Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony
Midwest Premiere: Carlos Simon’s Good News Mass
Marin Alsop, conductor
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DateJuly 31, 2026
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VenueHunter Pavilion
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Event Starts7:30 PM
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Donor Gates4:30 PM
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Public Gates5:00 PM
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Ticket Prices$17–$111
All tickets show the “all-in” price, fees included. Availability and prices are subject to change.
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Seating ChartView Seating Chart
Reserved Seat Ticket: $38–$111
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
Hunter Family Foundation
Spotlight Sponsor
A testament to American possibility, Antonín Dvořák’s famous Ninth Symphony is a quest for the identity of American music and a vision of what the nation’s voice could become. Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in 1893, the work draws inspiration from Indigenous and Black American musical traditions, creating a sweeping, deeply human portrait of a nation.
More than a century later, the question of what defines a uniquely American sound continues to resonate. This summer, Dvořák’s monumental work is paired with a contemporary voice shaping the answer as Alsop and the CSO present the Midwest premiere of Carlos Simon’s Good News Mass. Blending gospel spirituality with Black Catholic tradition and classical liturgy, Simon’s work carries forward the same spirit of cultural dialogue that inspired Dvořák more than a century ago.
Speaking to The New York Times, Simon reflects on the universality he seeks in his music: “If this music is done in the right way, if it’s being honest, it doesn’t matter whatever your language, whatever your background, whether you’re white, Black, whoever — it goes straight to you. And that’s what I always strive for.”
Performers
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop, conductor
Kymberli Joye, soprano
Zebulon Ellis, tenor
Bernard Holcomb, tenor
Marc Bamuthi Joseph, librettist and spoken word artist
Adrian Dunn Singers
Good News Mass Rhythm Section Carlos Simon, organ
Leonard Razor, keyboards
Runere Brooks, bass
Michael Weatherspoon, drums
Program
7:30 PM – Hunter Pavilion
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, op. 95 [B. 178] (“From the New World”)
–Intermission–
Carlos Simon: Good News Mass (Ravinia co-commission, Midwest premiere)with video by Melina Matsoukas