Ravinia 2025 Issue 5

PAVILION 7:30 PM THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2025 EARTH, WIND & FIRE AMESSAGE FROMWINTRUST Wintrust is proud to support Ravinia and the joy it brings to so many during the summer season. At Wintrust, we believe in supporting local organizations, such as Ravinia, that help make a positive difference in the communities where our customers and employees live and work. We are an enthusiastic patron of the arts in Chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods and are proud to serve as a Ravinia corporate sponsor again this year. Wintrust is a financial holding company providing commercial and community banking, wealth management and treasury management services, and mortgage origination. Wintrust Community Banks have more than 200 locations the greater Chicago, southern Wisconsin, west Michigan, northwest Indiana, and southwest Florida areas, including near Ravinia in Highland Park, Glencoe, Northbrook, Wilmette, and Winnetka. At a Wintrust Community Bank, you get the sophisticated resources of a large bank with the exceptional service and community focus that can only come from a local community bank. We value our partnership and are pleased to join Ravinia in welcoming you here tonight and to the 2025 season. EARTH, WIND & FIRE Earth, Wind & Fire are a music institution. In 1969, music legend Maurice White birthed the music force named after the elements from his very own astrological charts. With soul as deep as the planet, Earth, Wind & Fire charted a histo- ry that will live on forever. They’ve scored eight number-one hits and have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. They’ve released 23 albums, eight of which have gone double-plati- num and hit Billboard ’s top 10, making them one of the best-selling artists of all time. They’ve won an impressive nine Grammy Awards, including one for Lifetime Achievement (2012). In 2000, Earth, Wind & Fire was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, cementing their lasting impact on contemporary music. Their contri- butions to arts and culture have been further acknowledged in Washington, DC: in 2019, the group received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors, and the Smithsonian Nation- al Portrait Gallery has awarded Earth, Wind & Fire with the Portrait of a Nation Prize. For their record-breaking success, they’ve also been awarded with Lifetime Achievement honors from ASCAP, the NAACP, and BET, and they have star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The music of Earth, Wind & Fire is more alive than ever as they continue to inspire new audiences and thrill those who have been with them from the beginning. They continue to influence mu- sicians from all generations and genres—from music giants Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Prince to today’s chart-topping artists; the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Pharrell, Justin Timber- lake, Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, and Alecia Keys have declared themselves super fans. Like the elements in their name, Earth, Wind & Fire’s music has withstood ever-chang- ing trends in the world and shows no sign of vanishing as they continue to create joy and uplifting music that will forever reach a sacred universal atmosphere. From the funky and in- fectious “Let’s Groove” to the timeless dance classic “September” to the heartfelt “Reasons,” Earth, Wind & Fire’s catalog of hits has become the soundtrack to many lives; now, then, and forever. Earth, Wind & Fire first performed at Ravinia in 2010 and most recently in 2018; this is their fifth season at the festival. RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUG. 4 – AUG. 17, 2025 64 JABARIJACOBS