Sistema Ravinia students participated in a workshop with rising conductor Jonathan Rush and prominent violin- and viola-playing hip-hop duo Black Violin at Ravinia on June 18.
Rush is one of the world’s most exciting young conductors, and the students were instantly inspired and moved by the maestro, especially after seeing him conduct a Juneteenth-inspired concert titled “Let Freedom Ring!” with the Chicago Sinfonietta in Bennett Gordon Hall just hours prior.
Maestro Jonathan Rush conducting Sistema Ravinia students, joined by violist Wil B. of Black Violin
The workshop began with the Sistema musicians showcasing their work. Before joining the students for the workshop and performance, Rush and Black Violin shared some advice.
“Try to find your voice in anything you do; it’s all about finding that thing that you love and doing it, because then all the success you want will come to you because what you do for a living won’t be work,” Rush shared.
Kev Marcus of Black Violin playing alongside Sistema Ravinia
Students saw that being a musician at a professional level is within their reach with hard work, dedication, and individuality.
“As you start getting older, you will see and understand who you are, and as long as you know who you are, you will be okay,” Kev Marcus of Black Violin shared with the students. “And, if you love what you do, don’t let anyone stop you. We’re the proof of that,” Wil B. chimed in.
Wil B. of Black Violin working with Sistema Ravinia students
Maestro Rush led the kids’ orchestra in a rehearsal of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from the Disney movie Encanto and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The orchestra’s energy and sound became well-grounded, intentional, and genuine with the guidance of Rush and Black Violin.
The students tapped into their individuality as musicians alongside the young conductor and Black Violin, and when the final piece was performed, they played with greater confidence and passion.
Students with Jonathan Rush, Kev Marcus, and Wil B. (left to right, in back)
ABOUT SISTEMA RAVINIA
Sistema Ravinia was founded in 2012 and now serves more than 180 4th–8th grade students in Chicago and Lake County public schools. Students in the program receive daily ensemble and orchestral instruction on their instruments. Sistema Ravinia includes three sites, or nucleos: the first was launched at Catalyst Circle Rock School located in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. With the success of the Circle Rock site, Sistema Ravinia expanded to Lake County in October 2015, using Bennett Gordon Hall on Ravinia’s grounds as a program site, and this year established a program in Lawndale, expanding Ravinia’s presence in that Chicago community. Sistema Ravinia is just one of the festival’s Reach Teach Play education programs, which serve 75,000 community members each year. To learn more about Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play programs, visit bit.ly/RaviniaRTP.