Ravinia 2021 - Issue 1

TERRELL MULLIN (ERIVO) 6:00 PM SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2021 CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MARIN ALSOP, conductor CYNTHIA ERIVO, vocalist † Legendary Women’s Voices This evening’s program will be announced from the stage. There will be no intermission in this program. † Ravinia debut Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Featured Sponsor The Dancing Skies Foundation . The Gala Benefit Evening, Ravinia’s only concert fundraiser, supports the festival’s Reach Teach Play music education programs. PAVILION 54th Ravinia Women’s Board Gala CYNTHIA ERIVO, vocalist Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award–winning actress, singer, and producer Cynthia Erivo burst onto West End and Broadway stages starring as Celie in The Color Purple . Erivo has most recently been on screen as Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s anthology series Genius , the first definitive and autho- rized scripted limited series on the Queen of Soul’s life. She also starred in the HBO series The Outsider —premiered in early 2020 and based on the Stephen King novel of the same name—playing an unorthodox investigator who aids a seasoned cop investigating a grue- some murder of a local boy. In 2019 Erivo gave a critically acclaimed performance in Harriet , portraying the title character, Harriet Tubman. Additionally, Erivo lent her voice to the movie’s title song, “Stand Up,” which she co-wrote with Joshuah Brian Campbell, win- ning Best Original Song honors at the Hol- lywood Music in Media Awards as well as a Grammy nomination. Erivo earned dual Os- car and Golden Globe nominations for both Best Actress and Best Original Song honors with the film. Erivo is currently in production on Disney’s live-action retelling of Pinocchio , in which she takes on the iconic role of the Blue Fairy. She is also slated to star in Apple’s Roar , an anthology series of darkly comic feminist fables, as well as Talent Show , direct- ed by Gandja Monteiro and written by Lena Waithe, in which a failed songwriter (Erivo) returns home to Chicago to lead a group of at-risk youth in their annual talent show. Last August she launched her production com- pany Edith’s Daughter, and earlier this year she announced the release of her children’s book Remember to Dream, Ebere , an ode to a child’s imagination, a parent’s love, and the big dreams shared by both. Having headlined sold-out shows, symphonies, and events such as the Kennedy Center Honors, 2020 Acad- emy Awards, 2017 Governor’s Ball, and 2017 Grammy Awards, Erivo is currently working on her debut album with the Verve label. Cynthia Erivo is making her Ravinia and Chicago Symphony Orchestra debuts. MARIN ALSOP, conductor For Marin Alsop’s biography, see page 62. A MESSAGE FROM BMO At BMO, our purpose is to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life by driving positive change for our customers, employees, and communities. We are proud to be a supporter of Ravinia for over 40 years because we be- lieve in its mission to educate and enhance lives through the arts and ensuring that great music is accessible to all. BMO is committed to giving back to the communities we serve and has donated over $85 million over the past five years through- out our US footprint. Ninety percent of our employees participated in the annual BMO Employee Giving Campaign, donating almost $22 million to local United Way organizations and other charities across North America. Our commitment to act responsibly and think about the broader impact of everything we do is aligned with our sustainability prin- ciples and our values. These core values of in- tegrity, empathy, diversity, and responsibility, as well as our guiding principles around so- cial change, financial resilience, community building, and economic impact, are integral aspects of the way we work with our commu- nity partners. We remain committed to help- ing develop forward-thinking solutions that benefit our colleagues, our customers and our communities. BMO considers it a privilege to play a part in supporting Ravinia’s return this season. We are looking forward to gathering again on the BMO Rooftop to enjoy the “sounds of sum- mer” and the joy that the festival brings to our community. On behalf of our thousands of employees, BMO joins Ravinia in welcoming you to the 2021 festival season. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JULY 1 – JULY 23, 2021 56