Ravinia 2021 - Issue 2

TONY YAZBECK, vocalist and dancer Tony Yazbeck began his musical career at the age of 11 in the 1989 Broadway revival of Gyp- sy , recently winning the Astaire Award and earning Tony, Drama League, and Outer Crit- ics Circle nominations for his role in the 2014 revival of On the Town . He has also been hon- ored with the Chita Rivera Award, as well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nom- inations, as a star of the Susan Stroman and Harold Prince–helmed Japan and Broadway productions of Prince of Broadway . Yazbeck’s Broadway credits also include J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland , Billy Flynn in Chicago , Phil Davis in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas , Tulsa in Gypsy (2008 revival, earning an Out- er Critics Circle nomination), Al in A Chorus Line , and roles in Oklahoma! and Never Gon- na Dance . Off-Broadway he has featured in A Chorus Line at City Center, The Cradle Will Rock at Classic Stage, The Beast in the Jungle at the Vineyard Theatre, The Scarlet Pimper- nel and Crazy For You at David Geffen Hall, and Fanny Hill with York Theatre, as well as City Center Encores! productions of Little Me , On the Town , Gypsy , The Apple Tree , A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , and Pardon My En- glish . Yazbeck has also appeared in regional productions with Hartford Stage, Goodman Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Signature Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, and the Old Globe, as well as internationally at Royal Al- bert Hall. In concert, he has performed with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap, and the Boston Sym- phony Orchestra at Tanglewood. He returns to Broadway starring as Cary Grant in Flying Over Sunset in the fall and will make his New York directorial debut with Jekyll and Hyde at David Geffen Hall in February 2023. Tony Yazbeck is making his Ravinia debut. VOCALITY Vocality is a festival chorus comprising alum- ni and current members of Chicago Chil- dren’s Choir as well as young vocal artists from a wide array of communities within and surrounding the city of Chicago. Founded in 2015 by Josephine Lee, president and artistic director of Chicago Children’s Choir, Vocality strives to exemplify the highest level of choral singing with an emphasis on excellence and diversity among its membership. The chorus gave its inaugural performance at Ravinia, appearing with the Chicago Symphony Or- chestra and conductor Bobby McFerrin in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess , and was also fea- tured in the festival’s acclaimed and national- ly broadcast production of Bernstein’s Mass . JOSEPHINE LEE, artistic director As president and artistic director of Vocality and Chicago Children’s Choir, Josephine Lee has revolutionized the field of youth choral music through cutting-edge performances of diverse repertoire and innovative collabora- tions with world-class artists. In recognition of her leadership of CCC, she received the Kennedy Center’s National Committee for the Performing Arts Award for Arts Advocacy in 2018, the Jesse L. Rosenberger Medal from the University of Chicago in 2014, and the Roman Nomitch Fellowship in 2012 to attend a non- profit management program at Harvard. Also an acclaimed pianist, singer, and producer, Lee recently sang in the premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist Ted Hearne’s Place at the Next Wave Festival. Other recent engagements include Long Way Home (2018), a theatrical work with the Q Brothers Collective; Ascen- sion (2017), an original suite for piano and cello commissioned by Ballet Chicago; The Good Goodbyes (2012), a piano commission from Frank Chavez and River North Dance Chicago; and Sita Ram , a world musical with David Kersnar of Lookingglass Theatre. 5:00 PM SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 2021 CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA YUE BAO, conductor † STELLA CHEN, violin MATTHEW LIPMAN, viola CHEN YI Duo Ye No. 1 for chamber orchestra ** MOZART Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola Allegro maestoso Andante Presto Stella Chen; Matthew Lipman TCHAIKOVSKY Suite No. 4 ( Mozartiana ) Gigue: Allegro Menuet: Moderato Preghiera: Andante non tanto Theme and Variations: Allegro giusto There will be no intermission in this program. † Ravinia debut ** First performance by the CSO and at Ravinia Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Featured Sponsor the Ravinia Women’s Board . PAVILION CHEN YI (b. 1953) Duo Ye No. 1 Scored for flute, oboe, B-flat and E-flat clarinets, bassoon, horn, wood block, tom-tom, snare drum, vibraphone, suspended cymbal, gong, and strings The Dong ethnic minority numbers approx- imately three million people living in the mountainous region overlapping portions of the Guizho, Hunan, and Guangxi provinc- es, known at the “Three-Province Slope,” in southwest China. Its population can be divid- ed into two subgroups: the North Dong show a greater influence of the Han Chinese, while the South Dong have retained traditional cul- tural practices more closely related to those of Tai and Lao people. They live in small villages of 30 or fewer households situated near rivers. Local fir trees provide building material for their two- or three-story houses, which stand on stilts alongside steep slopes or on river banks. Men and women live on separate upper floors; the ground floor is reserved for livestock and fire- wood. Families plant one fir tree annually for each child so that when the child reaches ma- turity there is lumber to build a house—these are called “18-year trees.” The Dong primarily live an agricultural exis- tence, especially known for their rice produc- tion. They also are renowned woodworkers. Most villages include an elaborately carved “wind-and-rain” wooden bridge, a stage for productions of rural-themed operas, and a RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 57