-duty officers or concealed carry license holders)
- Professional photographic and video or audio recording equipment
- Grills, firepits, or large open flames
- Chafing fuel or other canned heating products (e.g., Sterno)
- Beer kegs
- Athletic equipment (e.g., balls and flying discs)
- Bicycles, scooters, or skates (bike racks can be found outside the west and south entrances)
- Animals, except for service animals trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities
- Tents or canopies
- Umbrellas over six feet in diameter
- Anything that needs to be staked into the ground
- Drones or other flying apparatus
- Items intended for protest, solicitation, or promotion not related to the event
Contact the box office (847-266-5100) with any questions.
Performance Content
At Ravinia, we believe that music has the power to bring people together. While we do not control what artists share, we ask all participants—artists and audiences alike—to uphold the spirit of respect, community, and connection that Ravinia offers.
Should any circumstance threaten physical safety, we will take appropriate action to ensure the well-being of our guests, artists, and staff.
Park Map
View or download our park map for the locations of Ravinia’s venues, parking lots, restrooms, first aid station, chair/table rental pickup, Festival Shop, and in-park dining options.
About the Performance
Ravinia is grateful for the support of
Susan & Don Civgin
Breaking Barriers Sponsor
Daniela O’Leary-Gill & George Gill
Breaking Barriers Sponsor
Ellen Rudnick & Paul Earle
Breaking Barriers Sponsor
Marin Alsop and Oscar-nominated composer Laura Karpman co-curate highlights on original orchestral music’s magic in screen storytelling. A 30-year veteran of prestige TV, documentary, game, and Marvel scores, Karpman has collaborated with some of the most renowned filmmakers of our time, including Francis Ford Coppola, Cord Jefferson, Nia DaCosta, and Steven Spielberg. Nominated for an Oscar in 2024 for her work on American Fiction, Karpman continues to push the boundaries of storytelling with her powerful, imaginative scores.
With performances by Alsop and the CSO, Karpman demonstrates how music can guide interpretation of a film scene, sharpening dramatic tension and revealing layers of meaning that might otherwise remain unseen. Together, Karpman and Alsop bring the focus to women composers—long under-represented on the screen—sharing music by the likes of Shirley Walker, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Rachel Portman, and Chanda Dancy. Alsop premieres Karpman’s Unsung, featuring music for iconic female characters who never before had a theme, and Taki Alsop Conducting Fellow Chi-Yuan Lin leads Star Wars themes by John Williams and Natalie Holt, the first woman to compose for the storied franchise.
This centerpiece of the fifth Breaking Barriers Festival is bookended by a pre-concert panel and, before Saturday’s concert, an extended live demonstration of music setting film moods.
Performers
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop, conductor and co-curator
Laura Karpman, composer and co-curator
Chi-Yuan Lin, guest conductor
Program
8:00 PM – Hunter Pavilion
The Science of Scoring: “Perception & Touch of Evil” Bernard Herrmann: “Scène d’amour” from Vertigo
Arturo Márquez: Danzón No. 2
Henry Mancini: Original scene audio from Touch of Evil
“The Female Lens” Suite Anna Meredith: Nautilus (arr. Jack Ross)
Chanda Dancy: Main Titles from Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Rachel Portman: Main Titles from Cider House Rules
Hildur Guðnadóttir: “Confessions” from A Haunting in Venice
Germaine Franco: Encanto Suite
Natalie Holt: “Hanging Out” from Obi-Wan Kenobi
John Williams: Star Wars Title Theme Conducted by Chi-Yuan Lin
–Intermission–
Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Suite from ‘On the Waterfront’
Laura Karpman: Unsung: A Symphonic Suite for the Superhero Women of Classic Hollywood (Ravinia commission, Premiere)
SAT, JULY 25, 2026 • Pre‑Concert Event
Workshop/Performance: “The Science of Scoring”
6:00 p.m. in the Sandra K. Crown Theater
As Oscar-nominated composer Laura Karpman explains it, “the absolute magic of music in film is contingent on a strange bargain between an audience and a composer—it’s pure witchcraft.” Karpman and Ravinia Chief Conductor Marin Alsop lead an interactive presentation with a studio-size ensemble, workshopping sounds that demonstrate “The Science of Scoring” to create heroic, sad, suspenseful, and more moods.
This interactive performance and master class will run approximately 50 minutes, without intermission.
“The Science of Scoring” precedes tomorrow evening’s concert by St. Vincent with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Tickets to this special event do not include park admission for the evening, which must be purchased additionally.