Ravinia 2025 Issue 6

PAVILION 7:30 PM SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2025 7:30 PM SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2025 GET LIFTED 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR JOHN LEGEND JOHN LEGEND The first Black man to earn the complete EGOT entertainment awards—including three Em- mys, 13 Grammys, an Oscar, and a Tony—as well as a Gold- en Globe, John Legend got his start working as a session musician, blending his gospel, soul, and classical music train- ing. After working with such artists as Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and Kanye West, in 2004 he released his de- but album, Get Lifted , which earned Legend the Grammy for Best New Artist. His 2006 fol- low-up, Once Again , cemented his place in the soul music pantheon, and 2008’s Evolver marked his third consecutive top-five album. Legend teamed with The Roots in 2010 to record Wake Up! , an album of socially conscious songs of the ’60s and ’70s, which won an NAACP Image Award. The global hit “All of Me” rose up from his 2013 album Love in the Future . The following year, Legend teamed with Common to write “Glory” for the film Selma ; the track won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Song. Legend collab- orated with Miguel and Chance the Rapper on 2016’s Darkness and Light , which included the hit single “Love Me Now.” Returning to film, he was featured in La La Land —on screen and on the soundtrack—and recorded the title song to 2017’s Beauty and the Beast with Ariana Grande. Legend starred in NBC’s live broadcast of Jesus Christ Superstar in early 2018 and bookended the year with the holiday album A Legendary Christmas . Big- ger Love (2020), featuring the single “Conversations in the Dark,” paved the way for his two-edition album Legend —first released in 2022, followed by a solo-piano version in 2023—and Legend’s 10th studio album and first for children: My Favorite Dream (2024), with the single “L-O-V-E.” Leg- end has been a coach on The Voice for 10 seasons and returns to the role for Season 29’s “Battle of Champions.” A dedicated activist, Legend was named BET’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2010, and in 2015 he founded Free America to seek criminal justice and mass incarceration policy re- form. John Legend is returning for his sixth season at Ravinia, where he first appeared in 2009. MARTIN THEATRE 1:00 PM SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2025 HAYMARKET OPERA COMPANY † CRAIG TROMPETER, conductor NICOLE CABELL, soprano ERICA SCHULLER, soprano ELIZABETH DeSHONG, mezzo-soprano † EMILY FONS, mezzo-soprano † ERIC FERRING, tenor † DAVID GOVERTSEN, bass-baritone † CHASE HOPKINS, stage director HANNAH ZIZZA STANFIELD, assistant director & supertitle operator ADRIENNE BADER, stage manager ALYCIA MARTIN, assistant stage manager HANDEL Alcina , HWV 34 * Act One Act Two (first part) –Intermission– Act Two (second part) Act Three DRAMATIS PERSONAE Alcina , sorceress NICOLE CABELL Ruggiero , knight EMILY FONS Bradamante , wife of Ruggiero ELIZABETH DeSHONG Morgana , sister of Alcina ERICA SCHULLER Oronte , general of Alcina ERIC FERRING Melisso , guardian of Bradamante DAVID GOVERTSEN † Ravinia debut * First performance at Ravinia Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Spotlight Sponsor Lynn Donaldson & Cameron Avery . RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 71