Lake Michigan’s allure has long influenced artists across various disciplines. Black Moon Trio embraced this tradition by premiering Lakenotes: Seasons of Lake Michigan at Ravinia. This event, held on August 2, 2026, combined music, verse, and videography.
Visual artist Lincoln Schatz, video editor Dylan Connell, composer Stacy Garrop, and poet Kathryn Haydon contributed to the event. Musicians Jeremy Vigil on piano, Khelsey Zarraga on violin, and Parker Nelson on horn delivered the music. Erik Soderstrom from Ravinia described Lakenotes as an exploration of Lake Michigan’s continuous transformation. “It’s astonishing to see the lake manifest in music, word, and picture, emphasizing our connection to it,” he said.
The program highlighted the unique collaboration among Haydon, Schatz, and Garrop. Through poetry, Haydon portrayed the lake’s diverse moods. Schatz provided sweeping visuals of the lake’s vast sceneries, while Garrop’s contemporary chamber music echoed the seasonal rhythms and textures.
This collaboration resulted in a sensory performance that encapsulated the lake’s contradictions. Parker Nelson of Black Moon Trio explained that the ensemble not only performed but curated the musical program by integrating aspects from all contributors. “The newly renovated Sandra K. Crown Theater at Ravinia offered an ideal space for this immersive experience,” Nelson noted.
At the concert’s core was Garrop’s piece, Tracing Waves Across a Year, commissioned by Ravinia and Black Moon Trio. Additional works included Mainframe Tropics by Mason Bates, Horn Trio by Carson Cooman, and Probuzení Perel (Awakening of Pearls) by Jiří Pazour. Inspired by Haydon’s book, Unsalted Blue Sunrise: Poems of Lake Michigan, Garrop translated the poems into music, with autumn cloud imagery and winter’s frozen silence reflected in the composition.
Attendee Joanna Rolek expressed amazement at the performance’s impact and the integration of water’s rhythm into the music. Nelson described the blend of auditory and visual elements, noting on-stage improvisation from Schatz’s photographs. Haydon emphasized Lake Michigan’s significance for Chicago residents, saying the lake becomes more than a visual reference, and instead, a participant in dialogue.