Ravinia 2025 Issue 6

Maria Reese, MD, medical director of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s performing arts medicine program 30 Years of Caring for Ravinia Festival Artists The late Alice Brandfonbrener, MD, a pioneer in treating the unique medical issues of musicians, dancers, and other performing artists, established the part- nership with Ravinia Festival several decades ago. Dr. Brandfonbrener founded the medical program for performing artists at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 1985. In 1990, the program moved to Shirley Ryan Abili- tyLab (then known as the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago). “Dr. Brandfonbrener started her ca- reer at Interlochen Center for the Arts, the celebrated music camp in Michigan. It was there that she started to view performers as athletes, who often face wear and tear on their bodies due to the demands of performing,” said Dr. Reese. “When Dr. Brandfonbrener came back to Chicago, she created the field of performing arts medicine to prevent and treat the medical issues related to performing,” Dr. Reese continued. “She started making contacts at local per- forming arts organizations and venues, including Ravinia Festival, and over the last three decades our relationships have only deepened.” Erik Soderstrom, senior director of programming, joined Ravinia Festival in 2000, during the early years of collabo- ration with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. He credits Dr. Brandfonbrener with laying the groundwork for a partnership that has lived on ever since. “Having this relationship puts us and the artists at ease,” said Soderstrom. “If something comes up, we have medical care at our fingertips, which is really impactful.” On-Call Medical Care at Ravinia Festival Ravinia Festival hosts more than 100 performances every summer, from June through September [in a typical season], to the delight of approximately 400,000 attendees. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab physiatrists—doctors who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation— are on call for medical coverage during the entirety of the season. Each day, a physiatrist is available for phone consultations with artists and their teams. Physiatrists also are equipped to provide medical care onsite during dress rehearsal, tech run- through, and the performance itself. “Artists can contact us anytime and immediately access our on-call doctor,” said Dr. Reese. “If a performer forgets a medication or needs physical ther- apy to help minimize pain, we focus on coordinating their medical care so they can focus on preparing for their performance.” Shirley Ryan AbilityLab maintains relationships with many performing arts institutions in the Chicago area, but Dr. Reese said Ravinia Festival is distinct from others given the rotating nature of its summer performance calendar. Many Ravinia Festival artists travel from around the country and the world for a single concert or a short run of performances. As a result, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s medical care often is geared toward triaging acute needs expeditious- ly on the day of a performance, versus offering longer-term treatments for the duration of an extended show run. For example, physiatrists on call at Ravinia Festival can assist with interven- tions for pain or inflammation; pre- scribe medications; coordinate care with an artist’s regular doctor at home; and provide onsite evaluations and therapy for common performance-related issues. They also provide treatment for con- ditions that can arise during a grueling touring schedule, such as the common cold or flu or dehydration from travel- ing in the summer heat. Medical care is available not only to performing artists but also to stagehands, lighting crew, and production staff. Soderstrom noted a triumphant moment when on-call Shirley Ryan AbilityLab physicians nursed an entire cast of opera singers back to health for their performance. He also recalled working closely with Dr. Reese to review Ravinia Festival’s backstage and rehears- al safety protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic. RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 19