Award winning Heather Headley enchants Ravinia Festival Gala crowd

With more than 100 unique performances each summer between June and September, Ravinia Festival exerts an irresistible allure for lovers of live music. For its latest Ravinia Festival Gala, that joy was elevated ten-fold by Tony and Grammy Award-winning artist Heather Headley. Accompanied by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Chief Conductor Marin Alsop, her performance was nothing short of breathtaking. 

Headley is best known for originating the role of Nala in the smash hit Broadway musical, Lion King, and the title role of Aida for which she received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her Grammy win came for her 2010 gospel album, Audience of One. She is also an Olivier Award Nominee for her role in The Bodyguard on London’s West End. 

The afternoon's festivities commenced on the North Lawn with a cocktail reception (sponsored by BMO) set amidst Ravinia Festival’s renowned sculpture garden. As guests mingled among masterpieces by Fernando Botero and Richard Hunt, the delightful melodies of the Ravinia Jazz Scholars & Mentors ensemble created a wonderful ambiance.  

Inside the Pavilion, over 600 guests and other music lovers alike gathered to enjoy the concert, sponsored by The Dancing Skies Foundation. On the lawn, adorned with picnic tables and champagne, even more attendees relished the perfect weather and the performance. Adding to the magic were the talented musicians from the Ravinia Lawndale Music School and the Voices of Trinity Mass Choir, who accompanied her performance. Headley's program was full of her favorite Broadway and other hit songs by Elton John, Stephen Schwartz, Harold Arlen, Tim Minchin, Kurt Weill, and others. She surprised the audience with the introduction of tenor Rodrick Dixon, who joined her for a spirited and inspiring finale.

Within a beautifully adorned tent on the Ravinia grounds, the crowd enjoyed a dinner sponsored by Allstate and created by Jewell Events Catering. Décor by Maison Du Prince featured an elegant garden party theme. The "ceiling" twinkled with thousands of enchanting white lights while each table featured unique décor, with some guests dining under quaint iron cupolas placed above elaborate floral displays, while others enjoyed the evening's splendor surrounded by crystal candelabra and flickering candlelight. The "dinner in a garden" theme was completed with an array of mismatched crystal glasses and colorful, floral-patterned tablecloths.

Hosted by the Women’s Board and co-chaired by Andrea Bechtel and Kelly Epstein, this 57th gala concert raised over $800,000 and is the only performance fundraiser benefiting Ravinia and its Reach Teach Play educational programs which engage more than 75,000 students and community members in interactive, free musical opportunities throughout Cook and Lake Counties. (Complete Ravinia Festival summer schedule here)

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