I agree with Cheryl. Last year I attended two concerts. It was a wonderful experience. I too am disappointed that there will be no summer concerts.

What a disappointment! I even got my 80-year old father-in-law a new jacket and hat to “show off’ at the concerts. I cannot imagine breaking this news to him Please reconsider. Raise the ticket price, ask members to volunteer, etc.

I agree with Cheryl and was surprised to hear the series was cancelled as it was so well attended and surely well run. We will miss it, please reconsider that decision! Carol

I agree with the others. This is the first I’m hearing that the summer concerts have been cancelled. I’ve been checking regularly for the past several weeks for the announcement that the tickets were on sale. Please reconsider-the concerts were the main reason we became members. This is a unique and compelling way to get the word out to generate support for the arboretum.

I am so disappointed that the Arboretum will not be having the concert series this summer. I attended three concerts last summer and a couple the summer before. I live a mile away and this is so much closer than traveling an hour to Ravinia. I enjoyed the variety the concerts offered. Please reconsider and offer at least one or two concerts this summer.

I work for Harris Bank and volunteered at a concert last year. The turn out was tremendous and the music was great as well. It sounds like alot of people will be sad to see them go. I’ve been to Ravinia and would much rather be at the Arboretum!

I, too, was saddened to hear of the concert’s demise. I have volunteered for a concert, as well as been a paying member. The music was wonderful, the atmosphere was perfect, and the people were special. The Arboretum sparkled like a crown jewel on those summer nights. The Morton staff that ran the event should be commended for their efforts.
Please reconsider. I would gladly pay more for a ticket if it meant more concerts.

We do appreciate the praise for our summer concerts. However, the Arboretum is taking a break this summer from presenting concerts, as we re-evaluate our options for musical entertainment. Please consider our other offerings this summer: such as Theatre-Hikes, bicycling, hiking, the Nature Unframed art exhibition, and hands-on discovery programs for adults and kids. For upcoming events, please see the calendar on our website or in the Seasons member publication. Again, thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support for the Arboretum.

Lucinda Armas
Marketing Manager
The Morton Arboretum

Oh, you are breaking my heart!! I was just googling to see if the concert list had been released yet as I too gave been waiting to receive it. This is a really big bummer as I thoroughly enjoyed the Arboreteum concert experience and felt they’d be a highlight of my summer this year. What is the reason for the cancellation? Please reconsider.

I hope that you will continue the concerts next summer. If you are finding that it is not cost effective I hope that you will raise ticket prices if that is what is needed. We have been excited about seeing your concert schedule since the first warm day this year. Your concerts are the highlight of my family’s summer. Please, please, please…

Oops. So distraught was I that I typed the wrong name. Marc Cohen was the performer who had us “walking in Memphis” with our “true companion” last summer.

Really? My friend just told me. This has been a tradition for the bast 3 years when the first concert we saw there was cowboy junkies!!! Please Please reconsider this. Raise the prices. This is so nice that it is close by and we don’t have to drive an hour to Ravinia!!
Please bring it back!
Thanks,

I just read the very disappointing news that the Arboretum will not be offering the outstanding summer concert series this summer. We Saw Marc Cohn and The Indigo Girls last summer and were looking forward to gathering a group of friends this summer to attend many more concerts in this unique setting. Please reconsider.

I’ve been waiting for this summer’s concert schedule and am so disappointed to hear they’ve been discontinued. Tickets were a birthday gift for all three of my children and their spouses and we had a wonderful family evening there. We were looking forward to beautiful summer nights under the stars while listening to great music. Please reconsider reinstating the concerts – raising the prices if necessary. Ravinia is a pain to travel from the southwestern suburbs and not worth the hassle.

I don’t care about the “Official Line.” One of the reasons I join each year is to attend the concerts. The last two years offerings have been amazing. Three years ago were even better. For the Arboretum to even have to think about this only reemphasizes the fact that they are out of touch with their community.

I may have to reconsider renewing my membership.

Tom

OH NO! I was looking for the summer concert line up and found this post. To be able to enjoy music in this wonderful atmosphere is beyond description. I’m truly disappointed.

Another dissapointed member!!! I have been checking the website weekly for the concert schedule. My husband and I have attended concerts for the last two years and told all our friends that the Arboretum outclassed Ravinia in atmosphere and accessibility. One of the main reasons we re-activated our membership last year was because we love the concert series. Please re-instate them.

We made our decision to join the Arborteum after attending the Chris Isaak concert a few summers ago. Since then, we’ve attended two-to-three shows each summer. Although we’ve enjoyed visiting the Arboretum other times to enjoy “the other offerings,” our main reason for maintaining our membership has been the concert series. You have now taken that reason away.

It was in the late 1950′s that I visited the Mrrton Arboretum for the first time. A couple of years later at the age of 12, I was   selected to play “To the Colors”  on my bugle for a flag raising  celebrating the opening of one of your  new buildings. More recently I have witnessed many excellent improvements during your capital improvement program. Every time you’ve amazed me with tthe to outcome . It was  also amazing when you began your outdoor summer concert series 5 years ago. Many of the posts compare you to Ravinia Park, a certain compliment!
It is my hope that you will take this break from concerts to master a plan to outdo yourselves once again. The western suburban area is wanting for and deserves a world class arts venue, why not in a world class museum.

I too am extremely disappointed. We will not be renewing our membership this year, as we cannot support this decision. I am fairly certain the concert series was a good source of revenue for the Arboretum, so whoever made this incredibly bad business decision should probably consider going into the mortgage market. All kidding aside though-shame on you Arboretum Management. Your community is speaking pretty clearly, and you don’t seem to be listening.

Hello,
Maybe I missed it, but where does the Arboretum describe why they canceled the outdoor concerts? I don’t get it…it’s way too hard for us in the Western suburbs to get to Ravinia and the Arboretum (and Cantigny) were our only hope for adult outdoor entertainment on a beatiful summer night! Please bring it back!!!
Thanks

Thank you all for your support of the In Tune with Trees Summer Concerts. We do deeply regret your disappointment. Putting on concerts in an outdoor venue is not a simple task. I’m sure you can appreciate all the complexities involved such as weather, artist availability, logistics and advertising. Last year’s concert series simply did not meet our financial goals. As a non-profit, we owe it to our donors and members to be wise stewards of our resources. Please be assured that we are exploring different business models that can provide both an enriching concert experience while maintaining financial viability.

Lucinda Armas
Marketing Manager
The Morton Arboretum

Where else could you see Blood, Sweat & Tears paired up with 3 Dog Night and a few weeks later see the Von Trapp Singers (as in the Sound of Music)? They were a wonderful way to have a picnic on the grounds while enjoying some FAMILY entertainment. Also, the prices were reasonable – then they tripled in price the following year. We became members just to take advantage of these concerts, relatively close to home. Who wants to go all the way to Ravinia? Sounds like someone in Corporate got greedy – very sad. You’ve lost my family’s support.

Like all of the above, my family and friends are dissappointed about this news. Like many this was one of the reasons I became a member to begin with. I don’t see how the series could “simply not meet our financial goals.” The concerts I have gone to over the years were all well attended, the staff is mostly volunteer, and the prices have risen steadly. Does that mean the series didn’t make enough profit? Don’t let Morton become another business model.

I’m really disappointed there won’t be any summer concerts! I have attended at least one concert each summer for the past several years, and have thoroughly enjoyed them. In fact, I consider them a benefit of my Arboretum membership. I hope you will reconsider this decision for next year.

I am just learning that the concert series has been cancelled this year. I agree that this is very disappointing news. My wife and I really enjoyed the beautiful venue, the proximity (unlike Ravinia) to the far Western suburbs and the great lineup of artists. Please reconsider!

Add me to the list of disappointed members. It seemed that we had something progressive going on here in the western suburbs that was creating buzz and interest with each passing year. You really should have reached out to your members for opinions, suggestions and perhaps help before you silently canceled such a wonderful program.

What a disappointment! We so enjoyed the concert(s) we have attented in the past, they were wonderful! Why did this end??

Plant a tree and bring back the “MUSIC”.
Let’s build new memories and keep the old close to our hearts.

I also believe that the summer concert series was a fabulous event. Please bring it back.

I’ve read the 60 comments above. Thanks to the Arboretum staff for letting us know what was behind the decision not to have the concerts this year. As you can tell they were sorely missed. I, like many others, joined to attend the concerts. By joining I did learn about the many things the Arboretum has to offer in addition to the concerts. We attended two concerts each summer they were held. There is just something so special about listening to music in such a beautiful setting. We attended Arboretum concerts before ever going to Ravinia. When we got to Ravinia we expected a similar experience to the Arboretum. Not!! We could not see the performers, traffic and parking were horrible and the setting was not as lovely. We decided never to go to Ravinia again since we had the awesome Arboretum concerts in our backyard. Please consider bringing them back next summer!

We too were disappointed that the summer concerts were gone. We have attended most of them. I think, however, if you mix it up, i.e. one for the older folks (Dr. John, for example), one for the baby boomers and one for the younger adults it would work better.
We go to Cantigny also on Sundays and they seem to get pretty good bands. Maybe something like that would be a break-even.
thank you anyway for giving us a beautiful area to walk thru and bring children. There is nothing else like the Arboretum!