Ravinia 2025 Issue 5

SARAH HICKS Sarah Hicks’s versatile and vibrant musician- ship has secured her place as an in-demand conductor across an array of genres, in addition to diverse roles as an educator, Emmy-winning producer, writer, and speaker. Her career has seen collaborations with diverse artists, from pianist Olga Kern and baritone Dmitri Hvoros- tovsky to singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash and the Dirty Projectors; during the summer of 2011, she toured with Sting as conductor of his Sym- phonicities Tour. Her cross-genre partnerships include a 2019 album with rap artist Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra, for whom she is the principal pops conductor, and the 2023 Europe- an premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s Want Sym- phonic at the BBC Proms. A highly sought-af- ter guest conductor internationally, Hicks has worked with such ensembles as the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, Chicago and San Francisco Symphonies, Los Angeles Philhar- monic, Boston Pops, Toronto Symphony, Czech National Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philhar- monic, Cologne’s WDR Funkhausorchester, and St. Petersburg and Tokyo Philharmonics, among many others. Her opera appearances include the East Slovak State Opera Theater and the Cur- tis Opera Theater, as well as operas in concert with the Minnesota Orchestra and the RTÉ Orchestra. A specialist in film music, Hicks is an advisor for Disney Music Group and is a fre- quent collaborator at Disney Concerts, and her live concert recordings can be seen on Disney+ and ABC. Her first major feature film credit was 2023’s Renfield , and her live albumwith the Dan- ish National Symphony, The Morricone Duel , has garnered over 200 million views on YouTube. Hicks was on faculty at the Curtis Institute from 2000 to 2005 and Staff Conductor until 2012. Her interest in mental wellness and mindful- ness has led to numerous projects, including the digital “Music and Healing with the Minnesota Orchestra,” which includes a concert, commis- sioned works, and conversations with neurosci- entists and wellness experts. Trained on both the piano and the viola, she received degrees from Harvard University and the Curtis Institute, and she is currently pursuing studies in MBSR and teacher training in Vipassana meditation. Sarah Hicks is making her Ravinia debut. CHICAGO PHILHARMONIC The Chicago Philharmonic is re-imagining the orchestra concert experience through culturally diverse, genre-bending programs breaking barriers of exclusion in orchestral music. With nearly 200 musician members, diverse and trailblazing leadership, and a deeply collaborative artistic model, we are one of the most versatile, innovative, and ambitious orchestras in the country. The Chicago Philharmonic presents 30+ concerts annually and year-round, featuring diverse musicians and drawing new-to-the-symphony audiences. Our 2025–2026 partners include Artist in Residence Njioma Chinyere Grevious, Disney Concerts, Chicago composers Damien Geter and Stacy Garrop, Marta Aznavoorian, Sleeping At Last, Cedille Records, The Joffrey Ballet, The Auditorium, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, and Ravinia Festival. The Chicago Philharmonic Society was created by Lyric Opera principal musicians in 1989. Today, we are a crucial part of Chicago’s music ecosystem and an incubator of talent, creating thousands of jobs for 425 musicians annually and making Chicago a viable home for talented freelance musicians. As Executive Director, Crain’s Business 40 Under 40 awardee and APAP “Spark of Change” winner Terell Johnson has led the orchestra as a force for inclusion with a series of increasingly high-profile events, including its 2024 Lollapalooza debut—as the first professional orchestra to perform at the festival—to a global audience of 100,000+ live and on Hulu. Our audiences are 200,000+ strong, and our community engagement programs reach 6,000 students and participants annually. The Chicago Philharmonic proudly collaborates with the greatest artists of our time, in every genre. Past collaborations have included English National Ballet, Laufey, Nas, Lindsey Stirling, Justin Hurwitz, Kishi Bashi, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Joshua Bell, Tank and the Bangas, William Basinski, the American Ballet Theatre, Lollapalooza Festival, Ryan Speedo Green, and more. VIOLINS Robert Hanford Concertmaster Bernardo Arias Asst. Concertmaster Lisa Fako Daniela Folker Helen Kim Lee Nelson Mendoza Jeff Yang Principal Second Azusa Tashiro Asst. Principal Second Carmen Llop Kassinger Lori Ashikawa VIOLAS Rose Armbrust-Griffin Principal Loretta Gillespie Asst. Principal CELLOS Mara McClain Principal Matthew Agnew Asst. Principal BASS Michael Hovnanian Principal FLUTE Karin Ursin Principal OBOE Adèle-Marie Buis Principal CLARINET Elizandro Garcia-Montoya Principal TENOR SAXOPHONE Geof Bradfield Principal BARI SAXOPHONE Jeremy Ruthrauff HORNS Daniel O’Connell Principal Peter Jirousek TRUMPETS Dave Inmon Principal David Gauger TROMBONES Reed Capshaw Principal Rachel Castellanos TUBA Matthew Gaunt Principal TIMPANI Robert Everson Principal HARP Alison Attar Principal Librarian Sophie Petroski Personnel Coordinator Sarah Van Waes Landaeta HEAVY lifting to us. Leave the Wintrust chair & table RENTAL RESERVE LAWN chairs and tables when you order tickets by clicking “ADD-ON items.” Wintrust Chair and Table Rental, managed by the Ravinia Women’s Board and operated by The Festival Shop, benefits Ravinia and its Reach Teach Play education programs. RAVINIA.ORG RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 63