Krannert Center for the Performing Arts celebrates latest season with opening night party
The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has announced its 2024-2025 performance season featuring international, national, and local acts.
What’s Your Story? Urbana Free Library seeks visual artists for new program starting this fall
URBANA – The Urbana Free Library is looking for local artists to share their work and knowledge for the Artist-in-Residence Program. Three artists will have each have one month to share their work and guide the public through creating visual artwork, which can be anything from painting to collages to yarn work. Morning Edition host…
Local athlete heads to Paris for his fourth Paralympic games
CHAMPAIGN – Athletes around the world are preparing for the Paris 2024 Paralympics that kick off at the end of August. Brian Siemann, a local resident, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate, and four-time Paralympian, will compete in the 100m, 400m, 800m, 5,000m, and marathon events for the US Paralympic Track and Field Team. Morning Edition…
Baseball tournament for the visually impaired comes to Savoy
SAVOY – This weekend, three Midwestern teams are coming to Savoy for the Beep Baseball Tournament. This event provides an adaptive version of the sport for visually impaired players and coaches. The Indy Thunder, Chicago Comets, and Gateway Archers will compete at Prairie Fields Park in Savoy on Saturday, July 6th, starting at 9:30am. Morning…
Five Cities Baroque Festival is back for second season in central Illinois
DECATUR- Singers and musicians from across central Illinois are collaborating to celebrate Baroque music this June at the Five Cities Baroque Festival. Performances will be held throughout Champaign and Decatur starting this Sunday, June 16th through Saturday, June 22nd. Morning Edition host Kimberly Schofield spoke with the festival’s founding director, Nate Widelitz, about bringing 17th…
Feel The Beat: New entertainment district opens in downtown Champaign
CHAMPAIGN – A new entertainment district is coming to downtown Champaign. The Beat, located on Market St, will be a space for adults to listen to music, support local businesses, and establish a sense of community. Morning Edition host Kimberly Schofield spoke with Tracy Parsons, the Community Relations Manager for the City of Champaign, about…
Professor blends nature and music with the sounds of cicadas in Illinois
David Rothenberg has a keen interest in how humans and nature can connect in ways some may have never thought of before, specifically through music. A professor of philosophy and music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rothenberg has written books about the musicality behind humpback whales, birds, and even bugs, playing instruments with…
Movie filmed in Champaign premiering at Eberfest
CHAMPAIGN – Christine Swanson, has been writing, directing, and producing films for over 25 years, but her latest film was shot primarily in Champaign, IL. Albany Road premieres at Ebertfest this Saturday, April 20th, at 4pm at the Virginia Theatre. Swanson spoke with Morning Edition host Kimberly Schofield about the film, what it’s like to…
Ebertfest Festival Director highlights its 25 year history
CHAMPAIGN – Opening night of Eberfest is Wednesday, April 17th at the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign. Now in its 25th year, the annual film festival showcases films, filmmakers, and special guests, including famed actors and musicians. Nate Kohn has been the festival director since its founding in 1999 and spoke with Morning Edition host…
UIUC’s Black Chorus pays tribute in annual Mom’s Day concert
URBANA – The University of Illinois Black Chorus presents their annual Mom’s Day concert this Saturday, April 13th, at 7:30pm at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Morning Edition host Kimberly Schofield spoke with conductor and professor, Dr. Ollie Watts Davis, about those being honored at the concert and the impact Black Chorus has…
Long-delayed ‘Falsettos’ production explores family, Jewish identity, LGBTQ+ history
Two of Illinois Public Media’s very own will take the stage for the opening week of Falsettos at the Station Theatre in Urbana. IPM News Director, Reginald Hardwick spoke with IPM’s hosts and reporters Owen Henderson and Kimberly Schofield about their roles and the significance of this musical. Reginald Hardwick: This is Morning Edition from Illinois…
Nadirah Shakoor talks life, music, and her upcoming performance at the Krannert Center
Nadirah Shakoor is best known as the former lead female vocalist of the hip hop group Arrested Development. She’s had a long career, working with big names like Madonna and Quincy Jones, she also spent nearly three decades as the featured female vocalist of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band. Shakoor is coming to the Krannert…
Dr. Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum to showcase a journey into slave dungeons and African ancestry in “Walking with My Ancestors”
Dr. Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum, a professor at Illinois State University, an award-winning playwright, and a Queen Mother in Ghana, spent months in African slave dungeons to get a better understanding of her ancestors’ experiences. Her time there helped inspire her performance piece Walking with My Ancestors: Cape Coast Castle coming to the Spurlock Museum in…
Victoria Vincent gets serious about her comedy
Victoria Vincent is a rising star in the Chicago comedy scene and is performing at the Illini Union this Friday, February 9th at 7pm. Vincent, who started her career as a healthcare worker and still holds her medical license, was named one of the Just for Laughs New Faces in 2022 and is a regular…
Branford Marsalis scales jazz back to the basics
The Branford Marsalis Quartet is coming to Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m.