Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
266
Tips
A Do-It-Yourself Messiah
Fancy yourself an ecclesiastical crooner? Should you be in town over the Christ-
mas holidays, don't skip the
Do-It-Yourself
Messiah,
an extraordinarily popular
and rousing rendition of the Handel classic. Staged at the opulent Civic Opera
House, the program enlists audience members as part of a 3,500-voice chorus,
who are accompanied by a volunteer orchestra and four professional soloists.
Even if you and your kids don't join in the singing, just sitting in the audience
and absorbing the roof-raising aural power that fills the theater guarantees
goose bumps. This is a hot, hot, hot ticket, and they ar e available starting in mid-
November (tickets are free, but limited to four per household) by calling the Civic
Opera House box office at
&
312/332-2244.
1931, when Mayor A. J. Cermak suggested free concerts to lift Chicagoans' spirits. Con-
certs ar e held Wednesday thr ough S unday, with most per formances beginning at
7:30pm. Bring a blanket if you plan to sit on the lawn; seats in the band shell ae reserved
for subscribers, but unclaimed seats are offered to the public about 15 minutes before the
concert begins. It's a great way for families to enjoy music together. If you sit in the back,
your kids will find plenty of company—it looks like a v eritable playground of kids back
there. S elections might include B roadway fav orites, B ernstein, M ozart, B rahms, Cole
Porter, and Gershwin.
Pritzker Music Pavilion, at the cover of Michigan Ave. and Randolph St.
&
312/742-4763.
www.grantparkmusicfestival.com. Subway/El: Red Line t o Washington/State
or Brown, Orange or Green Lines to Randolph/Wabash.
The Nutcracker
Ages 8 & up.
When the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago moved here sev-
eral years ago, it br ought along a ne w holiday tradition: its annual pr oduction of
The
Nutcracker.
The ballet is per formed at the beautiful A uditorium Theatre for 3 w eeks in
December. It's simply the best v ersion in to wn, with a liv e orchestra helping to bring
Tchaikovsky's holiday tale to life.
Office: 70 E. Lake St.
&
312/739-0120.
w ww.joffrey.com.
Tickets $25-$100.
Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. Bus: 145, 147, or 151. Sub way/El:
Brown, Green, Orange, or Purple Line to Library/Van Buren, or Red Line to Jackson.
Ravinia Festival
Finds
All ages.
Ravinia, summer home of the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra in suburban Highland Park, is a Chicago summer tradition.The festival strives
to be family-friendly by maintaining low ticket prices and inviting patrons to pack their
own picnics and sit on the lawn. There's even a series of
Kraft Kids Concerts
that reach
out to the next generation of music lovers on various Saturdays and Sundays. In the past
the series has featured the Ravinia Festival Jazz Mentors with the Muntu Dance Theatre
of Chicago, Ravinia F estival O rchestra, Chicago H uman Rhythm P roject, the A pollo
Chorus, Riv er North D ance Chicago, the J offrey B allet, and mor e. Held about eight
times each summer , the kids ' concerts usually begin at 11am on S aturday, or 2pm on
Sunday, and have a discounted price of about $15 for reserved seats (in the Pavilion) and
$5 for lawn tickets. M y advice? B ring a picnic lunch and stake out a spot on the lawn
(with the added bonus that y our kids can run and burn off excess energy).
If your kids ar e a bit older , they'll enjoy joining Chicago nativ es by chilling on the
lawn while catching a pop act, dance performance, operatic aria, or blues concert. Tickets
are available for the lawn and the co vered pavilion, where you get a r eserved seat and a
view of the stage. The lawn is the real joy of Ravinia: sitting under the stars and a canopy
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