Tchaikovsky Spectacular
Featuring the 1812 Overture with cannons!
Earl Lee, conductor / Stella Chen, violin
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DateAug 16, 2026
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VenueHunter Pavilion
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Event Starts5:00 PM
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Donor Gates2:30 PM
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Public Gates3:00 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 and Lawn Bar are open for dinner and drinks, 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 • Park and Ride Open • 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.
Shuttles from the free Park and Ride lot in downtown Highland Park begin running 30 minutes before the listed “Public Gates” time.
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
Tchaikovsky Spectacular Consortium
The CSO’s 90th summer residency concludes with the nearly 50-year Ravinia tradition of an all-Tchaikovsky evening, including the triumphant exhilaration of the 1812 Overture punctuated with cannons for the finale. The thrilling performance welcomes back two Steans alumni to the Ravinia stage, Solti Conducting Award winner Earl Lee and violinist Stella Chen.
Praised for her “silken grace” and “brilliant command” (The Strad), the American violinist first gained international recognition as the winner of the 2019 Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition and was named Young Artist of the Year at the 2023 Gramophone Awards. Speaking to her undeniable talent, Textura declares: “the combination of her gleaming tone and staggering technique makes for music that commands attention at every moment.”
Lee—a rising talent who has graced the stages of the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and more–promises “nothing short of spectacular” (Boston Globe). He opens the program with the anticipatory rush of the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, followed by Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, performed by Chen, and continuing with the irresistible Romeo and Juliet love theme.
Concluding the program is the exhilarating 1812 Overture, one of Tchaikovsky’s most iconic and dramatic compositions. With its soaring orchestral melodies, and thunderous cannon blasts, the 1812 Overture leaves audiences in a state of awe and celebration, perfectly wrapping up the CSO’s 90th summer residency at Ravinia.
Performers
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Earl Lee, conductor #
Stella Chen, violin #
# Steans Institute alum
Navy Band Great Lakes
Program
3:30 PM – Carousel Stage
Navy Band Great Lakes
5:00 PM – Hunter Pavilion
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, op. 24
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, op. 35
–Intermission–
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, op. 49 (with cannons)
Before the Performance: More Family Fun at KidsLawn
3:00–4:30 p.m. at the KidsLawn space on the North Lawn
Join Reach Teach Play® for kid-focused activities before today’s performance!
KidsLawn also features interactive, large-scale percussion instruments to bring out the kids’ creative energy!