Ravinia 2026 Issue 3

SHELÉA With a voice that stirs the soul and hands that glide e ortlessly over the keys, Sheléa represents multi-hyphenate artistry that has garnered at- tention from legends across the music industry: Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Alan and Mar- ilyn Bergman, David Foster, Narada Michael Walden, and Ricky Minor. With years of making a name for herself as a vocal powerhouse, she has performed at the White House, Library of Congress, Carnegie Hall, e Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Vatican, and in the fall of , Sheléa made her debut at the Royal Albert Hall with Jules Buckley to a sold- out show. Merging her musical talent with her new love for acting, Sheléa landed her rst ma- jor role as Dorinda Clark Cole in the critically acclaimed e Clark Sisters: e First Ladies of Gospel . e Lifetime biopic drew nearly three million viewers in its opening and “was the strongest original movie for all television for across key demos including both broad- cast and cable.” In the fall of , Sheléa made her O -Broadway debut at e Public eater in the New York Times ’ Critics’ Pick Oh Happy Day . Sheléa has enjoyed gracing the stage for several PBS specials, including her very own Quincy Jones Presents: Sheléa . Her much-an- ticipated retro/soul EP Spirit was released last summer, along with a new PBS special, Aretha! with Sheléa and e Paci c Symphony . Sheléa rst appeared at Ravinia as a featured singer with David Foster in and returned to make her Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut in . DARRELWALLS Darrel Walls is a Grammy Award–win- ning vocalist, songwriter, and recording artist best known as the lead voice of the internation- ally recognized gospel group e Walls Group. Emerging onto the national stage in alongside his siblings, Darrel quickly became known for his distinctive tone, dynamic range, and deeply expressive delivery. e group’s tight harmonies and contemporary approach to gospel music have earned them six Grammy nominations and six Stellar Award wins, estab- lishing them as one of the most in uential voic- es in modern gospel. roughout his career, Walls has collaborated with some of the most respected producers and artists in the industry, including Kirk Franklin and Warryn Camp- bell, and has garnered recognition from notable musicians such as Brandy, Frank Ocean, and PJ Morton. In , Walls released his debut solo album Heart of Mine , produced by Mor- ton, which earned him his rst Grammy Award and further solidi ed his place among today’s most compelling gospel vocalists. Known for his authenticity, vocal excellence, and unwav- ering commitment to the music community, Walls continues to inspire audiences around the world through his music, ministry, and creative collaborations. Darrel Wallsis making his Ra- vinia and Chicago Symphony Orchestra debuts. JULES BUCKLEY Composer, arranger, curator, and conductor Jules Buckley has collaborated with some of the most in uential names in music, trailblazing his way through a staggering discography of over albums. He is a Grammy winner with two number-one albums, as well as the go-to orches- trator for iconic names in music. rough his expertise in non-classical orchestral music, he has earned a reputation as a pioneering genre alchemist. Across his career, Buckley has collab- orated on recordings and live projects with such artists as Arctic Monkeys, Stormzy, Basement Jaxx, Massive Attack, Tori Amos, Joshua Red- man, Kurt Elling, Chaka Khan, Mark Ronson, and Dee Dee Bridgewater, among many oth- ers. Buckley is the co-founder and conductor of the Heritage Orchestra with Chris Wheel- er, a genre-smashing ensemble dedicated to performing new music from stadium tours to chart-topping albums. eir collaboration e Breaks was released in on Decca Records, taking the sonic blueprint that cemented break- ing as a pillar of hip-hop and reimagining it with orchestra—an evolution of their BBC Prom program with the breaking crew Soul Maver- icks at Royal Albert Hall. In , Buckley led the Metropole Orkest in a tribute to his idol, Quincy Jones, at the BBC Proms, a collabora- tion that continued through performances from Paris to the US, including Jones’s th birthday at the O in , which saw Jones perform his hits in Buckley’s brand-new arrangements. Now Honorary Conductor of the Metropole Orkest, following his tenure as chief conductor – , Buckley has led the orchestra across concerts and recordings, including Grammy-winning collaborations with Snarky Puppy ( Sylva ) and Jacob Collier ( Djesse, Vol. ), as well as Ledi- si’s Grammy-nominated Nina Simone tribute album. Buckley became Creative Artist in As- sociation with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in , and his international projects and col- laborations have also included the Helsinki and Rotterdam Philharmonics, Royal Concertge- bouw Orchestra, Zurich and Umeå Chamber Orchestras, Seattle Symphony, and (US) Nation- al Symphony Orchestra. Jules Buckley made his Ravinia and Chicago Symphony Orchestra de- buts earlier this summer. RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUGUST 3 – AUGUST 16 , 2026 92