Frederica von Stade & Susan Graham
Two legendary mezzos with pianist Kevin Murphy
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DateAug 16, 2026
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VenueBennett Gordon Hall
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Event Starts1:30 PM
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Public Gates12:30 PM
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Ticket Prices$56
All tickets show the “all-in” price, fees included. Availability and prices are subject to change.
Reserved Seat Ticket: $56
Know Before You Go
Getting to Ravinia: Parking, Rideshare & Train
Free Parking (special details) • Free Metra UP-N Train
Park in the West Parking Lot at 201 Ravinia Park Rd. The lot opens at the listed “Public Gates” time.
The South Parking Lot will only receive guests with disability parking placards or Ravinia Priority Parking Passes due to anticipated traffic for other events today.
Park and Ride shuttles are not in service for this event.
Alert your driver: Uber, Lyft, and other car services must use one of the following parking lots to drop off and pick up guests.
- South Parking Lot (201 St. Johns Ave)
- Braeside Train Station (10 N. St. Johns Ave) — ¼ 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
Views of the Stage
Bennett Gordon Hall is an indoor venue.
The stage is not visible from any location on the Lawn, nor is audio from the performance broadcast to the Lawn.
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
Hannah & Brett Harrison
Sponsor
Hailed as “one of America’s finest artists” (New York Times), Frederica von Stade shares a rare post-retirement performance, joining the “vocally resplendent” (Schmopera) Susan Graham for a truly legendary concert of art song.
For many years, the two world-class mezzos have been colleagues and friends, inspiring one another to reach new artistic heights. Graham has long cited von Stade as an artistic influence, telling CS Music that “two of my greatest idols were Frederica von Stade and Tatiana Troyanos.” The pair also worked closely during the development of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at San Francisco Opera, where von Stade observed Graham’s remarkable transformation in the role of Sister Helen Prejean: “Susie is an incredibly magnificent artist, an incredibly sound human being.”
Their reunion at Ravinia this summer offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience two of opera’s most cherished voices together in the intimate world of art song. They are joined by pianist Kevin Murphy, Artistic Director of the Singers Program at the Steans Institute, who has collaborated in concert and recital with many of opera’s leading artists, including Renée Fleming, Nathan Gunn, and Bryn Terfel.
Performers
Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano
Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano
Kevin Murphy, piano
Program
1:30 PM – Bennett Gordon Hall
Hector Berlioz: Selections from Les nuits d’eté, op. 7 Villanelle Le spectre de la rose L’île inconnue
Reynaldo Hahn: Three mélodies Infidélité Quand je fus pris au pavillon À Chloris
Gustav Mahler: Liebst du um Schönheit from Rückert-Lieder
Franz Schubert: Heidenröslein, D. 257
Amanda McBroom: The Rose from the film The Rose
Kurt Weill: My Ship from Lady in the Dark
Kurt Weill: I’m a Stranger Here Myself from One Touch of Venus
Susan Graham, Kevin Murphy
–Intermission–
Ned Rorem: I am Rose from Fourteen Songs on American Poetry
Louiguy: La vie en rose
Jake Heggie: Paper Wings from Paper Wings
Aaron Copland: Why Do They Shut Me out of Heaven? from Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson
Francis Poulenc: Voyage à Paris from Banalités
Marc Berthomieu: Selections from Les jardins de Paris Jardins d’Albert Kahn Bois de Boulogne
Carol Hall: Jenny Rebecca
Jake Heggie: A Route to the Sky from Paper Wings
Frederica von Stade, Kevin Murphy