Tag: Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

Gettin’ to It: The Jazz Life of Christian McBride

URBANA  – Jazz legend Christian McBride visited the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana campus in Spring 2022. He spent the majority of the week working with students in the School of Music through masterclasses, culminating in a performance of his work, “The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons,” at Krannert Center for the Performing

Graphic for Saturday night's concert

Sinfonia da Camera to perform Beethoven and Dvorak Saturday night

URBANA — Sinfonia da Camera, the chamber orchestra in-residence at the University of Illinois, holds its first concert of the year Saturday night at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana. The program will feature two popular 19th century works, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, known as the “pastoral” symphony, and the

Jupiter String Quartet concert will feature works by Ives, Alberga and Mendelssohn

URBANA — The Jupiter String Quartet have been artists-in-residence at the University of Illinois for the last ten years.  The quartet’s first performance this season is Saturday night at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana.  Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with Jupiter violinist Nelson Lee about Saturday night’s concert, which is in the

Illinois Theatre premieres a modern take on ‘Peter Pan’

URBANA — The University of Illinois’s Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is showing “The Neverland” through Saturday. It’s an adaptation of the original “Peter Pan” play that’s more inclusive to minority groups. ​​Although there are some changes from the original version of “Peter Pan,” “The Neverland” includes some of the original characters, such as

Lyric Theatre Brings ‘Marriage of Figaro’ to the Krannert Center stage

URBANA — Lyric Theatre @ Illinois brings Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” to the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana for three shows, starting Tuesday at 7:30pm. Lyric Theatre co-director Nathan Gunn is the stage director for this production, with Andrew Megill as conductor. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with three actors performing

Illinois Theatre adapts ‘The Whistleblower’ to fit COVID protocols and modern life

URBANA — Illinois Theatre’s production of “The Whistleblower” opens Friday night at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana. It’s an adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen play “Enemy of the People,” originally written in the 1880s. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with the show’s director, Genesee Spridco. Listen to this interview here. She says

Lyric Theatre returns to the Krannert Center stage with ‘Fun Home’

URBANA — Lyric Theatre @ Illinois returns to the Krannert Center stage Thursday evening with a production of the Tony Award-winning musical, “Fun Home.” The show is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, written by Alison Bechdel, which looks at the relationship between Alison and her father, who are both gay,

Illinois Theater comedy exemplifies more diversity on stage

URBANA – A theater production with Latinx representative characters premiered last weekend at the University of Illinois’ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. It is part of a co-director’s effort to see more people of color on stage. Native Gardens, a play written by Karen Zacarias, is a comedy that discusses race, class and privilege, between

Theatre’s Gradual Return In C-U

  URBANA — Things haven’t been easy for community theaters in Champaign-Urbana this past year, according to their leaders. Kelly Nowlin, executive director of the Champaign Urbana Theatre Company (or CUTC), said they’ve been unable to do any live shows since they canceled their March 2020 show in the middle of its run. “It was

C-U Native Somi Discusses Grammy Nomination, Short Film

URBANA — Vocalist and composer Somi grew up in Champaign-Urbana, and her mother still lives here. Somi was in St. Louis working on a theater project when the pandemic forced it into hiatus. Rather than fly back to her home in New York City, the early epicenter of the pandemic, she drove three hours to

Jupiter String Quartet To Perform New Piece Virtually Friday

URBANA — You can see the Jupiter String Quartet in concert Friday afternoon — virtually, of course — performing a piece commissioned in part by Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Composer Michi Wiancko wrote the piece To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores as a tribute “to the beauty and vitality of the natural world.” After

Krannert Center Cancels All Public, In-Person Fall Events

The University of Illinois’ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has announced the cancellation of all public, in-person performances this fall. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with Krannert Center Director Mike Ross about the decision. Ross says they consulted with many different stakeholders before making the decision, and considered several factors. “As the understanding about