{"id":57969,"date":"2026-07-24T15:55:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meritmusic.org\/?p=57969"},"modified":"2026-07-24T16:29:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T21:29:02","slug":"kaylee-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meritmusic.org\/pl\/kaylee-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Od Lizzo do Lollapaloozy: Niezapomniane lato Kaylee"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Lizzo\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\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
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From playing a duet with Lizzo<\/strong><\/a> to performing at the new Barack Obama Presidential Center<\/strong><\/a> to taking the stage at Lollapalooza<\/strong><\/a>, this summer will be one to remember for 17-year-old Kaylee Johnson. While many students spend the months between high school and college preparing for what comes next, this 2026 Alice S. Pfaelzer Conservatory<\/em><\/strong><\/a> graduate and Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative<\/strong><\/a> (CMPI) fellow was busy preparing for a series of extraordinary and unforgettable performance opportunities.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Sharing the Stage with Lizzo at Ravinia<\/h2>\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
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On July 11, Kaylee had the opportunity to perform the “Flower Duet” from L\u00e9o Delibes’ opera Lakm\u00e9 <\/em>with Lizzo and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra<\/strong><\/a> at the newly renovated Hunter Pavilion for the Ravinia Festival<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s opening concert.<\/p>

Performing at this concert represents a full-circle moment for Kaylee, who started playing flute in 4th<\/sup> grade through Ravinia\u2019s Reach Teach Play program. Her continued connection with Ravinia brought about this incredible opportunity.<\/p>

The day before the concert, Kaylee had the incredible opportunity to sit down with the conductor, the legendary Marin Alsop<\/a><\/strong>, to talk about the piece and review the music together.<\/p>

Throughout the day of the concert, Kaylee got an insider look at the way a major professional production is put together. \u201cI got to see the behind-the-scenes of Lizzo’s team helping her,\u201d she says. \u201cI got to sit like backstage listening to the soundchecks; it was just really nice to hear the CSO play on the new stage.\u201d This experience gave her invaluable insight into how professionals prepare, collaborate, and perform at the highest level.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n