2024 Ravinia Festival Opening Night - Celebration of Americana

¦ If it's July, it must be Ravinia season.

The festival in Highland Park, north of Chicago, brings the Chicago Symphony Orchestra back for its annual residency starting on July 11th.

On this week's CSO program, we'll take you back to the 2024 season opener led by Ravinia's chief conductor, Marin Alsop.

The All-American program opens with Copland's Appalachian Spring.

¶¶ Later on the show, pianist Michelle Kan is the soloist in Rhapsody in Blue.

Kan brings her distinctive approach to Gershwin's rousing fusion of classical music and jazz.

Also ahead, Barber's Knoxville, Summer of 1915, will feature the South African soprano Masabani Cecilia Rangwanasha.

Plus, we'll hear a pair of selections by Stride piano innovator James P. Johnson.

All of that and music of Charles Ives and Morton Gould is ahead on this week's CSO program.

I'm Lisa Simeone.

Welcome to this Chicago Symphony Orchestra broadcast on the radio and online.

You'll find more music, interviews, program notes online at cso.org slash radio.

This 88th opening night concert at the Ravinia Festival was originally broadcast live on WFMT in Chicago.

It's an all-American affair, as chief conductor Maren Alsop explains in her opening remarks.