Ravinia 2026 Issue 3

CAROUSEL STAGE 1:30 PM SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 , 2026 THE OKEE DOKEE BROTHERS JUSTIN LANSING, banjo JOE MAILANDER, guitar KÉREN TAYAR Kéren Tayar is a world-touring vocalist, song- writer, recording artist, and shamanic healer. Her voice weaves technique with a palpable sense of Spirit, creating immersive musical ex- periences that invite connection, presence, and emotional depth. She began performing as a child on prominent New York City theater stag- es and later grew into a multi-instrumentalist and composer of original work. Shaped by a rich cultural background, her musical language moves uidly across genres and world tradi- tions. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Tayar integrates formal training with her initi- ations into earth-based, indigenous shamanic healing traditions. She travels internationally, o ering concerts and facilitating immersive, transformational ceremonial sound experienc- es and retreats. She has released many studio projects in collaboration with acclaimed pro- ducers and composers. Her solo work includes In Form , Kéren , and Medicine Music, Kéren-Or Tayar , and she is currently recording her next album. Tayar resides in New York’s Hudson Val- ley with her family, where she lives in relation- ship with the land, tending animals, gardens, and nurtures her healing practice rooted in rec- iprocity with the natural world. Kéren Tayar is making her Ravinia and Chicago Symphony Orchestra debuts. THEOKEE DOKEE BROTHERS As childhood friends growing up in Denver, CO, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing were always exploring the outdoors. Whether it was ra ing down their neighborhood creek, taking long bike rides into the country or discovering hiking trails through the Rocky Mountains, Mailander and Lansing were born adventurers. Now, as the Grammy Award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers, they have put this passion for the outdoors at the heart of their musical collaborations. Mailander and Lansing record and perform family music with a goal to inspire children and their parents to get outside and experience nature. ey be- lieve this can motivate kids to gain a greater re- spect for the natural world, their communities, and themselves. e Okee Dokee Brothers’ extended canoe trip down the Mississippi River inspired their Grammy-winning album Can You Canoe? ( ), which was the rst in their Adventure Album Series along with their trek along the Appalachian Trail for ’s Grammy-nominated rough the Woods and their Western sojourn for ’s Grammy-nominated Saddle Up , all of which were accom- panied by blogs of their travels. With songs written by camp re and harmonies born on the water, the natural world is at the heart of their Americana folk music. e ve-time Parents’ Choice Award win- ners have garnered praise from the likes of NPR’s All ings Considered and USA Today , attracting a nationwide fan base with their witty lyrics, strong musicianship, and unique folk style. By appealing to the musical needs of the entire family and recognizing that kids deserve quality music, the Okee Dokee Brothers are working full-time to advance the family music genre. Also earning a Grammy nomina- tion with ’s Winterland , they released the Brambletown album in and animated lm in , and most recently the album Little Old You . Regularly on tour for live performances, the Okee Dokee Brothers have been featured at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, the Getty and Segerstrom Centers in California, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Symphony Space in New York, Children’s eatre in the Woods at Wolf Trap in Virginia, Austin City Limits, and the National Book Festival inWashington, DC. e Okee Dokee Brothers are returning for the rst time from their Ravinia debut in . RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 95