TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary of the Collection
History of the Ravinia Festival Association
Scope and Content of the Collection
Description of Record Groups / Container List
Series 1: Reference materials, covering 1902-1984
Series 2: Historic / Founding documents, 1903-1967
Series 3: Season Planning, 1936-1983
Subseries 1: Season Correspondence and Contracts, 1946-1973
Subseries 2: Dance Contracts and Notes, 1978-1980
Subseries 4: Guest Artist correspondence, 1956-1977
Subseries 5: Music Directors, 1966-1983
Series 4: Development / Fundraising, 1930-1976
Series 5: Staff and Trustee matters, 1936-1969
Series 6: Park and Facilities Management, 1909-1977
Series 7: Public Relations, 1920-1993
Subseries 1: Scrapbooks, 1936-1971
Subseries 2: Clippings, [n.d.] and 1910's-1993
Subseries 4: Features, 1920-1984
Subseries 5: Programs and Season Announcements, 1913-1980
Subseries 6: Program Production, 1965-1969
Subseries 7: Publications, 1981-1985
Series 9: Special Projects, 1960-1982
Series 10: Photographs, 1906-1980's
Subseries 1: Photographs from the Opera Era, ca. 1912-1931
Subseries 2: Photographs of Performers: Guest Artists and Music Directors, ca. 1950's-1980's
Subseries 4: Photographs of Performers: Theater
Subseries 5: Photographs of the Park and Facilities, 1906-1980's
Subseries 6: Photographs of Staff, Trustees, etc., 1917-1970's
Subseries 7: Photographs, miscellaneous, 1950's-1980's
Series 11: Oversize items, 1900's-1980's
 |
Inventory of the Ravinia Festival Association Records, 1903-1993
Finding aid encoded by Alison Hinderliter, September 2002 2002 |
Descriptive Summary of the Collection |
|
| Creator | Ravinia Festival Association |
| Title | Ravinia Festival Association Records, |
| Dates | 1903-1993 |
| Extent | 11 cubic ft. (14 boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 4 volumes and 4 oversized folders) |
| Abstract | Correspondence, photographs, reports, and publicity relating to the Ravinia Festival, a summer music festival held at Ravinia Park in Highland Park, Illinois, since 1904 (non-continuous). |
| Language | Materials are in English. |
| Repository | Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections |
| Collection Call Number | Midwest MS Ravinia |
| Collection Stack Location | 3a 51 3 |
Administrative Information
Cite As
Ravinia Festival Association Records, Midwest Manuscript Collection, The Newberry Library, Chicago.
Provenance
Gift of Ravinia Festival Association, 1994.
Processed by
Alison Hinderliter, 2002
Access Restrictions
The Ravinia Festival Association Records are open for research; they are available five folders at a time in the Special Collections Reading Room (Priority II).
A few files containing personnel information are restricted until 2045; see series descriptions in the finding aid for details.
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Ravinia Festival Association Records are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns.
Return to the Table of Contents
History of the Ravinia Festival Association
Summer music festival in Highland Park, Illinois.
Ravinia first opened on August 15, 1904, as an amusement park built solely for the purpose of increasing ridership on the Chicago & Milwaukee Electric Railroad. Ravinia Park included a pavilion, a baseball diamond and grandstand, an electric fountain, a theater, and a refectory building with dining rooms and dance floor. The open-air pavilion offered concerts by the New York Symphony Orchestra under Walter Damrosch, and dance performances by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. Due to insufficient revenue, however, Ravinia Park slipped into receivership in 1910.
The next year, a group of North Shore residents purchased the park and founded The Ravinia Company in 1911. Ravinia became a summer venue for classical music, and opera was added to concert programs in 1912. These concerts and performances continued through 1931, when the Depression and decreasing revenues forced Ravinia to close its doors once again.
Four years later, in the spring of 1936, Highland Park and Chicago businessmen formed the not-for-profit Ravinia Festival Association, and on July 3, 1936, the Ravinia Festival opened its first season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Ernst Ansermet), who have been in residency each summer ever since.
On May 14, 1949 the 1400-seat wooden Pavilion burned to the ground, but six weeks later the 14th Festival opened on schedule under a 33-ton canvas cover originally constructed for B-29 bombers. That summer Ravinia hosted the "Million Dollar Trio" of Jascha Heifetz, Artur Rubenstein and Gregor Piatigorsky. The three legendary musicians played under the canvas B-29 canopy. The replacement pavilion, which is still in use, was completed in 1950.
Seiji Ozawa was named Ravinia's first music director in 1964 and in 1968 the Festival appointed Edward Gordon as executive director. In 1971, James Levine became Ravinia's music director, a post he held until 1993.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
The collection consists mainly of public relations materials, including scrapbooks, newsclippings, historical summaries and recollections, publications files, and photographs. There is also in the collection season planning documentation for scattered years: contracts, correspondence, and reports relating to planning the repertoire and the hiring of guest artists for a particular season. The remainder of the collection includes a few founding documents and scattered files about Ravinia Park and the building and renovation of its facilities; some development and fundraising campaigns records; and some correspondence by and relating to Ravinia staff and trustees.
Narrative descriptions of the subject matter, types of material, and arrangment of series are available through the Organization section of the finding aid.
Return to the Table of Contents
Organization
The records are organized in the following series:
- Series 1: Reference materials, covering 1902-1984. Box(es) 1
- Series 2: Historic / Founding documents, 1903-1967. Box(es) 1
- Series 3: Season Planning, 1936-1983
- Subseries 1: Season Correspondence and Contracts, 1946-1973
- Subseries 2: Dance Contracts and Notes, 1978-1980
- Subseries 3: Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Chicago Federation of Musicians contracts and negotiations, 1936-1966
- Subseries 4: Guest Artist correspondence, 1956-1977
- Subseries 5: Music Directors, 1966-1983
- Series 4: Development / Fundraising, 1930-1976. Box(es) 5
- Series 5: Staff and Trustee matters, 1936-1969. Box(es) 6
- Series 6: Park and Facilities Management, 1909-1977. Box(es) 6
- Series 7: Public Relations, 1920-1993
- Subseries 1: Scrapbooks, 1936-1971
- Subseries 2: Clippings, [n.d.] and 1910's-1993
- Subseries 3: Events, 1962
- Subseries 4: Features, 1920-1984
- Subseries 5: Programs and Season Announcements, 1913-1980
- Subseries 6: Program Production, 1965-1969
- Subseries 7: Publications, 1981-1985
- Series 8: Ephemera, 1910-1976. Box(es) 8
- Series 9: Special Projects, 1960-1982. Box(es) 9
- Series 10: Photographs, 1906-1980's
- Subseries 1: Photographs from the Opera Era, ca. 1912-1931
- Subseries 2: Photographs of Performers: Guest Artists and Music Directors, ca. 1950's-1980's
- Subseries 4: Photographs of Performers: Theater
- Subseries 5: Photographs of the Park and Facilities, 1906-1980's
- Subseries 6: Photographs of Staff, Trustees, etc., 1917-1970's
- Subseries 7: Photographs, miscellaneous, 1950's-1980's
- Series 11: Oversize items, 1900's-1980's
- Subseries 1: Public Relations materials, ca. 1920-1985
- Subseries 2: Photographs, Oversize
Return to the Table of Contents
Selected Search Terms
Names
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Copland, Aaron, 1900-
- Foss, Lukas, 1922-
- Levine, James, 1943-
- Ozawa, Seiji, 1935-
- Ravinia Company
- Ravinia Park (Highland Park, Ill.)
- Steinberg, William, 1899-1978
Subjects
- Ballet Dancers -- Photographs
- Clippings
- Conductors (Music) -- Photographs
- Contracts
- Correspondence
- Dance -- United States
- Manuscripts, American -- Illinois
- Music festivals -- United States
- Musicians -- Photographs
- Opera -- United States
- Photographs
- Reports
- Scrapbooks
- Singers -- Photographs
Return to the Table of Contents
Description of Record Groups / Container List
Series 1: Reference materials, covering 1902-1984 |
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| Summary and anecdotal documents used to aid in ascertaining the history of Ravinia, compiled by Ravinia staff and outside researchers. The collections includ summary histories, chronologies, repertory lists and indexes, essays, and personal recollections. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Historical summaries, covering 1902-1982 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Historical chronologies, covering 1902-1984 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Attendance statistics, (including detailed numbers for ) 1936-1971 1964 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Repertory indexes, 1936-1957 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Repertory indexes, 1958-1966 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Chronology of Dance at Ravinia, 1947-1983 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Repertory lists and index, Opera and grand concerts, 1913-1931 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Repertory indexes, Theatrical performances, (also theatre income and expense figures, and ) 1957-1983 1967-1972 1974-1977 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Laurie, Mrs. Mabel. Letters to Edward Gordon, in regards to contributing her Ravinia memorabilia to the Ravinia "archives", 1968 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Exhibit on Ravinia by the Illinois Institute of Technology, 1973 | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Research paper: Ravinia Park: Microcosm of a Changing Era, by Bennett L. Singer, Highland Park High School, Spring 1979 | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | History of Ravinia, pressbook, (draft) 1979 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Oral histories and recollections, various, 1937-1975 | |||||||||
Series 2: Historic / Founding documents, 1903-1967 |
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| A small collection of early records highlighting some of the major events in Ravinia's history, including documents of the early Ravinia Park, the Ravinia Company, and the creation of the Ravinia Festival Association. Also includes a proposal for televising concerts, a fact sheet about tickets, and amended By-Laws. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Frost, A.C. Ravinia Park invoices, (photocopies) 1903-1906 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Announcement of prize paid to namer of "a new resort...at Ravinia." Sheridan Road Newsletter, (photocopy) Mar. 1904 | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | Announcement, Citizens of Highland Park hold mass-meeting to save Ravinia Park, (photocopy of typescript) 1911 | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Certificate of Capital Stock, Ravinia Company, Jul. 19, 1911 | |||||||||
| 1 | 18 | List of stockholders, Ravinia Company, ca. 1911 | |||||||||
| 1 | 19 | Correspondence relating to the possible sale or lease of Ravinia Park, 1937-1939 | |||||||||
| 1 | 20 | Change of name to Ravinia Festival Association, Aug. 21, 1941 | |||||||||
| 1 | 21 | Cassidy, Claudia, and Eckhart, Percy, correspondence regarding editorial criticism, Jul. 1946 | |||||||||
| 1 | 22 | Deed conveying Ravinia Park to the Ravinia Festival Association (with additional correspondence), Jul. 13, 1944; 1947, 1958 | |||||||||
| 1 | 23 | Proposal for televising Ravinia concerts, 1948-1949 | |||||||||
| 1 | 24 | Tickets and Facilities Fact Sheet, 1959 | |||||||||
| 1 | 25 | By-Laws, correspondence, and amendment, May 1, 1963; 1965, 1967 | |||||||||
Series 3: Season Planning, 1936-1983 |
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| Contracts and correspondence relating to the planning of repertoire and engagement of artists for each season's concerts. | |||||||||||
| Organized in five subseries: Season Correspondence and Contracts, 1946-1973; Dance Contracts and Notes, 1978-1980; Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Chicago Federation of Musicians contracts and negotiations, 1936-1966; Guest Artist correspondence, 1956-1977; and Music Directors, 1966-1983. | |||||||||||
| Each series arranged chronologically, except for Guest Artist Correspondence, which is arranged alphabetically by artist. | |||||||||||
Sub-Series 1: Season Correspondence and Contracts, 1946-1973 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 26 | General correspondence and contracts, 1946 | |||||||||
| 2 | 27 | General correspondence and contracts, 1950 | |||||||||
| 2 | 28 | General correspondence and contracts, 1951 | |||||||||
| 2 | 29 | Special Concert: All-Gershwin, Jul. 1, 1951 | |||||||||
| 2 | 30 | General correspondence and contracts, 1952 | |||||||||
| 2 | 31 | General correspondence and contracts, 1953 | |||||||||
| 2 | 32 | General correspondence and contracts, 1954 | |||||||||
| 2 | 33 | General correspondence and contracts, 1955 | |||||||||
| 2 | 34 | General correspondence and contracts, 1956 | |||||||||
| 2 | 35 | General correspondence and contracts, 1957 | |||||||||
| 2 | 36 | General correspondence and contracts, 1958 | |||||||||
| 2 | 37 | General correspondence and contracts, 1959 | |||||||||
| 2 | 38 | General correspondence, 1960 | |||||||||
| 2 | 39 | Special Concert: Jean Martinon conducts, Jul. 19, 21, 23, 1960 | |||||||||
| 2 | 40 | Artists' salary summary, 1960-1965 | |||||||||
| 2 | 41 | General correspondence and contracts, 1961 | |||||||||
| 2 | 42 | General correspondence, 1962 | |||||||||
| 2 | 43-45 | Special Concert: Jack Benny Night, Jul. 29, 1962 | |||||||||
| 2 | 46 | General correspondence and contracts, 1963 | |||||||||
| 3 | 47 | General correspondence and contracts, 1964 | |||||||||
| 3 | 48 | Chicago Symphony Orchestra Contracts, 1964 | |||||||||
| 3 | 49 | General correspondence and contracts, 1965 | |||||||||
| 3 | 50 | Special: Recording of Igor Stravinsky's Orpheus by Stravinsky and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, 1965 | |||||||||
| 3 | 51 | General correspondence and contracts, 1966 | |||||||||
| 3 | 52 | Special: regarding WGN-TV negotiations, 1966 | |||||||||
| 3 | 53 | Special: Audience commentary, 1966 | |||||||||
| 3 | 54 | Special: Summary of responses to questionnaire about the "Four O'Clocks" concerts, 1966 | |||||||||
| 3 | 55 | Special: Report on ticket prices, and suggestion for 1967 prices, 1966 | |||||||||
| 3 | 56 | Special: Report on sale of Shakespearean clothing, 1966 | |||||||||
| 3 | 57 | General correspondence, 1967 | |||||||||
| 3 | 58 | General correspondence, 1968 | |||||||||
| 3 | 59 | General correspondence and contracts, 1973 | |||||||||
Sub-Series 2: Dance Contracts and Notes, 1978-1980 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 60 | 1978-1979 | |||||||||
| 3 | 61 | 1979-1980 | |||||||||
Sub-Series 3: Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Chicago Federation of Musicians contracts and negotiations, 1936-1966 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 62 | 1936-1958 | |||||||||
| 3 | 63 | 1962-1966 | |||||||||
Sub-Series 4: Guest Artist correspondence, 1956-1977 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 64 | Andrews, Julie [signed "Julie Andrews Edwards"], vocal: to Edward Gordon, TLS, Dec. 2, 1975 | |||||||||
| 4 | 65 | Barber, Samuel, composer: to George Kuyper, telegram; and TL copy to Mr. Ludgin, 1956-1958 | |||||||||
| 4 | 66 | Bernstein, Lonard [signed "Lenny"], conductor-composer: to "Walter", 2 TLS, includes carbon copies of replies from Walter Hendl, Feb. 14, 1959; Nov. 25, 1959 | |||||||||
| 4 | 67 | Boulanger, Nadia, conductor: 2 ALS plus handwritten stage diagram for Andrzej Panufnik symphony to "Mr. Edman", Apr. 22-May 9, 1965 | |||||||||
| 4 | 68 | Britten, Benjamin, composer: to "Mr. Ludgin", TL, copy; to "Mr. Hendl", TLS, 1956-1960 | |||||||||
| 4 | 69 | Brody, Clark, CSO clarinet: to "Ed", ALS (Includes carbon copy reply by Gordon), Oct. 20, 1972 | |||||||||
| 4 | 70 | Brubeck, Dave, piano: signed contract, Apr. 25, 1966 | |||||||||
| 4 | 71 | Cage, John, composer: 6 TLS to Mr. Hendl (includes carbon copies of replies), Dec. 16, 1960-May 11, 1961 | |||||||||
| 4 | 72 | Copland, Aaron [some signed "Aaron"], composer-conductor: ALS to "Walter" (Hotel New Japan, Tokyo stationery) ; 3 TLS to "Walter", ; 1 TLS to Miss Helen T. Geraghty, ; 3 TLS to "Silas [Edman]", 3 TLS to "Mr. Turkin", ; 4 TLS to "Mr. Gordon". Letters from Jan. 7, 1962 and Mar. 28, 1962 also include program suggestions. Also includes signed contract, Jan. 6, 1965, 1962-1968 | |||||||||
| 4 | 73 | Dello Joio, Norman, composer: 4 ALS to "Walter", Oct. 11, 1962-Apr. 22, 1963 | |||||||||
| 4 | 74 | DePreist, James, conductor: 7 ALS to "Mr. Turkin" or "Ed", includes carbon copies from Marshall Turkin and Ed Gordon. Also includes signed contract for Jul. 10 and Jul. 15, 1968 performances, Nov. 10, 1967-Apr. 11, 1968 | |||||||||
| 4 | 75 | Dirksen, Everett M. (Everett McKinley): US Senator (Illinois) invited to recite: to Mr. Turkin, 2 TLS. Includes carbon copies and telegram copies from Marshall Turkin, and from J.L. Blackwell, re: inviting the Army band to play July 4, Jan. 2-Oct. 9, 1967 | |||||||||
| 4 | 76 | Dylan, Bob, vocal: signed contract, Mar. 19, 1964 | |||||||||
| 4 | 77 | Elliot, Willard, CSO bassoon and composer: to "Mrs. Bonura", TLS, Apr. 14, 1972 | |||||||||
| 4 | 78 | Fiedler, Arthur, conductor: 3 TLS to "Mr. Gordon", including replies and one TLS signed by Fiedler's secretary, Aug. 28, 1969-Feb. 2, 1970 | |||||||||
| 4 | 79 | Firkusny, Rudolf, piano: to "Ed", TLS, includes carbon copy of reply by Gordon's secretary, Ruth Bonura, Jul. 11, 1973 | |||||||||
| 4 | 80 | Fizdale, Robert, piano: to "Walter", 3 ALS [signed "Bobby" or "Bob"] and one newsclipping ; ALS to "Mr. Gordon" with carbon copy of reply from Edward Gordon., Nov. 29, 1961-Nov. 17, 1970 | |||||||||
| 4 | 81 | Foss, Lukas, composer-conductor: to "George", ALS including text to "From the Song of Songs" (typescript) and "Song of Anguish" (manuscript) ; also TLS to Mrs. [Laurette] McGregor, Jun. 30, 1959-Apr. 8, 1966 | |||||||||
| 4 | 82 | Frager, Malcolm, piano: to Mr. Kuyper, ALS, Jun. 12, 1957 | |||||||||
| 4 | 83 | Golschmann, Vladimir, conductor: 6 TLS to "Walter" (Sometimes to "Mon cher ami" or "My dear friend). Also includes program suggestions, Mar. 27-Apr. 9, 1959 | |||||||||
| 4 | 84 | Greenberg, Noah, conductor [New York Pro Musica Antiqua]: to "Mr. Kuyper", TLS, Jun. 25, 1958 | |||||||||
| 4 | 85 | Harris, Roy, composer-conductor: to "Mr. Ludgin", TLS. Includes carbon copy of reply by Kuyper, Feb. 18, 1957 | |||||||||
| 4 | 86 | Heath, Andrew, conductor: ALS to "Mr. Gordon". Includes carbon copy of reply by Gordon, Dec. 11, 1970 | |||||||||
| 4 | 87 | Iturbi, Jose, conductor-piano: to "Walter", TLS, May 27, 1963 | |||||||||
| 4 | 88 | Janis, Byron, piano: to "Mr. Kuyper", TLS. Includes carbon copy of reply by Kuyper, May 16, 1957 | |||||||||
| 4 | 89 | Kertesz, Istvan, conductor: to "Ed", TLS, in German. Includes typewritten translation, Jan. 22, 1972 | |||||||||
| 4 | 90 | Kostelanetz, Andre, conductor: to Mr. Kuyper, ALS ; and to "Walter", TLS, and ALS, Mar. 5, 1958- Jun. 9, 1961 | |||||||||
| 4 | 91 | Krips, Josef, conductor: to Mr. Hendl, ALS. Includes envelope. to Mr. Edman, ALS, Jun. 2, 1961- May 9, 1966 | |||||||||
| 4 | 92 | Leinsdorf, Erich, conductor: to Mr. Kuyper, TLS ; to Mr. Turkin, TLS, Nov. 4, 1958- Dec. 11, 1967 | |||||||||
| 4 | 93 | Makanowitzky, Paul, violin: 3 TLS to Mr. Edman ; 1 TLS to Mr. [Ronald M.] Kimball, Dec. 17, 1965-Feb. 10, 1966 | |||||||||
| 4 | 94 | Martinon, Jean, conductor: to Mr. Handel [sic], ALS. Includes carbon copy of Hendl letter to Martinon, ca. Apr. 1962 | |||||||||
| 4 | 95 | Milhaud, Darius, composer: to Mr. Kuyper, TLS, Sept. 26, 1956 | |||||||||
| 4 | 96 | Miller, Frank, CSO cello: to Mr. Turkin, ALS ; to "Edward", ALS, May 16, 1967-Feb. 3, 1971 | |||||||||
| 4 | 97 | Moffo, Anna, vocal: to "Ed", TLS, Aug. 15, 1977 | |||||||||
| 4 | 98 | Monk, Thelonius, piano: signed contract, Mar. 25, 1964 | |||||||||
| 4 | 99 | Monteux, Pierre, conductor: to Mr. Kuyper, ALS, Jun. 26, 1957 | |||||||||
| 4 | 100 | Munch, Charles, conductor: telegram to Walter Hendl, Dec. 2, 1959 | |||||||||
| 4 | 101 | Ormandy, Eugene, conductor: 2 TLS to "George" ; to Mr. Kuyper, TLS, [page 2 only] ; 3 TLS to Mr. Hendl, , including carbon copy from Hendl, 1958-1961 | |||||||||
| 4 | 102 | Peters, Roberta, vocal: To Mr. Gordon, TL with handwritten postscript. Includes carbon copy of reply by Gordon's secretary, Ruth Bonura, May 10, 1973 | |||||||||
| 4 | 103 | Piston, Walter, composer: to "Mr. Kuyper", TLS, Jan. 5, 1957 | |||||||||
| 4 | 104 | Pommier, Jean-Bernard, piano: to "Ed," TLS, Aug. 10, 1973 | |||||||||
| 4 | 105 | Reiner, Fritz, conductor: 2 TLS to "George". Includes carbon copy of reply by George Kuyper, May 19-Jun. 7, 1958 | |||||||||
| 4 | 106 | Rodgers, Richard, composer-conductor: to "Mr. Kuyper", TLS, Jan. 24, 1957 | |||||||||
| 4 | 107 | Rodzinski, Artur, conductor: 4 TLS to "Mr. Kuyper". Includes 2 carbon copies of replies from Kuyper, Dec. 9, 1957-Mar. 12, 1958 | |||||||||
| 4 | 108 | Rosenstock, Joseph, conductor: to "Mr. Hendl", TLS, Jun. 6, 1961 | |||||||||
| 4 | 109 | Sargent, Malcolm, Sir, conductor: to "Mr. Hendl", TLS. Also includes carbon copy of reply by Hendl, and additional TL signed by Sargent's secretary Sylvia Dailey.; 2 ALS and 1 TLS to "Mr. Turkin". Includes carbon copy of reply from Turkin, Oct. 4, 1960-Jul. 20, 1967 | |||||||||
| 4 | 110 | Schippers, Thomas, conductor: to "Mr. Turkin", TLS. Includes carbon copy of reply by Turkin, Aug. 23, 1966 | |||||||||
| 4 | 111 | Schmidt-Isserstedt, Hans, conductor: to "Mr. Hendl", ALS ; and to Mr. Ballard, ALS, 1963 | |||||||||
| 4 | 112 | Schuller, Gunther, composer-conductor: signed contract, Apr. 5, 1965 | |||||||||
| 4 | 113 | Sills, Beverly [signed "Bev"], vocal: Postcard [Holiday Inn, Akron, OH] to Edward Gordon, ALS, Jan. 26, 1973 | |||||||||
| 4 | 114 | Skrowaczewski, Stanislaw, conductor: to "Mr. Hendl", TLS, Nov. 23, 1960 | |||||||||
| 4 | 115 | Solomon, Izler, conductor: to "Walter", ALS, Mar. 22, 1961 | |||||||||
| 4 | 116 | Starker, Janos [probably; signed "Janos"], cello: to "Ed", ALS, Jun. 30, 1973 | |||||||||
| 4 | 117 | Steinberg, William, conductor: 2 ALS to "Mr. Kuyper" ; 4 TLS to "Mr. Kuyper" ; Telegram to "Mr. Hart" ; 2 ALS to "Mr. Hart" ; 2 TLS to "Mr. Hendl". Also includes signed contract, 1952-1965 | |||||||||
| 4 | 118 | Stokowski, Leopold, conductor: 2 TLS to Edward Gordon, with carbon copy of reply, Oct. 15-27, 1969 | |||||||||
| 4 | 119 | Stravinsky, Igor, composer-conductor: signed contract, Dec. 30, 1963 | |||||||||
| 4 | 120 | Susskind, Walter, conductor: 2 TLS and 1 ALS to "Mr. Hendl". Includes many carbon copy replies from Hendl, Nov. 30, 1959-Jun. 7, 1960 | |||||||||
| 4 | 121 | Szell, George, conductor: to Walter Hendl, TLS. Includes carbon copy of reply from Hendl, Nov. 30, 1959 | |||||||||
| 4 | 122 | Takahashi, Yuji, piano: to "Mr. Turkin", ALS, Jun. 18, 1966 | |||||||||
| 4 | 123 | Tsutsumi, Tsuyoshi; cello: to "Mr. Turkin", TLS, Jul. 27, 1967 | |||||||||
| 4 | 124 | Vandernoot, Andre, conductor: to "Mr. Gordon", 3 TLS. Includes carbon copies of replies from Gordon, Apr. 11-May 11, 1968 | |||||||||
| 4 | 125 | Wallenstein, Alfred [signed "Wally"] conductor: to "Walter", TLS, Mar. 26, 1959 | |||||||||
| 4 | 126 | Walton, William, composer: 5 ALS to "Mr. Hendl", including carbon copy of reply from Hendl ; also to ALS to "Mr. Ballard" [Mr. William Ballard], postcard, ALS. Also includes 1 TL signed by Walton's secretary Sheila Perry, 1959-1963 | |||||||||
| 4 | 127 | Willson, Meredith, composer-conductor: to "Marshall", TLS, Nov. 28, 1966 | |||||||||
Sub-Series 5: Music Directors, 1966-1983 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 128 | Ozawa, Seiji: Contract (signed) and pertinent contract correspondence, 1966-1968 | |||||||||
| 4 | 129 | Ozawa, Seiji. Correspondence, 1966-1968 | |||||||||
| 4 | 130 | Levine, James. Performance indexes, 1971-1983 | |||||||||
Series 4: Development / Fundraising, 1930-1976 |
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| Reports, correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, and event planning files related to Ravinia's fundraising campaigns, financial status, and trustee involvement. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 5 | 131 | Annual Report and letter to guarantors, The Ravinia Company, 1930 | |||||||||
| 5 | 132 | Annual Report and letter to guarantors, The Ravinia Festival Association, , 1936-1963 1970 | |||||||||
| 5 | 133 | Coupon Book Sales, 1936-1959 | |||||||||
| 5 | 134 | Planning Committee's Long-Range Planning Report, with prefatory material, Dec. 1, 1961 | |||||||||
| 5 | 135 | Committee Lists, 1964 | |||||||||
| 5 | 136 | Music Committee memoranda, 1964-1968 | |||||||||
| 5 | 137 | Music Committee / Popular Music Subcommittee, Minutes and correspondence, 1965-1966 | |||||||||
| 5 | 138 | Contributions to Ravinia Welfare Program, 1965-1968 | |||||||||
| 5 | 139 | Planning Committee minutes, , 1965 1968 | |||||||||
| 5 | 140 | Draft of Ravinia Fundraising Campaign, by Charles Feldstein, Apr. 21, 1969 | |||||||||
| 5 | 141 | Gala dinner for Ravinia at Bonwit Teller, John Hancock Building, Nov. 4, 1969 | |||||||||
| 5 | 142 | Report of the Forward Planning and Development Committee, Morris Kaplan, Chair, May 9, 1973 | |||||||||
| 5 | 143 | Event: Opening of Ravinia Room at the Highland Park Historical Society, [see also Photograph Record Group] Oct. 24, 1976 | |||||||||
| 5 | 144 | Form Letter: "How to become a Ravinia Trustee" [n.d.] | |||||||||
Series 5: Staff and Trustee matters, 1936-1969 |
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| Primarily correspondence but also some memoranda and lists from Ravinia's trustees, general managers, and other upper-level staff. The correspondence is mostly about administrative and personnel issues. | |||||||||||
| Personal correspondence of General Managers and Trustees related to personnel issues are restricted until 2045. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 6 | 145 | Lists of Officers and Community Chairs, photocopied from program pages, 1936-1983 | |||||||||
| 6 | 146 | Philip Hart, Executive Secretary, correspondence, 1961 | |||||||||
| 6 | 147 | F. Strother Cary, Jr., Trustee and Vice Chair, correspondence, 1960-1967 | |||||||||
| 6 | 148 | General Manager / Artistic Director position searches, correspondence, 1963 | |||||||||
| 6 | 149 | Helen T. Graughty, General Manager, correspondence, 1963-1964 | |||||||||
| 6 | 150 | Earle Ludgin, Chairman, Letters to "Members of the Ravinia Family," and responses to Ludgin's letter regarding the Shakespeare Festival, 1962-1964 | |||||||||
| 6 | 151 | Earle Ludgin, Chairman, memoranda to the Executive Committee, 1963 | |||||||||
| 6 | 152 | Earle Ludgin, Chairman, correspondence and memoranda, 1964 | |||||||||
| 6 | 153 | Ravinia Association Organizational Structure, 1965 | |||||||||
| 6 | 154 | Comments Relative to The Future of Ravinia: a speech by incoming Chairman Ronald M. Kimball, 1965 | |||||||||
| 6 | 155 | Marshall W. Turkin, General Manager, correspondence re: Turkin's appointment, 1965-1966 | |||||||||
| 6 | 156 | Marshall W. Turkin, General Manager, correspondence, 1966-1967 | |||||||||
| 6 | 157 | Edward Gordon, General Manager, correspondence, 1968 | |||||||||
| 6 | 158 | Stanley M. Freehling, Chairman, Letter to "Members of the Ravinia Family," Dec. 9, 1969 | |||||||||
Series 6: Park and Facilities Management, 1909-1977 |
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| Reports, maps, sketches, proposals, financial reports, correspondence, a scrapbook, and some publicity material related to the buildings and grounds of Ravinia Park. Includes information about the reopening of Ravinia in 1936, and the burning of the Pavilion building in 1949. Most of the files concern various improvement projects proposed and adopted in the mid-1960's. | |||||||||||
| See also the Oversize record group for maps and blueprints of the park, and the Photograph record group for images. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 6 | 159 | Ravinia maps, 1909-1977 | |||||||||
| 6 | 160 | Ravinia scrapbook (disbound), documenting the opening of the park, , the Pavilion fire, , and the reconstruction, 1936 1949 1950 | |||||||||
| 6 | 161 | Miscellanous facts about the park, , 1946 1950 | |||||||||
| 6 | 162 | Press Release, Scale Model replica of Ravinia Pavilion, 1959 | |||||||||
| 6 | 163 | Proposed large scale Ravinia improvements, by Holabird & Root, architects, 1962-1963 | |||||||||
| 6 | 164 | Various building projects, including the Murray Theatre seat removal and reinstallation, 1963-1964 | |||||||||
| 6 | 165 | Ravinia Park improvements, 1963-1965 | |||||||||
| 6 | 166 | Improvement budget, 1964 | |||||||||
| 6 | 167 | Right of Way, Chicago, North Shore, and Milwaukke Railway: Reports and correspondence, 1965-1966 | |||||||||
| 6 | 168 | "Ravinia: Appraisal of Certain Assets": Report by Marshall & Stevens, Inc., Oct. 9, 1966 | |||||||||
| 6 | 169 | Quotation for miscellaneous work, by David Root, Design Office, Jul. 17, 1968 | |||||||||
| 6 | 170 | Announcements of new stage, with acoustical data, 1969-1970 | |||||||||
| 6 | 171 | Landscape development proposal, by the Franz Lipp-Marvin Wehler Partnership, Mar. 9, 1971 | |||||||||
Series 7: Public Relations, 1920-1993 |
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| Scrapbooks, newsclippings, printed material, and administrative material concerning the promotion of the Ravinia Festival and its concerts. The four bound scrapbooks are arranged by season and include brochures, calendars, programs, newsclippings, photographs, and occasionally correspondence from a guest artist. They are bound in red leather and have gold stamping on the front and spine. On the front of each book is the inscription "Collection of John Laurie." | |||||||||||
| The record group is organized in seven subseries: Scrapbooks, 1936-1971; Clippings, [n.d.] and 1910's-1993; Events, 1962; Features, 1920-1984; Programs and Season Announcements, 1913-1980 (very scattered); Program Production, 1965-1969; and Publications, 1981-1985. | |||||||||||
| Each series is arranged chronologically. | |||||||||||
Sub-Series 1: Scrapbooks, 1936-1971 |
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| Volume | |||||||||||
| 1 | History of the Ravinia Festival, 1936-1955 | ||||||||||
| 2 | History of the Ravinia Festival, 1956-1961 | ||||||||||
| 3 | History of the Ravinia Festival, 1962-1965 | ||||||||||
| 4 | History of the Ravinia Festival, 1966-1971 | ||||||||||
Sub-Series 2: Clippings, [n.d.] and 1910's-1993 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 172 | [n.d.] | |||||||||
| 7 | 173 | 1910's-1920's | |||||||||
| 7 | 174 | 1930's | |||||||||
| 7 | 175 | 1940's | |||||||||
| 7 | 176 | 1950-1958 | |||||||||
| 7 | 177 | 1959 | |||||||||
| 7 | 178 | 1960 | |||||||||
| 7 | 179 | 1961-1969 | |||||||||
| 7 | 180 | 1970's | |||||||||
| 7 | 181 | 1980's | |||||||||
| 7 | 182 | 1993 | |||||||||
| 7 | 183 | Trustees, donors, etc., clippings, 1940-1979 | |||||||||
Sub-Series 3: Events, 1962 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 184 | Jack Benny Night, , planning and press coverage Jul. 29, 1962 | |||||||||
Sub-Series 4: Features, 1920-1984 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 185 | "Ravinia: The Expression of an Ideal", by Louis Eckstein, unnamed newspaper, 1920-1921 | |||||||||
| 7 | 186 | "Ravinia 1921" [miscellaneous printed pamphlet, photocopy], 1921 | |||||||||
| 7 | 187 | "Concerts Al Fresco", by Hazel Moore, unnamed magazine, 1938 | |||||||||
| 7 | 188 | Features about the North Shore railroad line, 1947, 1980, 1984 | |||||||||
| 7 | 189 | "Historical Notes on Ravinia", by Percy B. Eckhart, in the Ravinia Festival Association Magazine, ca. 1960 | |||||||||
| 7 | 190 | "Music is for All Seasons," by Earle Ludgin, (typescript) 1963 | |||||||||
| 7 | 191 | "Highland Park Centennial Week at Ravinia" celebration, 1969 | |||||||||
| 7 | 192 | "Music for a Summer Eve", by David Robinson, in The Cultural Post, Vol. VI No. 2, Jul./Aug. 1980 | |||||||||
| 7 | 193 | "Making Opera Grand. James Levine: America's Top Maestro", by Michael Walsh and Barry Hillenbrand, in Time Magazine, Jan. 17, 1983 | |||||||||
| 7 | 194 | Ravinia Park articles by Michael H. Ebner in Chicago and Chicago History magazines, 1984 | |||||||||
Sub-Series 5: Programs and Season Announcements, 1913-1980 |
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| Very scattered collection of programs, mostly of special concerts, and many from the 1910's and 1920's. Also very scattered collections of brochures, calendars, and flyers announcing all the concerts of the season. | |||||||||||
| For a more complete run of programs, 1911-1967 (bound), see in the Newberry Library's General Collection, call number fV 3896.74. See also the Oversize Record Group for more programs. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 7 | 195 | Season announcements, 1919, 1920, 1957, 1961, 1970-1980 | |||||||||
| 7 | 196 | Programs, ca. 1910's-1920's | |||||||||
| 7 | 197 | Programs, 1968, 1974 | |||||||||
| 7 | 198 | Programs, Theatre, 1969-1972 | |||||||||
Sub-Series 6: Program Production, 1965-1969 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 8 | 199 | Arthur E. Holt, contract for program printing and memoranda, 1964-1968 | |||||||||
| 8 | 200 | Pre-Season Publications, research, 1968 | |||||||||
| 8 | 201 | Production of programs, 1969 | |||||||||
Sub-Series 7: Publications, 1981-1985 |
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| Consists primarily of research, proofs, and drafts of the book "Ravinia: The Festival at its Half Century," printed by the Ravinia Festival Association in conjunction with Rand McNally & Company, 1985. (Also known as the "50th Anniversary Book.") The only other document in the series are the 1981 and 1993 publications outlining James Levine's career at Ravinia. | |||||||||||
| See also the Oversize Record Group for more 50th Anniversary Book material. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 8 | 202 | James Levine at Ravinia: A Brief History ; and James Levine at Ravinia, 1971-1993 | |||||||||
| 8 | 203 | 50th anniversary book, preparatory material, 1983-1985 | |||||||||
| 8 | 204 | 50th anniversary book, proofs, ca. 1984 | |||||||||
| 8 | 205 | 50th anniversary book, production planning correspondence, 1984-1985 | |||||||||
| 8 | 206 | 50th anniversary book, general correspondence, 1984-1985 | |||||||||
| 8 | 207 | 50th anniversary book, miscellaneous information regarding book orders, 1985 | |||||||||
| 8 | 208 | Quotations from guest artists (photocopies), 1982-1984 | |||||||||
Series 8: Ephemera, 1910-1976 |
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| This group consists of printed material, including postcards, blank forms, train schedules, and menus, relating to Ravinia's history and mundane business transactions. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 8 | 209 | Picture postcards and notecards, ca. 1910-1976 | |||||||||
| 8 | 210 | The Ravinia Company, check and voucher blank form, ca. 1930 | |||||||||
| 8 | 211 | Food Service menu, Ravinia Carousel, 1953 | |||||||||
| 8 | 212 | Train schedules, ca. 1957-1967 | |||||||||
| 8 | 213 | Complimentary Reserve Seats blank forms, ca. 1970 | |||||||||
Series 9: Special Projects, 1960-1982 |
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| Consists of two side projects embarked upon by the Ravinia administrators: a series of art exhibits, 1960 to 1982, and the Michaels Awards, 1962-1971. The art exhibits began in 1955 and displayed different varieties of art and sculpture, many times by living artists. For most years the art displayed was modern. In the 1970's Ravinia enlisted the Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt to assist in choosing the art to be displayed and contacting the artists. The Michaels Award was a scholarship awarded to young performers to study for a year at a music school of the finalist's choosing. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 9 | 214 | Art exhibit, 1960 | |||||||||
| 9 | 215 | Art exhibit, 1964 | |||||||||
| 9 | 216 | Art exhibit, 1965 | |||||||||
| 9 | 217 | Art exhibit, 1966 | |||||||||
| 9 | 218 | Art exhibit and correspondence regarding Richard Hunt prints, 1971 | |||||||||
| 9 | 219 | Art exhibit, 1975 | |||||||||
| 9 | 220 | Art exhibit, 1976 | |||||||||
| 9 | 221 | Art exhibit, 1977 | |||||||||
| 9 | 222 | Art exhibit, 1978 | |||||||||
| 9 | 223 | Art exhibit, 1979 | |||||||||
| 9 | 224 | Art exhibit, 1981 | |||||||||
| 9 | 225 | Art exhibit: Proposal to show Elizabeth Franzheim | |||||||||