Ravinia 2026 Issue 6

LUCÍA Four years ago, -year-old singer Lucía was a nalist at the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition—and the rst Mexican artist ever to enter the contest. For the nal round, she picked a standard that re ected her musical sensibility, colored in equal parts by the beauty of jazz and the Latin American songbook: “We played ‘What a Di erence a Day Makes,’ which was popularized by Dinah Washington, but in its initial incarnation was a bolero written in Spanish by María Grever. We started it as a jazz ballad in English, then switched to Spanish and added some zapateado dancing.” Lucía won the competition, and doing so with such a soulful, multicultural rendition of a jazz standard also marked her arrival on the music scene. Natu- rally, the song is the rst track on her self-titled debut album, where she not only showcases her superb vocal technique, but also her versatil- ity bridging the gaps between jazz, Latin, and pop music. From her velvety reading of McCoy Tyner and Sammy Cahn’s “You Taught My Heart To Sing” and an achingly vulnerable cover of Ol- ivia Rodrigo’s “Lacy” to a mournful “Alfonsina y el Mar” and a version of “Veracruz” that brims with Mexican pride, the album has the emerging singer surrounded by jazz virtuosos: Venezuelan pianist Edward Simon, American double-bassist Larry Grenadier, Mexican drummer Antonio Sánchez, and Puerto Rican saxophonist David Sánchez. Her talent was nurtured from a very young age. Born in Veracruz, Lucía Gutierrez Rebolloso began performing at age , singing and dancing in her parents’ son jarocho band, Son de Madera. She began studying voice at at Universidad Veracruzana, and a er completing a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies in , Lucía contributed vocals to Natalia Lafourcade’s De Todas Las Flores and joined the singer-songwrit- er at Carnegie Hall, having been a backup singer on tour for two years. She has also already col- laborated with the likes of Aloe Blacc, La Santa Cecilia, Quetzal, Alex Mercado, and the Nation- al Jazz Orchestra of Mexico, playing such other major stages as Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Cen- ter, El Cantoral, the National Center for the Arts and the Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris in Mexico City. Lucía is making her Ravinia debut. BALLET FOLKLÓRICO Ballet Folklórico cultivates a vibrant and in- clusive community in Chicago where children and youth are empowered through cultural en- richment, artistic expression, and educational opportunities, fostering a deep pride in their heritage and a commitment to lifelong learn- ing. Ballet Folklórico is dedicated to providing accessible and engaging a er-school programs that celebrate and preserve cultural diversi- ty. Founded in , the organization aims to inspire the children and youth of Chicago by o ering a safe, nurturing environment where they can explore the arts, develop new skills, and build lasting connections within their commu- nities. rough its programs, Ballet Folklórico strives to enhance the quality of life for partici- pants and create a brighter future for all. GALLI LUCHA LIBRE INTERNATIONALE WRESTLING Chicago’s Lucha Libre Internationale brings a combination of traditional “Lucha Libre” (Mexi- can wrestling) and American wrestling, creating a hybrid style full of impressive acrobatic feats and riveting action. SISTEMARAVINIAORCHESTRA Ravinia’s vision of an intensive and transforma- tional music education program as part of Reach Teach Play®, Sistema Ravinia fosters social de- velopment through exceptional music training for rd– th grade students in Chicago and Lake County public schools. Inspired by the in uen- tial El Sistema model, the program provides stu- dents daily ensemble and orchestral instruction on their instruments. Sistema Ravinia’s rst site was launched at Catalyst Circle Rock School, located in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, and expanded to serve several Waukegan and neigh- boring Lake County schools in , using Ra- vinia’s own Bennett Gordon Hall as the program site. Furthering the festival’s connection to Chi- cago’s Lawndale neighborhood, Sistema Ravinia expanded the original Austin site to include the West Side community in . RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 75 SHERVINLAINEZ