Ravinia Festival's Hunter Pavilion Reopens After $70M Renovation
After a $70 million renovation, the Hunter Pavilion at the Ravinia Festival, located near Chicago, has reopened. The summer season for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, based in Highland Park, Illinois, commenced with chief conductor Marin Alsop, alongside pianist Yunchan Lim and flutist Lizzo. Originally opened in 1904, the former pavilion was constructed in 1950. The renovation has decreased seating capacity from 3,350 to 2,840, allowing for more spacious, ADA-compliant seating, and introduced LED lighting and nine new ventilation fans. Acoustical enhancements were overseen by Threshold Acoustics, with input from Brant Taylor and Jennifer Gunn. Lohan Architecture's design incorporates a geometric Arts and Crafts motif. For the 2025 season, 335,500 tickets were sold, with 94 programs planned.
Key facts
- Hunter Pavilion reopened after $70 million renovation
- Capacity reduced from 3,350 to 2,840 for wider ADA-compliant seats
- Season started with Marin Alsop conducting, featuring Yunchan Lim and Lizzo
- Ravinia opened in 1904; previous pavilion built in 1950 burned down in 1949
- Design inspired by Arts and Crafts pattern from Martin Theatre windows
- Threshold Acoustics consulted on acoustics with Brant Taylor and Jennifer Gunn
- 335,500 tickets sold for 2025 season with 94 programs
- Underground expansion added locker room, storage, practice rooms, offices, library
Entities
Artists
- Marin Alsop
- Yunchan Lim
- Lizzo
- Brant Taylor
- Jennifer Gunn
Institutions
- Ravinia Festival
- Hunter Pavilion
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Threshold Acoustics
- Lohan Architecture
- Martin Theatre
- Aspen Music Festival
- Ojai Music Festival
- Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
Locations
- Highland Park
- Illinois
- Chicago