{"id":1382,"date":"2026-09-04T15:50:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T15:50:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/?p=1382"},"modified":"2026-09-04T15:52:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T15:52:53","slug":"ravinia-festivals-hunter-pavilion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/ravinia-festivals-hunter-pavilion\/","title":{"rendered":"Ravinia Festival\u2019s Hunter Pavilion"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Project Details<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Project:<\/strong> Renovation<\/p>

Location:<\/strong> Highland Park, IL<\/p>

Architect:<\/strong> Lohan Architecture<\/p>

Theatre Consultant:<\/strong> Schuler Shook<\/p>

Acoustician:<\/strong> Threshold Acoustics<\/p>

Completion:<\/strong> July 2026<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Description<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cThe Ravinia team is thrilled with the beauty of this acoustic shell,\u201d stated Jeffrey P. Haydon, Ravinia Festival\u2019s President & CEO. \u201cWe\u2019ve received so many compliments from guests and musicians, and to see it evolve from the early renderings into the real thing has been incredible.\u201d<\/p>

Wenger contributed to the renovation of Ravinia\u2019s Hunter Pavilion in Highland Park, IL, by designing, manufacturing and installing the largest and heaviest acoustical shell in the company\u2019s history. The custom outdoor shell supports Ravinia\u2019s dual role as the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a major venue for touring shows and rock\/pop concerts.<\/p>

Massive Moving Walls. <\/strong>The shell is massive by any measure. Each of the two motorized, pivoting walls weighs 7.5 tons, roughly equal to three Ford F-150 pickup trucks, and is 29 feet tall by 32 feet wide. Two narrower, non-motorized pivoting walls each weigh 1.75 tons and span 8 feet. Additional fixed walls bring the total acoustic surface to 5,500 sq. ft., greater than eight standard highway billboards.<\/p>

The giant pivoting walls open and close like a book. The larger pair moves by motorized trolley, while the narrower pair is moved manually. For orchestral performances, the walls pivot inward to shape the stage environment. For amplified events, they pivot outward and are masked by black curtains.<\/p>

Architecture, Acoustics and Outdoor Durability. <\/strong>The shell\u2019s distinctive appearance was designed by Michael C. Barnes, AIA, LEED AP, Principal Architect with Lohan Architecture, who was inspired by the art glass windows of Ravinia\u2019s historic Martin Theatre. LED illumination and metallic accents emphasize the varied geometry of the chevron-patterned walls, which demanded highly complex fabrication.<\/p>

Because the Pavilion is an open-air venue, the shell also must withstand extreme weather variations. The walls were built from steel tubing, urethane foam, exterior-grade plywood and a vinyl architectural finish.<\/p>

Threshold Acoustics engineered the shell\u2019s acoustic performance to improve musical presence for performers and facilitate onstage communication. The shell combines significant mass with reflective lower sections, diffusive upper surfaces and ceiling panels that balance sound and control loudness.<\/p>

\u201cWenger really has the capability of a specialty shop,\u201d said Todd Hensley, Director at Schuler Shook Theatre Planners. \u201cThey balanced the need for a durable, deployable shell with the acoustician\u2019s need for mass and the architect\u2019s vision for beauty.\u201d<\/p>

Lighting, Rigging and Controls. <\/strong>The shell\u2019s winged ceiling panels fold and store compactly to maximize limited rigging space. Wenger Lieto\u2122 lights in the panels\u2019 fixed center sections are stage-facing and usable for all programming.<\/p>

Rigging solutions include PowerLift\u00ae<\/sup> and Titan\u00ae<\/sup> hoists in a new configuration that redirects lift lines overhead to improve catwalk operations. Wenger\u2019s Vantis\u00ae<\/sup> controller manages the ceiling panels and other motorized rigging.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eagan High School is the home to the first Wenger Transcend Stage Virtual Shell, installed in the fall of 2025. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-1382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performing-arts","tag-music-education"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1382"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1387,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382\/revisions\/1387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wengercorp.com\/projectprofiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}