Ravinia 2021 - Issue 3

SHERVIN LAINEZ (LAKE STREET DIVE) BRENT HAVENS, conductor and arranger Born in Cincinnati, Berklee-trained conduc- tor and arranger Brent Havens has written music for orchestras, feature films, and vir- tually every kind of television format. His TV work includes movies for networks such as ABC, CBS, and the ABC Family Channel; commercials; sports music for ESPN and oth- er networks; and even cartoons. Havens has also worked with the Doobie Brothers and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, arranging for and conducting the combined group for Harley Davidson’s 100th Anniversary Birth- day Party Finale. He has stood before some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, BBC Concert Or- chestra, and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in England, as well as the Malay- sian and Buffalo Philharmonics, Minnesota Orchestra, and Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, India- napolis, Houston, Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Nashville Symphony Or- chestras, among countless other ensembles. Havens recently completed the score for the film Quo Vadis , a Premier Pictures remake of the 1956 gladiator film. In 2013 he worked with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens to arrange and produce the music for the halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day game between the Ra- vens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, adapting both classical music and rock songs into a four-minute show. Havens is the arranger and guest conductor for seven symphonic rock programs, including music of Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Queen, Michael Jackson, andThe Who. Brent Havens made his Ravinia debut in 2019 leading his program of Queen music. PAVILION 7:30 PM THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021 ALLISON RUSSELL † –Intermission– LAKE STREET DIVE † Ravinia debut SANDRA K. CROWN SOUTH GATE PLAZA Introducing the Ravinia is grateful to name the Sandra K. Crown South Gate Plaza in honor of Sandra K. Crown and her exceptional contributions and dedication to Ravinia. Located at the South Entrance to the park, the Sandra K. Crown South Gate Plaza is a stunning way to welcome guests to the beauty and respite of the park, and carries with it a distinct sense of calm or an excited buzz, depending on the concert showcased that evening. LAKE STREET DIVE With a singular mix of soul, R&B, and whole- hearted rock and roll, Lake Street Dive makes music that’s timeless yet immediate, exuber- ant yet reflective. The band came to life in 2004, when original members Michael Cal- abrese (drums), Bridget Kearney (bass), Ra- chael Price (vocals), and Michael “McDuck” Olson (guitar, trumpet) were studying at the New England Conservatory; Akie Bermiss (keyboards) joined the band in 2017. Over the coming years, Lake Street Dive steadily built a following through a series of independent album releases, countless club tours, and a few lucky breaks. Their first two discs, the self-produced In This Episode… (2007) and Promises, Promises (2008), caught the ear of Signature Sounds Records, which signed the group for an eponymous album re- lease in 2011. Lake Street Dive began to find widespread popularity with its 2012 EP Fun Machine , entering Billboard ’s Heatseekers chart courtesy of their imaginative covers and spirited, original soul. Bad Self Portraits emerged in 2014, soaring up to number 18 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of its selfie-referencing title track. In the midst of a rigorous touring schedule, as many as 100 dates a year, Lake Street Dive got picked up by Nonesuch Records, which issued 2016’s Side Pony , named for bassist Kearney’s diverting hairstyle. In addition to keeping the band in Billboard ’s top 40, the album put the band atop each of the rock, folk, and alternative al- bums charts. With longtime touring member Bermiss a full-time bandmate adding to the group’s writing and arranging prowess, Lake Street Dive took another ambitious swing in returning to self-production for 2018’s Free Yourself Up . The disc debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and spent seven-and-a-half months on the non-commercial radio charts, with an EP comprising five bonus tracks from those sessions appearing along the way on Record Store Day 2018. For their third and most recent Nonesuch disc, Obviously , re- leased in March, Lake Street Dive enlisted producer Mike Elizondo, the Live From Here radio-show music director whose collabora- tions are as diverse as their own, fromDr. Dre to Fiona Apple. Lake Street Dive made its Ra- vinia debut in 2019. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 45