The Auditorium (Chicago’s Landmark Stage® at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive) announces an evening of conversation with philanthropist, businesswoman, and advocate Melinda French Gates in honor of her new book The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward, available April 15 from Flatiron Books, Wednesday, April 23 at 7:30 PM. Tickets, which include a hardcover copy of the book, start at $44.50 and will be available starting March 7 at auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling The Auditorium’s Ticket Service Center at 312.341.2300.
In The Next Day, Melinda offers a rare window into some of her life’s pivotal moments, drawing from previously untold stories to offer a new perspective on encountering transitions. Melinda reflects, for the first time in print, on some of the most significant transitions in her own life, including becoming a parent, the death of a dear friend, her life after divorce, and her departure from the Gates Foundation. The stories she tells illuminate universal lessons about loosening the bonds of perfectionism, helping friends navigate times of crisis, embracing uncertainty, and more.
Each one of us, no matter who we are or where we are in life, is headed toward transitions of our own. With her signature warmth and grace, Melinda candidly shares stories of times when she was in need of wisdom and shines a path through the open space stretching out before us all. Learn more at melindafrenchgates.com.
This event is presented in partnership with The Auditorium, University Club of Chicago, the Executives’ Club of Chicago, WTTW, and The Book Stall.
Melinda will be donating her proceeds from The Next Day to charitable causes.
About Melinda French Gates
Melinda French Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls. For over 25 years, Melinda has led efforts to unlock a healthier, more prosperous, more equal future. Today, she heads Pivotal, an organization she formed in 2015 that works to accelerate the pace of progress and advance women’s power and influence in the U.S. and around the world. Previously, she founded and co-chaired the Gates Foundation, where, for more than two decades, she set the direction and priorities of the world’s largest philanthropy. Melinda is also the author of the bestselling book The Moment of Lift and the creator of Moment of Lift Books, an imprint publishing original nonfiction by visionaries working to unlock a more equal world.
Melinda grew up in Dallas, Texas and attended Duke University, where she received a bachelor's degree in computer science and economics and an MBA. She spent the first decade of her career developing multimedia products at Microsoft before leaving the company to focus on her family and philanthropic work. Melinda has three children—Jenn, Rory, and Phoebe—and lives in Seattle, Washington.
About The Auditorium
The Auditorium, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, is an Illinois not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1889.
The Auditorium’s 2024-25 performance season features a dynamic mix of cultural events from ballet to rock and roll and everything in between. For more information on The Auditorium and a complete listing of events at The Auditorium please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.