Ravinia 2025 Issue 2

DAVID FOSTER David Foster is one of the most illustrious com- posers of our time. With 16 Grammy Awards (including three for Producer of the Year), an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and three Oscar nominations for Best Original Song, Foster has earned a reputation as a keen spotter of emerg- ing talent, playing a key role in the discovery and career launches of Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and Michael Bublé. Few other individuals can claim to have their fingerprints on more major moments in popular music than Foster. He has created hit songs for a diverse array of artists, in- cluding Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Chicago, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Tony Braxton, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Seal, Chaka Khan, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Brandy, ’N Sync, Boz Scaggs, and Gloria Estefan. In 2008 and 2011, Foster stepped out as a performer in his own right with Hit Man: David Foster & Friends PBS specials, which became the TV network’s high- est-rated shows in decades. In 2018/19, Foster started garnering rave reviews touring his live show “An Intimate Evening with David Foster,” which have been so successful that he now de- votes much of his time to concert dates around the world. Foster recently composed the score to Boop! , a new Broadway musical about the iconic animated character Betty Boop, which premiered in Chicago in late 2023. That same year, Foster released a holiday album with Kath- arine McPhee simply titled Christmas Songs , the latest of his nine albums recorded under his own name. Foster has made charitable work his life’s other priority. Meeting with a young girl from his hometown who was awaiting a liver trans- plant had a profound impact and led him to create The David Foster Foundation in 1986. Its mission is to provide financial support to Cana- dian families with children in need of live-sav- ing organ transplants, along with a new focus on organ donor awareness. David Foster is making his first return to Ravinia since his 2018 debut at the festival with his “Intimate Evening” tour. CHRIS BOTTI Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti has been one of the most popular instrumentalists in the world for nearly three decades. He has collaborated with some of the biggest superstars on the planet, including Sting, Paul Simon, Bar- bra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, and Joshua Bell, as well as performed with symphony orchestras and on prestigious stages from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House. He has also topped the jazz charts with numer- ous albums, earned multiple gold and platinum records. In short, Botti really needs little intro- duction, but in making his recent debut on the Blue Note Records label, he offered one anyway. The 2023 album, Vol.1 , represented a fresh start for the trumpeter—having crossed over from jazz renown to pop stardom, Botti’s first album in more than a decade found him crossing back to focus on acoustic jazz and classic standards. The “re-introductory” project references ev- eryone from Miles Davis to Keith Jarrett to Pat Metheny to Brad Mehldau, peppered with hints of landmark sets like Davis’s Kind of Blue , John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman , or Metheny’s duo outing with Charlie Haden, Beyond the Missouri Sky , to model the kind of “lifestyle” music he sets out to make. Not one to make a complete about- face, Botti carried through the glowing tone and regal melodicism that made his decade of acclaimed records on the Columbia label—from 2001’s Night Sessions to 2012’s Impressions — chart-topping hits. He also continues his long collaboration with pianist Taylor Eigsti; touring band members bassist Zach Moses, keyboardist Julian Pollack, and saxophonist Chad Lefkow- itz-Brown; and veteran drummer Vinnie Colai- uta. The album was produced by David Foster, who contributed the piano intro to “Danny Boy” that sets the tone for the collection, and fea- tures such other guests as Israeli guitarist Gilad Hekselman on the Rodgers & Hart classic “Be- witched, Bothered, and Bewildered” and Uru- guayan-born guitarist Leonardo Amuedo on Mancini’s “Two for the Road.” Chris Botti made his Ravinia debut in 2004 and tonight makes his fourth appearance at the festival. KATHARINE MCPHEE Katharine McPhee is one of a handful of art- ists who take the lead across film, television, Broadway, recording, and concert tours. She first burst onto the scene in 2006 during a suc- cessful run on the fifth season of American Idol , which instantly made her a household name. As an actress, McPhee is well-known to televi- sion audiences from starring as Paige Dineen on the CBS spy drama Scorpion (2014–18) and as one of the leads in the NBC musical drama Smash (2012–13). She has also starred in the Net- flix comedy series Country Comfort (2021) and guest-starred on the series CSI: NY , Community , Family Guy , and Ugly Betty . As a singer, McPhee is renowned for her powerhouse, show-stopping presence on live stages, as well as recordings that have topped the charts in multiple genres, including pop, jazz, and adult contemporary. A sought-after performer, she has taken the stage in several PBS broadcasts throughout her career, including David Foster & Friends and Chris Bot- ti In Boston , in addition to headlining her own Soundstage special. In 2018, McPhee made her Broadway debut starring as Jenna in the hit mu- sical Waitress by Sara Bareilles. She then origi- nated the lead role in the West End production before returning to Broadway to perform in the show’s closing weeks. In addition to her act- ing and singing career, McPhee is a passionate philanthropist, having served as an ambassador for organizations such as BuildOn, Malaria No More, and Feeding America. She continues to perform at many charitable events, including regularly for The David Foster Foundation. A veteran of the concert stage, McPhee performs to sold-out audiences around the world. Most recently, she paired with David Foster to tour “An Intimate Evening with David Foster and Katharine McPhee,” garnering rave reviews at major venues around the world. She also recent- ly created a holiday album alongside Foster, fea- turing classic tunes on 2023’s Christmas Songs . Katharine McPhee first appeared at Ravinia in 2016, guesting on a big band concert with Seth MacFarlane, and is making her first return to the festival’s stage. RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 61