Ravinia Festival: Tchaikovsky Spectacular - 1812 Overture with Canons
Chicago Symphony Orchestra + Laura Jackson, conductor / Zlatomir Fung, cello
August 3, 2025
Join Harvard Club of Chicago Sunday August 3, 2025 for the Tchaikovsky Spectacular and a Visit with Ravinia President & CEO Jeffrey Haydon
Ravinia Festival: Tchaikovsky Spectacular - 1812 Overture with Canons
Renowned conductor and 2004 Taki Alsop Fellow Laura Jackson, Music Director of the Reno Philharmonic, returns to lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Ravinia’s 46th annual Tchaikovsky Spectacular.
A masterpiece of sweeping melodies and emotional intensity, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony takes listeners on a powerful journey through the composer’s struggle with fate and the search for free will. Its dramatic contrasts and stirring themes explore the inner turmoil and eventual triumph of the human soul, making it a deeply moving and personal work.
The program continues with a performance by the extraordinary young cellist Zlatomir Fung, who takes center stage to perform Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations. This work, known for its refined elegance and charm, is brought to life through Fung’s impeccable technique and emotional nuance.
Concluding the evening is the electrifying 1812 Overture, one of Tchaikovsky’s most iconic and dramatic compositions. With its exhilarating rhythms, soaring orchestral melodies, and thunderous cannon blasts, the 1812 Overture leaves audiences in a state of awe and celebration.
PERFORMERS:
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Laura Jackson, conductor
Zlatomir Fung, cello
PROGRAM:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, op. 36
–Intermission–
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme in A major, op. 33
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1812 Festival Overture, Op. 49
Visit with Ravinia President & CEO Jeffrey Haydon
Jeffrey P Haydon - Ravinia President & CEO
Drawing on 30 years of arts management experience and a lifelong love of music as both an avid audience member and musician, Jeffrey P. Haydon serves as President and CEO of Ravinia Festival, a post he has held since September 2020. He positioned Ravinia as one of the first venues in the country to reopen in 2021 out of the pandemic. Since then, Haydon has led Ravinia to secure over $75 million in support of the endowment and capital projects; recruit Kurt Elling as Jazz Advisor to on- and offstage programming; deepen the impact of Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play® music programs in underserved communities; expand engagement with Steans Institute alumni on- and offstage; launch the Breaking Barriers Festival, highlighting women leaders in classical music and connected fields, with Ravinia Chief Conductor Marin Alsop; and invest in both audience- and guest artist-experience enhancements invest in both audience- and guest artist-experience enhancements through the renovation of all of Ravinia’s stages, including the iconic Pavilion.
Prior to joining Ravinia, Haydon served as CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts for eight years, leading a renaissance at the Center by raising over $40 million to quadruple the endowment and invest over $15 million into the historic 90-acre estate. He also launched several new programmatic initiatives and led Caramoor to expand its yearly programming by over 80 percent, and he initiated numerous community collaborations, all while improving Caramoor’s financial performance by over 20 percent.
Haydon also previously served as Executive Director of the Ojai Music Festival, where he led the festival through a number of major transformations to further position it as one of the preeminent musical destinations for artists and audiences alike, including rebuilding Ojai’s historic Libbey Bowl. Earlier in his career, Haydon held positions with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Aspen Music Festival, and the University of Puget Sound’s Cultural Events Series. As part of the League of American Orchestras’ Orchestra Management Fellowship Program, Haydon worked with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Seattle Symphony.
Haydon earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration through the Business Leadership honors program and a minor in music from the University of Puget Sound. He also completed the Stanford Business School’s competitive Executive Non-Profit Leaders in the Arts program in association with National Arts Strategies. Outside of Ravinia, Haydon enjoys singing in a semi-professional choir and spending time with his family.
EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Sunday August 3, 2025
Time:
3:00 Public gates open
4:15 - 4:45 Tentative talk time with Jeff Haydon
5:00 Concert
Event Type: In-person
Location: Ravinia Festival 201 Ravinia Park Rd, Highland Park, IL 60035
Getting to Ravinia
Prep Plan & Pack
Other Info About Visiting Ravinia
Two Part Registration:
RSVP at HCC so lawn space can be saved
Tickets Available at the Ravinia Website:
Prices from $15 (lawn) - 95 (top Pavilion price)
Click here or the red button below to RSVP at HCC