Special performance by the Lincoln Trio April 24 at David Davis Mansion

BLOOMINGTON - Three world-class musicians will fill the home of one of Abraham Lincoln's closest friends with beautiful sounds during a special concert Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. at the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site in Bloomington.

The David Davis Mansion Foundation will host Ravinia's Lincoln Trio in the Davis Mansion parlor for a single performance that evening. Only 70 seats are available, and tickets are $35 and include a post performance reception with the Lincoln Trio members. Student tickets are available at $10 and are for the performance only. All proceeds will be used to keep the David Davis Mansion open for public tours. Tickets may be reserved by calling (309) 828-1084. The Breitweiser Family Foundation is the local sponsor for the April 24 Lincoln Trio performance in Bloomington.

The Lincoln Trio is part of the Ravinia Festival's celebration of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial that has been three years in the making. Ravinia, based in Highland Park, Illinois, has filled its 2009 season with world-premiere commissions, works inspired by Lincoln's words, pieces composed by his musical contemporaries and a tour through Illinois, all under the banner "Mystic Chords of Memory," a phrase from Lincoln's First Inaugural Address.

For the first time in its illustrious history as America's oldest music festival, Ravinia is touring the state that Lincoln called home. The tour by the Lincoln Trio includes newly composed works that were commissioned through Ravinia's first composition competition. These works all feature spoken word texts. Works by Brahms and Mendelssohn, contemporaries of Lincoln, will also be featured during the Lincoln Trio performance, celebrating the trio form which became popular in Lincoln's lifetime.

The David Davis Mansion State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, was built in the 1870s by David Davis and his wife Sarah. Davis was a close Lincoln friend and Presidential campaign manager, and Lincoln appointed him to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Mansion is open Wednesday through Sunday for public tours.