Ravinia 2023 Issue 3

ANDERS BROGAARD STORM BRAIN GABRIELA MONTERO SURGES WITH MOMENTS OF INSPIRATION By WeB Behrens RAVINIA IS ACCUSTOMED to certain headlines preceding the world-class musicians on its stages. The sorts of international acclaim and attention given to the performers ap- pearing to eager crowds in Highland Park, while unwaveringly deserved, is seldom rare. Topping Billboard charts, winning Grammy Awards—all superb accomplishments, but ones shared by many on the schedule. A wildly talented phenomenon whose musical gifts became apparent before the age of 2; a polyglot who’s lived on three different continents, now widely recognized as an innova- tive composer and performer—these, too, are biographical elements and achievements you could find among a couple artists coming to Ravinia this summer. All together, a sketch of pianist Gabriela Montero strongly takes shape. But there’s a very singular story only Montero can share: Among all the articles written about her—many full of praise from classical mu- sic writers around the globe—is a fascinating study written in 2019 and published the following year in Neuro- Image . Headlined “Classical creativity: A functional magnetic resonance im- aging investigation of pianist and im- proviser Gabriela Montero,” the article documents what neurologist Charles Limb found when he peered into her brain. He and his team had previously studied jazz musicians, but Montero provided them a unique opportunity to study someone steeped in classical composition and performance. With such bona fides of ability and adventurousness, Montero’s simpa- tico with Ravinia’s Breaking Barriers Festival is little surprise. She kicks off the series of events this year focused on women composers—anchored by three evening concerts—with a per- formance of her Latin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Friday, July 21. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JULY 17 – JULY 30, 2023 6