CSO performs suburban composer’s concerto at Ravinia

Posted July 22, 2025 11:03 am

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs “The Great Lake Concerto” by composer and Schaumburg High School graduate Tim Corpus at Ravinia on Friday, July 25. Courtesy of Ashley Deran

Suburban composer gets Ravinia premiere

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs movement three from “The Great Lake Concerto,” a double percussion concerto by composer and Schaumburg High School graduate Tim Corpus, at the Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Road, Highland Park. A Roosevelt University commission, the concerto serves as a “powerful ode to water conservation and the city of Chicago,” said Corpus, a Skokie resident who composed the concerto for former percussion teachers Ed Harrison and Vadim Karpinos, who are the featured soloists at the Ravinia performance. Marin Alsop conducts. $15-$75. ravinia.org. 8 p.m. Friday, July 25

Standup spotlight

Actor/writer/comedian Damon Wayans Jr. (“New Girl,” “Happy Endings”), son of actor/writer/comedian/producer Damon Wayans (“My Wife and Kids,” “In Living Color”) headlines the Chicago Improv, 5 Woodfield Road, Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, this weekend. $39.77-$59.30, plus a two-item minimum. (847) 240-2001 or improv.com/chicago. 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26; 6 p.m. Sunday, July 27

Multidisciplinary dance ensemble The Seldoms performs “Superbloom,” — which combines dance, live music and animation — at the Chicago Botanic Garden this weekend. Courtesy of William Frederking

Seldoms in bloom

The Seldoms — a dance ensemble noted for its multidisciplinary, multimedia performances — in cooperation with the Chicago Botanic Garden, presents “Superbloom,” a work that combines dance, live music and animation. Founding artistic director and choreographer Carrie Hanson describes the 2023 work as “a multimedia performance about radical beauty, wildness and wildflowers, and the resilience and fragility of the natural world … (that) conveys the fantastic beauty and color of a rare wildflower event and invokes the human experience of awe as a way to reconnect to the natural world.” Performances take place at Nichols Hall at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe. Tickets start at $10 for members, $27 for nonmembers. chicagobotanic.org/superbloom. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26; 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday, July 27

Grant Park Music Fest salutes Rodgers & Hammerstein

Conductor Lawrence Loh conducts the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus as part of “Broadway Night: The Magic of Rodgers and Hammerstein,” a celebration of the duo who created such favorites as “Oklahoma,” “The Sound of Music,” “Carousel,” “South Pacific” and “The King and I,” among others. Performances take place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., Chicago. Free tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. One-night season passes start at $27; four-concert membership packages start at $103. (312) 742-7647 or gpmf.org. 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 25; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26

Joan Jett, right, seen here performing with Dave Grohl at a FireAid benefit last January, headlines the Rockin’ the Hill charity concert Saturday, July 26, in Woodstock. Courtesy of Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Rock 'n' roll in Woodstock

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Stone Temple Pilots headline Rockin' the Hill, a charity concert whose proceeds benefit McHenry County organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, United Way of McHenry County, Marian Catholic High School, Dream Riders, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Home of the Sparrow and others. The concert takes place at Bunker Hill Farms, 19818 Bunker Hill Road, Woodstock. Lawn reserved seating starts at $150; VIP reserved seating starts at $250 per person; ultimate VIP seating, including musician meet and greets, starts at $1,150 per person. bhfarms.com. 4:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 26

Venetian Night, with its boat parade, returns Saturday, July 26, to the Chicago Riverwalk. Courtesy of the Mayor's Office of Special Events

A touch of Venice

Venetian Night returns to the Chicago Riverwalk, 376 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. The celebration of Venice, Italy, includes live music and a boat parade beginning at 8:30 p.m. Free. choosechicago.com. 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 26

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