Latest Arts & Culture News From The Illinois Newsroom Team
CETACEAN: Whales and the world we live in
URBANA -Deke Weaver’s The Unreliable Bestiary is a performance series about animals, their environments, and how humans interact with them. His life-long project has a performance for each letter of the alphabet and so far includes Monkey, Elephant, Wolf,

‘Ride the Cyclone’ raises questions about worthwhile lives
The Station Theatre in Urbana is preparing for the opening of its next musical: “Ride the Cyclone.” In the show by Jacob Richmond and Brooke

Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, dies at 96
Tony Bennett often said his lifelong ambition was to create “a hit catalog rather than hit records,” which he accomplished through more than 70 albums.

Sinfonia da Camera hosts piano institute, announces season 40
The University of Illinois Summer Piano Institute returns during the week of July 24.

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts announces new season
URBANA – Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has announced the artists for its 2023-2024 season. We’ve listed the events and artists below and a


Urbana’s Canaan Baptist Church is designated a local historic landmark.
Canaan Baptist Church in downtown Urbana is now a local Historic Landmark. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission recently granted the designation at the church’s request.

Congolese music icon Ferré Gola performs in CU
Because this is Gola’s first performance in the United States as a solo artist, people are traveling to Champaign-Urbana from across the country to see the performances this weekend.

Pride performance kicks off Allerton Park Concert Series
Dozens gather for pride event at Allerton Park and Retreat Center.

LGBTQ+ pride on display at Central Illinois parades, concerts, movies and more this June
Central Illinois pride month events begin with events in Danville and Monticello on Saturday, June 3.

Tina Turner, ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ whose triumphant career made her world-famous, dies at 83
Turner’s manager says she died Wednesday after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich.

Six pieces of modern ledger art by Josh Atcheynum now on display at Spurlock Museum
Six figures dance across a set of old documents at the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois. This is called ledger art, and it’s part of a new exhibit about modern Native American culture called “Welcome to the Pow-wow.”

Student organization aims to diversify music for local campus community
URBANA – Andrea Maldonado is a senior studying music education at the University of Illinois. She plays the violin and was performing Latin American music