Ravinia Names James Levine Conductor Laureate

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — James Levine has been named the first Conductor Laureate of Ravinia. He will return to the festival where he served as music director for more than two decades, departing in 1993.

The five year appointment recognizes Levine as "one of the most significant conductors in history," Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman announced Wednesday, saying it was "prime proof of Ravinia’s devotion to the music, the listeners, and to the man himself.”

“Ravinia’s love of Levine has shone brightly for decades, and we’re thrilled that this exciting new Levine Residency demonstrates that the feeling is mutual,” Kauffman said, announcing the appointment.

In his new role, Levine will conduct multiple performances during two weeks of the CSO's six-week summer residency starting next year. Levine will also work with participants in the Steans Music Institute, Ravinia's professional summer conservatory, the festival said. Levine and executive director Edward Gordon created the institute 1988.

“The image my mind generates when I hear the word conductor is of James Levine. That’s because I, like so many in the Ravinia Family, literally grew up watching with wonder as he made magic happen right before our eyes and ears,” said Ravinia board chairman Jennifer Steans. “ I am excited that a new generation of listeners will experience this magic."

Levine said he was looking forward to sharing his livelong love for Ravinia with audiences over the coming summers.

“Ravinia commands the ideal resources, a superb orchestra and chorus in a welcoming environment, for live audiences to experience music’s rich and varied masterworks,” Levine said.

“This is a homecoming that few musicians are privileged to experience,” Levine said. “It’s an exciting amalgamation of history and my future, and how proud I am to feel at home in front of one of the world’s finest ensembles in one of the world’s most charming and inviting venues.”

Ravinia is the nation's oldest music festival. The orchestra became a regular attraction at Ravinia in 1905, and the festival has hosted its official summer residency since 1936. In 1971, Levine made his Ravinia debut as a last-minute replacement. He so inspired the musicians, audiences, and management that he was named the festival’s second music director just months later.

Maestro Levine conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Haydn’s The Creation at Ravinia on Aug. 8.

» via the Ravinia Festival

Top photo: James Levine (Courtesy Ravinia Festival)