July 2, Pavilion - 7:00 PM

Ravinia Festival Orchestra
Marvin Hamlisch, Conductor
Joker's Wild, Barbershop Quartet
Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, Multi-Instrumentalists
Rachel Robinson, Soprano
Buddy Wachter, Banjo
Mark McVey, Tenor
Harriet Katherine Sogin, Essayist
Michael Keller, Drums
North Shore Choral Society
Highland Park High School Marching Band

"What passion cannot Music raise and quell?" the poet John Dryden asked rhetorically back in the 17th century, knowing full well the power of music to raise patriotic fervor.  From the drums and bugles of advancing armies to goosebump-inducing national anthems, from quiet hymns to infectious ethnic dances and catchy folk tunes, music, perhaps more than any art, has always had the power to delineate national characteristics and evoke a feeling of connectedness to our cultural roots.  In this respect, our American musical heritage is second to none, and perhaps there is no better man to demonstrate this than America's "one singular sensation," Marvin Hamlisch.