Ravinia 2024 Issue 3

KEVIN STITES Originally from Pecatonica, IL, conductor Kev- in Stites has spent six seasons as music director of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and has been a regular guest with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, including for presentations of Into the Woods (2019), The Producers (2012), Guys and Dolls (2009), and Les Misérables (2008), as well as Kristen Che- noweth’s solo concert with the orchestra. He has also led the LA Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall with Brian Stokes Mitchell, several other orches- tral programs with Chenoweth, and “Do You Hear the People Sing?” concerts with Oklahoma City, Hartford, and Dallas pops orchestras. Last summer, he served as curator and conductor for “Everybody Rise: A Stephen Sondheim Cele- bration” at the Hollywood Bowl with Mitchell as well as Patti LuPone, Sutton Foster, Norm Lewis, Sierra Boggess, and Skylar Astin, and this summer he leads Do You Hear the People Sing? at the bowl. Having earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign under the guid- ance of Kenneth Drake and John Wustman, also serving as a graduate assistant with Opera Illinois and a Creative and Performing Arts Fel- low in 1979/80, Stites has led many concerts in the Chicago area as well, including numerous Broadway tributes as a guest conductor of the Grant Park Symphony, highlighting the music of Sondheim, Bernstein, Gershwin, Lerner and Loewe, Loesser, and Porter. His Broadway cred- its include On the 20th Century (2015 revival), South Pacific (Lincoln Center Theater), A Tale of Two Cities , The Color Purple (music supervi- sor and incidental music arrangements), Titanic (original musical supervisor/director), Sunset Boulevard (1994), Les Misérables (2006 revival), The Threepenny Opera (2006 Roundabout re- vival), Fiddler on the Roof (2004 revival), Nine (2003 revival), Oklahoma! (2002 Nunn/Stroman revival), On the Town (1998 revival), and Nine to Five (additional music arrangements). Stites has also conducted on tours of Little House on the Prairie , The Color Purple , Martin Guerre , Miss Saigon , Phantom of the Opera , Les Misérables , and Titanic . Kevin Stites hade his Ravinia and Chicago Symphony Orchestra debuts in 2022. ROB LINDLEY Originally from small-town Iowa, actor and di- rector Rob Lindley attended Central College in Pella, IA, and moved to Chicago shortly there- after to study at The Second City Conservato- ry. He has since become the director and host of the Chicago Humanities Festival’s Flory Concert, which has included The Music of Ste- phen Sondheim’s Follies as well as Assassins in concert. Lindley has been the creator and host of many gala concerts for organizations in the Chicago area, including Court Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, and Northlight Theatre, as well as the annual “Chicago Sings” series at Porchlight Music Theatre. His other directing credits in- clude Songs for Nobodies (Northlight Theatre); Far From Heaven , How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying , and Lady Day at Emer- son’s Bar & Grill (Porchlight Music Theatre); and 50 Shades! The Musical Parody (Off-Broadway at the Elektra Theater). As an actor, Lindley re- cently appeared as Monsieur André in the 25th anniversary national tour of Phantom of the Opera and has been seen locally in Sound of Music (Marriott Theatre); Fun Home (Victory Gardens); Secret Garden , James Joyce’s The Dead , Angels in America , Caroline or Change , Carousel (Court Theatre); Candide (Goodman Theatre); Funnyman (Northlight Theatre); The Temper- mentals (About Face Theatre); and Oh, Coward! (Writers Theatre), for which he won the 2010 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actor in a Re- vue. Rob Lindley made his Ravinia performance debut in 2007 as an actor in the ensemble cast of Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella , which starred George Hearn and Sylvia McNair. He made his Ravinia directorial debut and first appearance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2022 with his original concert program “Yours, Ste- phen Sondheim,” one of the the few authorized performances in tribute to the renowned com- poser following his 2021 passing. JESSIE MUELLER Most recently seen on Broadway in Tracy Letts’ The Minutes , singer and actor Jessie Mueller also starred in the acclaimed 2018 revival of Carou- sel , earning a Drama Desk Award and Tony and Grammy nominations for her portrayal of Julie Jordan, having previously appeared in produc- tions of the musical as Carrie Pipperidge. Born and raised in Evanston, IL, Mueller is widely known for creating the roles of Jenna in Wait- ress —for which she earned Tony, Drama Desk, and Grammy Award nominations—in 2016 as well as the title role of 2014’s Beautiful: The Car- ole King Musical , winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical as well as Drama Desk and Grammy honors. Her other Broadway credits include Nice Work If You Can Get It , appearing as Billie Bendix in 2013, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever , por- traying Melinda Wells for her 2011 Broadway de- but. After starring in The Music Man at The Ken- nedy Center, she returned there last fall in Guys and Dolls . Across television and film screens, Mueller has appeared in Patsy & Loretta , Mad- am Secretary , Blue Bloods , Evil , Candy , and Chicago Voices (earning a Chicago Emmy nom- ination), as well as Steven Spielberg’s The Post (2017), Zach Braff ’s A Good Person (2023), and Secret Headquarters (2022). Mueller can also be heard on Netlix’s animated musical series Cen- taurworld as Rider, as well as on numerous cast recordings, including the newly released Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the Musical . Jessie Mueller is making her Ravinia and Chicago Symphony Or- chestra debuts. RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 81 BRANDONDAHLQUIST(LINDLEY);EMILIOMADRID(MUELLER)