Ravinia 2026 Issue 5

HUNTERPAVILION 7:00 PMWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 , 2026 BRANDI CARLILE with special guest I’MWITH HER I’mWith Her – – Brandi Carlile BRANDI CARLILE Brandi Carlile is an Oscar-nominated and - time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwrit- er, performer, and producer; two-time Emmy Award-winning composer, lyricist, and writ- er; and New York Times bestselling author and activist who is known as one of music’s most respected voices. A er pouring herself into collaborations with musical icons and legends, Carlile is looking inward, re ecting backward, and ultimately, returning home on her eighth solo studio album, Returning to Myself , released in October . e collection became her h to debut in the top of the Billboard , fol- lowing closely in the footsteps of Who Believes in Angels? —the universally critically acclaimed collaborative album with her childhood hero, Elton John—which topped the charts in the UK and spawned a live album (recorded the London Palladium) a month a er Returning to Myself . Additionally, Carlile continues her work as a renowned producer with recent Grammy Award-winning projects from Joni Mitchell and Brandy Clark. She also produced and recorded a rendition of Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine” with her wife, Catherine, which was included on Bar- bie e Album , as well as a version of “Home” (from e Wiz ), which was featured in the nal season of Ted Lasso . She received her rst Os- car nomination for Best Original Song in for “Never Too Late,” written with Elton John, Bernie Taupin, and Andrew Watt for the docu- mentary of the same name about John’s life and career. Carlile has collaborated with such other peers as Soundgarden, Sam Smith, Alicia Keys, Hozier, Noah Kahan, Jacob Collier, P!nk, and Dolly Parton in addition to teaming up with Amanda Shires, Maren Morris, and Natalie Hemby as e Highwomen. Along with multi- ple recognitions from the Americana Music As- sociation, Carlile has earned such superlatives as OUT Magazine’s Icon of the Year, Billboard Women In Music’s Trailblazer Award, CMT Next Women of Country’s Impact Award, and National Music Publishers’ Associa- tion (NMPA)’s Songwriter Icon Award. On top of being a musician and writer, Carlile is a founder of the Looking Out Foundation, which has raised over million for grassroots causes to date. Brandi Carlile rst played Ravinia in and tonight makes her h appearance. I’MWITHHER With the formation of I’m With Her, sing- er-songwriters Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins introduced an essential new force into the world of folk music: a close-knit alliance of highly esteemed musicians, each graced with a deep understanding of folk tra- dition and unbridled passion for expanding its possibilities. Since delivering their critically lauded debut See You Around and stand- alone singles like “Call My Name” (winner of the Grammy for Best American Roots Song), the trio have routinely taken time out from their individual careers to dream up songs together— eventually arriving at a new album exploring themes of ancestry, lineage, and the collective human experience. On their long-awaited sophomore LP Wild and Clear and Blue —released in May —I’m With Her brought their luminous harmonies to a soul-searching body of work about reaching into the past, navigating a chaotic present, and bravely moving forward into the unknown. In a departure from See You Around ’s stripped-back intimacy, Wild and Clear and Blue centers on a far more elaborate sound informed by the trio’s intensi ed sense of musical kinship. All multi-Gram- my-winners with deep roots in the folk scene, Watkins, Jarosz, and O’Donovan rst discovered their near-telepathic chemistry during an impromptu performance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, then co-founded I’m With Her and began touring extensively to perform at acclaimed festivals across the globe. Following their debut release, the trio was awarded Group of the Year honors by the Amer- icana Music Association. Produced by Josh Kaufman—a member of Bonny Light Horseman and a multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/arranger who’s worked with Bob Weir and e National— Wild and Clear and Blue ultimately adds a bold new urgency to their delicate entangling of lived-in narrative, fable-like storytelling, and nuanced re ection on cycles of life. e collection was awarded Best Folk Album honors at the Grammys and earned them a second Best American Roots Song trophy for “Ancient Light,” which was named Song of the Year by the Americana Music Association in . I’m With Her made their Ravinia debut in and is returning to the festival for the rst time. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 69 SHERVIN LAINEZ (I’M WITH HER)