Stravinsky’s The Firebird and Debussy
Klaus Mäkelä, conductor
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DateAug 7, 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–$124
All tickets show the “all-in” price, fees included. Availability and prices are subject to change.
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Seating ChartView Seating Chart
Free and open to all ticketholders!
Before tonight’s concert by the CSO, join us for a talk by violist and composer Max Raimi, featuring projected visuals and musical excerpts to illuminate expressive, historic, and philosophical highlights.
Max Raimi has been a violist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1984. He is an active chamber musician and served as a chamber music coach at Northwestern University for many years. A prolific composer, Raimi has received commissions from many ensembles and institutions, including the Library of Congress and the American Chamber Players. In March 2018, Riccardo Muti and the CSO performed the world-premiere performances of his Three Lisel Mueller Settings, a commission from the orchestra.
About Max Raimi
Max Raimi will present his lecture from 6:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Sandra K. Crown Theater.
Reserved Seat Ticket: $38–$124
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
The Negaunee Foundation
Premier Sponsor
Dedicated to sharing the renowned artistry of the CSO, Klaus Mäkelä reignites his history-launching debut with Stravinsky’s complete, storied score for The Firebird. A work of great majesty—from a suspenseful opening rumble to its dreamy soundscapes of the natural world—Stravinsky’s symphonic masterwork continues to inspire and thrill to this day.
In 2022, Mäkelä performed the work as part of his CSO debut, an evening praised by WTTW as an “altogether thrilling performance.” The “dazzlingly sophisticated” young artist “conducted with all the grace of a dancer” as he led the CSO through the imaginative madness and delight of Stravinsky’s groundbreaking work. This summer, Mäkelä brings that same electrifying artistry to Ravinia for—an eagerly anticipated debut that promises to be one of the season’s most unforgettable evenings.
Completing the Ravinia program, Mäkelä keeps the spotlight on the orchestra with works by Debussy that weave captivating themes around each section, from the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun to Ibéria, called an “intoxicating spell of Andalusian nights” by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. Together, these works offer an exhilarating glimpse of a promising new era at the CSO.
Performers
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Klaus Mäkelä, conductor
Program
7:30 PM – Hunter Pavilion
Claude Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Claude Debussy: Ibéria from Images for Orchestra
–Intermission–
Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird