2020-2021 SEASON EST. 1969
FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT ILLINOIS
KRANNERT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is dedicated to the advancement of education, research, and public engagement through the pursuit of excellence and innovation in the performing arts. Embracing the art of the past as well as the art of our time, the Center supports the belief that creativity is a core human characteristic and that the arts hold uniquely transformative potential. Through its multiple and integrated roles as classroom, laboratory, and public square, Krannert Center serves as a touchstone for the exploration and expansion of human experience.
Come join us! Tzaloj k'ulal chex jayi! ¡Acompáñenos! Rejoignez-nous!
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FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT ILLINOIS On behalf of Krannert Center and the performing arts at Illinois, it’s my pleasure to welcome you and invite you to join us throughout the season in this very special place of celebration, contemplation, imagination, hope, discovery, and life-affirming experience. We value your presence, your curiosity, and your desire to be with others in the midst of our complex and challenging world moment. And we hope that with each performance, each small exchange, each moment of connectivity that occurs here, you will find yourself strengthened, heartened, restored, and inspired. Together, we can thrive. Wishing you all good things,
MIKE ROSS DIRECTOR
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THIS PLACE
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SERIES GROUPINGS
WITH EACH NEW SEASON AND EACH NEW DAY, Krannert Center offers the promise of possibilities— the possibilities of making unexpected connections, of exploring the unknown, of dancing until your heart feels full, of sipping coffee with a new friend, of experiencing those quiet moments felt deep inside, and of discovering joyful encounters that we all share together. These possibilities become reality in a physical complex that is animated by a dedicated staff and volunteer crew, gifted students and faculty, and a community that shares and amplifies the impact of this special place.
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2020-2021 PERFORMANCES
Know us better by the numbers: 3 resident academic departments: Music, Theatre, and Dance 5 indoor stages (and one outside!)
300+ performances and events annually 350 active volunteers
6 production shops: scenic, costumes, props, upholstery, lighting, audio visual
1,560 pounds of freshly roasted coffee beans brewed each year at Intermezzo cafe
27 pianos (ask us their names!)
300,000 square feet in the Center
29 classrooms/laboratories/theatres
Infinite possibilities
150 distinct courses taught in the facility 80 professional staff members
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FUNDING THE CENTER: INVEST TODAY
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PLANNING CALENDAR
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PLAN YOUR VISIT/ PURCHASE TICKETS
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MARQUEE
Classical music
The Theacoustical acousticaland and visual visual splendor splendor of of the theinternationally internationallyrenowned renowned setting for for Krannert Krannert Center’s Center’s Foellinger Great Hall provides a premier setting hallmark commitment the presentation of classical music. From hallmark commitment to the to presentation of classical music. Classical musicians toto established legends, musicians featured in fromemerging emergingartists artists established legendsclassical featured in the 2020-21 season the engage 2020-21 audiences season will through engage audiences through sounds and emotions will sounds and emotions ranging from the ranging from subtle and to intimate to the blazingly subtlethe and intimate the blazingly grand. grand.
Great Hall Series
Classical Mix Series
Leading orchestras, soloists, and ensembles from around the world comprise the Great Hall Series.
Chamber instrumental ensembles, vocal ensembles, and solo artists create a varied blend of outstanding musical experiences on the Classical Mix Series.
GREAT HALL SERIES PRICE: 258 / SC 233 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra: The No One’s Rose
CLASSICAL MIX SERIES PRICE: 191 / SC 166 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
Matthew Aucoin, conductor Zack Winokur, director Bobbi Jene Smith, choreographer American Modern Opera Company TH OCT 15, PG 40
Imani Winds with Jupiter String Quartet: (im)migration—music of change
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Ray Chen, violin with Julio Elizalde, piano
Riccardo Muti, Zell Music Director Edward Gardner, conductor Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano TH NOV 12, PG 45
Sunday Salon Series —Emerging Artistry Audience and rising young performers share the stage of the Foellinger Great Hall. Ticket price includes light refreshments; balcony seating, not including refreshments, is available at a reduced price. SUNDAY SALON SERIES PRICE: 260 / SC 235 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
2020 Krannert Center Debut Artist: Saori Kataoka, trumpet
TH SEP 17, PG 26
SU OCT 11, PG 39
TU OCT 6, PG 34
Concert Artists Guild Winner: Merz Trio
Verona Quartet
SU NOV 1, PG 43
TU NOV 10, PG 44
TH FEB 4, PG 60
Susanna Phillips, soprano and Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano: She her ours
Concert Artists Guild Winner: Tabea Debus, recorder with Alex McCartney, theorbo: An Eye for Music
Prague Symphony Orchestra
TH JAN 28, PG 56
SU JAN 24, PG 55
Tomáš Brauner, chief conductor Tomáš Jamník, cello SA FEB 27, PG 70
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: The Brahms Effect
Young Concert Artists Winner: Albert Cano Smit, piano
Lang Lang, piano: Bach’s Goldberg Variations
TH APR 22, PG 86
Joshua Bell, violin with Peter Dugan, piano
WE MAR 3, PG 71
SU FEB 14, PG 65
2021 Krannert Center Debut Artist SU APR 18, PG 85
And more events of interest! ELLNORA Reverb: Strings for Peace Amjad Ali Khan, sarod Sharon Isbin, guitar Amaan Ali Bangash, sarod Ayaan Ali Bangash, sarod FR OCT 2, PG 31
Jupiter String Quartet TH FEB 11, PG 63
Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble
Jupiter String Quartet with Gloria Chien, piano TH APR 8, PG 81
FR-SA MAR 26-27, PG 78
Each series can be bought in full for a discounted price, or each event can be purchased separately.
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MARQUEE
Big Mix
Featuring expressions from the intimate to the grand, from delicately nuanced to all-out bold, from the familiar to the intriguingly new—the artistry of Krannert Center’s Marquee season is all this and more. Embrace the full spectrum of opportunities, from the classical events featured on pages 4-5 to those introduced here.
Opening Night Party with Doctor Nativo, The Bluebonnets, The Soul Rebels, and New Souls SA SEP 12, PGS 22-23
Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble: Cellular Songs SA JAN 30, PG 58
PHILADANCO!
Dublin Irish Dance: Wings—A Celebration of Irish Dance
TU SEP 15, PG 25
SA FEB 6, PG 62
Pablo Ziegler Chamber Quartet: RADIOTANGO
John Pizzarelli & Catherine Russell: Nat King Cole and The Ladies of Song
FR-SA SEP 18-19, PG 27
TH-SA FEB 18-20, PG 66
PYGMALION and PYGHACK
Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats
TH-SA SEP 24-26, PG 28
SA FEB 20, PG 67
Manual Cinema: The Magic City
Small Island Big Song Global Transfer Afterglow: Aakash Mittal’s Awaz Trio
SA SEP 26, PG 29
ELLNORA Reverb: Strings for Peace Global Transfer Afterglow: Derek Gripper FR OCT 2, PG 31
Pilobolus: The Big Five-OH! SA OCT 3, PG 33
Circa: En Masse TH OCT 8, PG 35
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque SA OCT 10, PG 38
The Dhamaal Dancers and Musicians of India TU OCT 27, PG 41
Barokksolistene: The Alehouse Sessions SU NOV 15, PG 49
CONTRA-TIEMPO & Las Cafeteras: joyUS justUS
FR MAR 5, PG 73
A Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul TU MAR 9, PG 75
Chucho Valdés Quartet TU MAR 23, PG 76
Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble: Mozart Dances FR-SA MAR 26-27, PG 78
The 7 Fingers: Passengers SU & TU MAR 28 & 30, PG 80
The Queen’s Cartoonists FR APR 9, PG 83
Kandace Springs FR-SA APR 23-24, PG 87
TH NOV 19, PG 50
One Boy’s Day
The Nutcracker
FR APR 30, PG 90
TH-SU, DEC 3-6, PG 51
Taj Mahal
Russian National Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake
WE MAY 5, PG 91
WE-FR JAN 20-22, PG 53
Is This a Dagger? The Story of Macbeth FR-SA JAN 22-23, PG 54
Purchase any performance on its own, or combine five or more performances from this book to receive a discounted “pick five+” series price.
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The I-Ching, or Book of Changes, embraces change as the only constant. Dramatic changes draw our attention while subtle shifts hide under the radar. Dance at Illinois’ new mission statement highlights the changes the department has undergone in the last decade to build a more aesthetically inclusive community. The Dance at Illinois mission is to contribute to Dance’s positive impact on the world, as a distinctive generator of new knowledge and as a vital cultural agent and signifier. We activate the power of Dance to root out historically unbalanced, hierarchically oppressive perspectives and are committed to investigating the dynamic intersections between research and teaching in academic, professional, and community settings. We promote ethical, anti-racist, and progressive practices, operating from a deeply held belief that diversity and inclusion are critical for the advancement of the artform and for humankind. Utilizing a range of experimental and canonic approaches, we generate choreographic, pedagogical, performative, and scholarly research that centers Dance in global discourse. We aim to forge innovative and sustainable lives as artist educators and
to model that practice widely, compelled by our collective, passionate dedication to Dance as a transformational process. In the dances you will see this season, Dance at Illinois’ aesthetic values and collective bodies will deliver a full-throated holler toward an exciting new future!
November Dance 2020 (pg 47) TH-SA NOV 12-14
February Dance 2021 (pg 59) TH-SA FEB 4-6
Studiodance I 2021 (pg 72) TH-SA MAR 4-6
Studiodance II 2021 (pg 77) TH-SA MAR 25-27
Series Tickets: Purchase all four performances to receive a discounted price.
Deca Dance, Ohad Naharin (reconstructed by Omri Drumlevich/Zina Zinchenko), Fall 2019
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Join Illinois Theatre for a season that embodies the department’s commitment to bringing to life classic plays and to developing new dramatic work. Timely stories and timeless themes combine as Illinois Theatre’s actors, designers, and directors explore our shared humanity. This season’s six plays explore the depth and breadth of the art of theatre. First, based on real events, Police Deaf Near Far reflects the struggle for recognition of Deaf culture and the tragic consequences of misrecognition in a world designed for hearing people. Next, we bring back from last year’s season the political satire Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020. Canceled in spring 2020 due to the pandemic, this world premiere reflects on greed, callousness, and violence through Macbeth and its surrealist reimagining, Ubu Roi. Our fall ends with She Kills Monsters, a recent play that uses the spectacle of a fantastical reality to tell the touching story of a young woman’s empowerment and selfdiscovery. In the spring, one of Tennessee Williams’ best-known and most-riveting classics, A Streetcar Named Desire, comes to life in the intimate setting of the Studio Theatre, and the farcical homage Noises Off that pokes fun at the world of theatre and offers a hilarious spectacle of things falling apart behind the scenes brings madcap energy to the Colwell Playhouse stage. We close with The Realness, a musical love story set to the breakbeats of 1990s hip-hop. Whether high farce or deep drama, laugh or cry, this season will make you reflect and help all of us understand ourselves and each other a little bit better.
Police Deaf Near Far (pg 30) TH-SA OCT 1-3 TU-SU OCT 6-11
Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (pg 36) TH-SA OCT 8-10 TH-SU OCT 15-18 Dessert and Conversation*
SA OCT 10, SU OCT 18
She Kills Monsters (pg 42) TH-SA OCT 29-31 TU-SU NOV 3-8
A Streetcar Named Desire (pg 61) TH-SA FEB 4-6 TU-SU FEB 9-14
Noises Off (pg 68) TH-SA FEB 25-27 TH-SU MAR 4-7 Dessert and Conversation*
SA FEB 27, SU MAR 7
The Realness (pg 82) TH-SA APR 8-10 TU-SU APR 13-18
Series Tickets: Purchase four or more performances to receive a discounted price. *Pre-performance talk
Gem of the Ocean, Fall 2019
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SCHOOL OF MUSIC The School of Music is committed to preserving diverse cultural traditions while fostering innovation. With a history reaching back 125 years, the 88 faculty and 700 students of the School truly stand on the shoulders of giants as they pursue excellence in research, performance, composition, and teacher education. Its richly varied programs, world-class libraries, and fine concert facilities offer every asset for serious musical study for its international and sophisticated student body. The concert calendar is always packed with performances, lectures, and frequent visits by renowned guests; through partnership with Krannert Center, masterclasses with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are an annual feature. Be sure to visit music.illinois.edu for program information and to see all that the School of Music has to offer.
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Lyric Theatre
@ILLINOIS
@ILLINOIS
Lyric Theatre @ Illinois believes that sung theatre is a uniquely powerful storyteller. Many people have experienced hearing a song that evokes feelings and memories from a different time. Music, poetry, drama, movement, and design come together to remind us of ourselves and our stories, whether funny or tragic, from near or far, familiar or not. This season, the twin emotions jealousy and envy will wreak havoc across the globe to dramatic and comic effect. Join Lyric Theatre @ Illinois for a vicarious walk on the wild side with friends, lovers, and enemies in this season’s productions.
A Little Night Music (pg 46)
La Tragédie de Carmen (pg 89)
TH-SU NOV 12-15
TH-SU APR 29-MAY 2
Dessert + Conversation*
Dessert + Conversation*
SA NOV 14, SU NOV 15
SA-SU MAY 1-2
Street Scene (pg 69) TH-SU FEB 25-28 Dessert + Conversation*
FR FEB 26, SU FEB 28
Series Tickets: Purchase all three performances to receive a discounted price. *Pre-performance talk
La Bohème, Fall 2018
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SINFONIA
DA CAMERA
In residence at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, this professional chamber orchestra is led by world-renowned pianist, conductor, and educator Maestro Ian Hobson. Sinfonia da Camera is composed of University of Illinois faculty, staff, and students as well as distinguished regional and national freelance musicians. Founded in 1984, Sinfonia has welcomed world-class soloists, commissioned new works, and presented beloved orchestra favorites and hidden gems to local audiences for over 30 years. For more information, please call the Sinfonia da Camera office at 217.244.4350 or visit sinfonia.illinois.edu.
A Mutual Celebration
Immortal Beethoven
SU SEP 13, PG 24
SA MAR 27, PG 79
Bartรณk Concerto for Orchestra
Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich
SA OCT 10, PG 37
SA APR 17, PG 84
Jazz Collaborations SA NOV 14, PG 48
English Painters, Poets, and Playwrights SA FEB 13, PG 64
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SINFONIA DA CAMERA SERIES (ALL 6 EVENTS): 208 / SC 184 / STU 40 / YTH 25
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Celebrating 61 seasons, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra (CUSO) was founded in 1959 with the dream of establishing a professional, local symphony orchestra for Champaign-Urbana. In 1969, CUSO began performing in the newly built Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and was honored to be named the professional orchestra-in-residence at Krannert Center in 1988. Maestro Stephen Alltop and CUSO celebrate the majesty of great music with their 2020-21 season, Monumental Music . . . , featuring performances of Mahler’s Third Symphony, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks, and other brilliant works. For more information or season tickets, please call the CUSO office at 217.351.9139 or visit cusymphony.org.
Mahler’s Third Symphony
A Child of Our Time
SA OCT 3, PG 32
SA MAR 6, PG 74
Holiday Splendor
Russian Festival
TH DEC 10, PG 52
SA APR 24, PG 88
Baroque Fireworks SA JAN 30, PG 57
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I VALUE THE FACT THAT THE YOUTH SERIES OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES TO ALL STUDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY. IT IS A PRIVILEGE THAT IS AVAILABLE NOT BASED ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ABILITY. I ALSO VALUE THAT THE YOUTH SERIES EXPOSES YOUTH TO VARIOUS FORMS OF ART. —YOLANDA O’CONNOR, NOVAK ACADEMY
Small Island Big Song
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Youth Series SCHOOL-DAY PERFORMANCES FOR PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND HOME SCHOOLS, GRADES PreK-12
Each year, approximately 10,000 students, teachers, and parents from across Central Illinois experience the life-affirming power of live performance by internationally acclaimed artists as part of the Krannert Center Youth Series. Through the Youth Series, young people and their teachers experience meaningful artistry, encounter the breadth of genres in the performing arts, and move toward deeper intercultural understanding. Study guides and curricular materials invite students to expand their understanding of the artists and art forms and to explore their own creativity through classroom activities. Krannert Center also partners with the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, the Champaign Public Library, and the Urbana Free Library, each of which offers ways to extend Youth Series experiences beyond Krannert Center. To learn more about this vibrant program and how your child’s school can participate, please call our Youth Series office at 217.244.3009, visit KrannertCenter.com, or email youth@krannertcenter.com.
PHILADANCO!
Las Cafeteras
WE SEP 16
WE NOV 18
Recommended for grades 3 and up.
Recommended for grades 5 and up.
Imani Winds TH SEP 17
CANCELED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC: Is This a Dagger? The Story of Macbeth
Recommended for grades 3-5.
WE-FR JAN 20-22
Manual Cinema: The Magic City
Recommended for grades 5 and up.
TH-FR SEP 24-25
Small Island Big Song
Recommended for grades 2 and up.
TH-FR MAR 4-5
Okaidja Afroso: Dancing Feet and Talking Drums
Recommended for grades 3 and up.
The 7 Fingers: Passengers
TH-FR OCT 29-30
MO-TU MAR 29-30
Recommended for grades K-5.
Recommended for grades 5 and up.
The Queen’s Cartoonists TH-FR APR 8-9 Recommended for grades 1-5.
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FAMILY FUN AT K R A N N E R T C E N T E R
EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMING ARTS FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR GROWNUPS
Shared experiences with the arts bring families together in a very special way. The events on this page are designed to bring you and your little ones moments of joy, excitement, and wonder. Feel free to contact the Ticket Office with any questions about our family-friendly services and programs: 217.333.6280 or kran-tix@illinois.edu.
Opening Night Party
The Nutcracker
SA SEP 12, PGS 22-23
TH-SU DEC 3-6, PG 51
Free Family Fun Concert: Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats
All ages are welcome.
Recommended for ages 5 and up.
SA FEB 20, PG 67
PHILADANCO! TU SEP 15, PG 25
Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra: Holiday Splendor
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
TH DEC 10, PG 52
FR MAR 5, PG 73
Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Russian National Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake
The 7 Fingers: Passengers
Manual Cinema: The Magic City SA SEP 26, PG 29 Recommended for ages 5 and up.
Pilobolus: The Big Five-OH! SA OCT 3, PG 33 Recommended for ages 8 and up.
The Dhamaal Dancers and Musicians of India TU OCT 27, PG 41 Recommended for ages 7 and up.
CONTRA-TIEMPO & Las Cafeteras: joyUS justUS TH NOV 19, PG 50 Recommended for ages 8 and up.
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WE-FR JAN 20-22, PG 53 Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Is This a Dagger? The Story of Macbeth FR-SA JAN 22-23, PG 54 Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Dublin Irish Dance: Wings —A Celebration of Irish Dance SA FEB 6, PG 62 Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Recommended for all ages.
Small Island Big Song
SU & TU MAR 28 & 30, PG 80 Recommended for ages 7 and up.
The Queen’s Cartoonists FR APR 9, PG 83 Recommended for ages 5 and up.
One Boy’s Day FR APR 30, PG 90 Recommended for ages 5 and up.
Stage 5 FANTASTICALLY FREE
We’ve got just the spot—whether it’s for preshow sips, unexpected artistic encounters, illuminating conversations, or a long-awaited meetup, the welcoming, club-style stage and bar in Krannert Center’s Lobby is the perfect place to relax and recharge. If you’re visiting Stage 5 Bar or Intermezzo cafe on a performance night, here’s a pro tip: order before you head into the theatre, and your food and beverage will be waiting at intermission or post-performance! The fabulous programming at Stage 5 is supported by the Center’s donors. Learn more about giving to Krannert Center starting on page 92.
STAGE 5
DAYTIME STAGE 5
5 o’Clock
STAGE 5
Late Night
The perfect spot to huddle up for meetings, study sessions, or lunch from Intermezzo cafe.
Shift gears with Krannert Uncorked, a free wine tasting almost every Thursday that often features local musicians.
Settle in for free, late-night sets at our Afterglow series, featuring special picks from PYGMALION and international Global Transfer artists.
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U OF I
Students Put Krannert Center on your must-do list today! Because of the vital support of donors and the Krannert Center U of I student fee, U of I students never pay more than $10 for a ticket, and many events each year are completely free. Make this campus gem a vital part of your University of Illinois experience. U of I students can: •
Enjoy a huge variety of performances and events at a great price
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Become a volunteer usher and Krannert Center advocate through the Krannert Center Student Association (KCSA)
• Become a member of the Center by joining “The Loop” —just $25 per year for students • Enjoy meals at Intermezzo cafe and studying in Krannert Center’s spacious lobby • Learn and shop at Promenade, Krannert Center’s showcase and gift shop Get to know Krannert Center by taking a free tour, offered almost every day at 3pm. We look forward to seeing you here!
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Saori Kataoka Artist Diploma ’21; Trumpet Performance and Literature ’19 Krannert Center has been the place where I get to be overwhelmingly inspired. It is incredible that I can experience the performances by world-class artists of music, dance, theatre, and every form of art right on campus. Also, as an artist myself, it is such an encouragement to have an audience that is so enthusiastic, curious, and accepting of what we try to display.
SAORI
Sam Li Economics ’23 Krannert Center taught me to appreciate and love the arts in many forms. The resources and opportunities that Krannert Center offered —both in terms of education and personal, live experience— allowed me to explore and fall in love with music. I have attended some truly amazing shows, from students all the way to touring professionals. Krannert Center has been invaluable to me in my personal development and growth and has gifted me with a whole world of color and joy. I always try to bring a friend with me to shows, and Krannert Center is truly one of my favorite places where I share fond memories and experiences.
SAM
Symone Sanz Dance '20 My favorite memory of Krannert Center was being asked to film a short video of life for a dance class activity and asking my acting friends in the next room over to showcase their unique perspectives. I will always cherish the friends both inside and outside of my department that have called Krannert Center home as I have.
SYMONE
Casey Griffin Stage Management and Political Science ’20 As an out-of-state student, I was scared when entering my freshman year that I wouldn’t fit in on campus or that I would feel out of place being so far away from where I grew up. The people I met at and through Krannert Center—my fellow students, resident producer faculty, Krannert Center staff—have always made me feel so safe and welcomed. I have been free to explore my passions through my classes, meet people who inspire me every day, and see the kind of work that I never thought I would have such easy access to coming from a small, rural town in Virginia. Ultimately, Krannert Center means “home” to me.
CASEY
And Krannert Center *hearts* students back! Let’s connect:
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Welcome! For assistance with your visit, please email: ¡Bienvenidos! Para ayuda en relación con su visita, favor de enviar un email a: Bienvenue! Pour vous aider dans votre visite, prière de nous envoyer un courriel à:
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PATRONSERVICES@ KRANNERTCENTER.ILLINOIS.EDU
HOW TO BUY TICKETS KrannertCenter.com 217.333.6280 or 800.KCPATIX Ticket Office at Krannert Center 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana (10am-6pm every day) TOURS Free tours of Krannert Center are offered at 3pm daily when classes are in session. TICKET DISCOUNT GUIDE senior citizen: age 65 or over, or retired University of Illinois faculty or staff SC
non-U of I college student— never more than $15! STU
current, full-time U of I student— never more than $10! UI
youth: high school and younger (please see pages 16 and 100 for further information) YTH
PICK FIVE+
purchase 5+ performances to receive a discounted price PERFORMANCE TAGS FAMILY FUN FREE YOUTH SERIES GREENING THE ARTS
In any season, all artists and programs are subject to change. Change is particularly likely during the 2020-21 season as a result of the pandemic. Please visit KrannertCenter.com for updates and to sign up for Krannert Center’s e-newsletter.
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Opening Night Party with Doctor Nativo, The Bluebonnets, The Soul Rebels, and New Souls
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Make plans now for an Opening Night of fabulous food and drink, creative community connections, and outright sonic goodness! The funk, R&B, and old-school soul grooves of Champaign-Urbana’s own New Souls will set the night alight in the outdoor Amphitheatre with sets at 6pm and 8pm. The sizzling sounds of cumbia, hip-hop, reggae, and Mayan music, combined with spiritually and socially conscious lyrics, ignite the get-up-and-move music of Guatemala’s Doctor Nativo who takes to Stage 6 at 6:30pm in the Lobby. At 7:45pm on Stage 5, 2019 ELLNORA standouts The Bluebonnets return from Austin, Texas, with irresistible punk, pop, and funk-fueled rock and roll, sure to set the night ablaze with gutsy glory.
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The eight-member Soul Rebels fire up Stage 6 at 9pm for a scorching set of New Orleans-style brass tradition blended with funk and soul and infused with eclectic elements of jazz, pop, rock, and hip-hop. SA SEP 12 AT 5:30PM (FOOD SALES BEGIN AND DOORS OPEN AT 5:30PM) LOBBY AND AMPHITHEATRE
New Souls, 6pm and 8pm, Amphitheatre (rain location: Studio Theatre) Doctor Nativo, 6:30pm, Lobby—Stage 6 The Bluebonnets, 7:45pm, Lobby—Stage 5 The Soul Rebels, 9pm, Lobby—Stage 6 Recommended for all ages. FAMILY FUN FREE (DONATIONS ENCOURAGED)
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a mutual
CELEBRATION
SINFONIA DA CAMERA Ian Hobson, music director, conductor, and piano Sinfonia da Camera premieres its season in celebration of Krannert Center’s recent 50th anniversary. Over the past 36 years, Sinfonia has been an integral part of the Center’s history, contributing many notable performances. The afternoon commences with Elgar’s Cockaigne Overture, with its lively themes serving to musically portray Maestro Ian Hobson’s English birthplace. As requested by patrons last season, Hobson will then take the stage as both conductor and pianist for Rachmaninoff’s instantly recognizable and virtuosic Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Following intermission, Sinfonia will accompany the winner of its annual youth concerto competition before concluding the program with the iconic and crowd-pleasing Symphony No. 5, a continuation of their multiyear Beethoven cycle.
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Elgar: Cockaigne Overture Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 2020 Youth Concerto Competition Winner Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 SU SEP 13 AT 3PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 36 / SC 32 / STU 8 / YTH 5 SINGLE: 40 / SC 36 / STU 10 / YTH 5 SINFONIA DA CAMERA SERIES (ALL 6 EVENTS): 208 / SC 184 / STU 40 / YTH 25
PHILADANCO!
JOAN MYERS BROWN, FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES For five decades, The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) has broken boundaries and inspired audiences with an uncommon amalgamation of AfricanAmerican, contemporary, and traditional dance forms, working in a “range of idioms most companies don’t even try to possess” with a company of dancers that are “a miracle of skill and energy” (Dance Magazine).
Evans’ WITH(IN)VERSE—part of the Krannert Center co-commissioned Success Stories project—which explores spirituality, sorrow, and redemption.
PHILADANCO!’s stop in Champaign-Urbana during its 50th-anniversary tour will feature a show of soaring skill and impeccable technique as it presents Conglomerate, Anthony Burrell’s homage to the history of Black dance in Philadelphia; This Place, a new work by Ray Mercer; a new work by BaKari Lindsay set to Malian kora music; and resident choreographer Tommie-Waheed
PICK FIVE+: 26 / SC 21 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 28 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
Recommended for ages 8 and up. TU SEP 15 AT 7:30PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE
FAMILY FUN YOUTH SERIES
This presentation was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts‘ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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IMANI WINDS
with
Jupiter String Quartet (im)migration—music of change
MARQUEE CLASSICAL MIX SERIES Grammy-nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and the evolution of the wind quintet through its dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations, and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The ensemble is deeply committed to expanding the wind quintet repertoire by commissioning music from new voices that reflects historical events and current times. In this special performance, Imani Winds will join talents with the acclaimed Jupiter String Quartet, University of Illinois quartet-in-residence. The program features Sergeant McCauley, a Music Accord/Sphinx Organization commission by Jessie Montgomery. The composition, inspired by the Great Migration of African Americans during the early- to middle-20th century, unfolds from the perspective of Montgomery’s great-grandfather William McCauley. The nonet brings together spirituals and work songs that reflect McCauley’s route from Mississippi through the West, north to the Dakotas, and eventually south to Georgia. The program also includes Valerie Cole-
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man’s fresh arrangement of Mongo Santamaría’s jazz standard Afro Blue for the Imani Winds; Roberto Sierra’s Concierto de Cámara; and To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores, a new work by Michi Wiancko, commissioned by Bay Chamber Concerts and Krannert Center for the Jupiter String Quartet. Santamaría (arr. Coleman): Afro Blue Wiancko: To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores Montgomery: Sergeant McCauley Sierra: Concierto de Cámara TH SEP 17 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 33 / SC 28 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 35 / SC 30 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10 CLASSICAL MIX SERIES (5 EVENTS): 191 / SC 166 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50 YOUTH SERIES
Other performances by the Jupiter String Quartet: TH FEB 11 (PG 63) TH APR 8 WITH GLORIA CHIEN, PIANO (PG 81)
Pablo Ziegler Chamber Quartet:
RADIOTANGO
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES After performing in tango grandmaestro Astor Piazzolla’s legendary quintet for over a decade, and appearing on iconic Piazzolla recordings including Tango: Zero Hour, La Camorra, and Central Park Concert, Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler has led his own groups for more than 25 years. The Buenos Aires native draws on that collective history as the leading exponent of Argentine New Tango—the vibrant musical hybrid of traditional tango, American jazz, and European art music—for his newest program of original compositions that showcase his suave-to-swaggering piano style along with the prodigious talents of Héctor Del Curto on bandoneon, Jisoo Ok on cello, and Pedro Giraudo on bass.
There’s no question that Ziegler takes the tango to levels of sophistication and refinement probably undreamed of by Piazzolla. — CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Club-style performances offer first-come, first-served seating at tables in the Studio Theatre. Full bar service with snacks is available during the performance. FR SEP 18 AT 7:30PM SA SEP 19 AT 7PM AND 9PM STUDIO THEATRE, CLUB-STYLE PICK FIVE+: 53 / SC 48 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 55 / SC 50 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
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PYGMALION
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES PYGMALION, entering its 16th year, is a mainstay Midwest cultural attraction in Champaign-Urbana. The programming, presented in partnership with Krannert Center each season, is broad and diverse—an integration of music, technology, comedians, podcasts, authors, makers, innovators, and more. This year’s festival will feature a two-day, design-based hackathon, PYGHACK, which enters its second year at the Center; a co-presentation with the Center of Manual Cinema’s The Magic City; a full technology demo complete with virtual and augmented reality, robotics, and drone simulations; a “Human Library” where patrons can learn first-hand from an individual telling their story according to a theme from their life experiences; and much more. PYGMALION 2020 at Krannert Center features: NAPOLEON DYNAMITE LIVE! TH SEP 24, TIME TBD
Featuring a Q&A with Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro), and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) FOELLINGER GREAT HALL $30-$100
TECH DEMO + HUMAN LIBRARY TH SEP 24, 5PM TO 9PM LOBBY FREE
PYGHACK FR SEP 25, 5PM TO 11PM SA SEP 26, 7AM TO 5PM LOBBY More programming to be announced. Visit thisispygmalion.com for details and tickets.
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Manual Cinema: THE MAGIC CITY
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES
Chicago’s own Manual Cinema captivated Krannert Center crowds in 2018 with its inventive mix of overhead projectors, shadow puppets, live action, and compelling original music. Now they return with a cinematic and contemporary adaptation of Edith Nesbit’s 1910 novel The Magic City. The life of nine-year-old Philomena, whose great love is building miniature structures from found objects, is upended when her older sister and guardian, Helen, marries a wealthy man with a rather annoying son. Alone in a vast new home, Philomena secludes herself in the attic where she creates an extensive miniature city. When she awakens that night, the tiny city has come alive, and as she steps through the city gates, her adventure begins!
Recommended for ages 5 and up. SA SEP 26 AT 11AM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 23 / SC 18 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 20 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN YOUTH SERIES
This performance is presented in conjunction with PYGMALION 2020. Visit thisispygmalion.com for details.
“Making the usually hidden visual tricks visible… is a brilliant way of awakening interest in theatre, puppetry, and storytelling for the next generation.” —Broadway World
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Police Deaf Near Far ILLINOIS THEATRE By David Rush James Caverly, guest director David Rush’s 1996 play tells the story—in speech and in American Sign Language—of a Deaf culture activist’s life and tragic shooting in an encounter with the police. At once a deeply individual story of one Deaf person’s fight for recognition in a world designed for hearing people and a meditation on the larger questions that arise when our differences overwhelm mutual understanding, Police Deaf Near Far is based on true events in Illinois and is as relevant today as it was in the mid-1990s. This production features resident and guest-artist Deaf actors and is directed by a leading artist in the burgeoning American Deaf theatre world, guest director James Caverly. All performances are presented in concurrent spoken word and ASL. Contains adult content and violence. TH-SA OCT 1-3 AT 7:30PM TU-SA OCT 6-10 AT 7:30PM SU OCT 11 AT 3PM STUDIO THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 24 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 24 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 ILLINOIS THEATRE SERIES (4+ EVENTS) PRICE PER SHOW: 23 / SC 22 / STU 13 / UI & YTH 8
Titus Andronicus, Fall 2019
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“Crossed barriers of language, culture, uniting people through music and melody . . . . The power of their performance rocked the hall.” —Times of India/Ei Samay
ELLNORA REVERB:
STRINGS FOR PEACE
Amjad Ali Khan, sarod Sharon Isbin, guitar Amaan Ali Bangash, sarod Ayaan Ali Bangash, sarod
project also unites them, harmoniously fusing differences in cultures, generations, genders, religions, and musical backgrounds.
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES
Every other year, Krannert Center produces ELLNORA | The Guitar Festival, the internationally recognized, three-day event described as “one of the world’s most forwardthinking guitar festivals” (Fretboard Journal). In a celebration of the guitar and its close relatives from around the globe, each ELLNORA gathers remarkable musicians and passionate audience members, and the result is magic. The next ELLNORA will take place in fall 2021, but you can get a taste of it in this special evening.
Four masterful artists meld Indian and Western classical music traditions in works that encompass Spanish flamenco and traditional world folk music, along with compositions by Amjad Ali Khan for guitar and sarod that are informed by ragas—the Indian classical music framework for improvisation. Fresh from its world premiere and featuring 2015 ELLNORA Artist-inResidence Sharon Isbin, this performance interweaves varied musical, spiritual, and artistic influences with mystical beauty, creativity, grace, and emotion. While highlighting the individual artistic contributions of each performer, this
GLOBAL TRANSFER AFTERGLOW: DEREK GRIPPER, GUITAR
Derek Gripper, a featured ELLNORA 2013 guitarist, owes much of his playing style to Brazilian musician Egberto Gismonti; however, his harmonic language comes from the music of Africa—Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe—a language which Gripper learned from transcribing works by some of these countries’ greatest kora players. FR OCT 2 ABOUT 9:30PM STAGE 5, FREE
FR OCT 2 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 37 / SC 32 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 39 / SC 34 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
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MAHLER’S
THIRD SYMPHONY CHAMPAIGN-URBANA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Stephen Alltop, music director and conductor Lauren Decker, mezzo-soprano University of Illinois Women’s Glee Club, Andrea Solya, conductor Central Illinois Youth Chorus, Andrea Solya, conductor
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Considered the grandest and most majestic in the symphonic genre, Mahler’s Third Symphony is an epic work cast for an enormous orchestra with mezzo-soprano soloist, children’s chorus, and women’s chorus. For many people, to hear this incomparable symphony in person and to be uplifted by Mahler’s deeply expressive music is a oncein-a-lifetime experience.
Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D Minor SA OCT 3 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL 40 / SC 36 / STU & YTH 10
To purchase season tickets, please visit cusymphony.org.
PILOBOLUS:
The Big Five-OH!
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Krannert Center knows that a 50th anniversary is always cause for celebration! When Pilobolus was founded at Dartmouth College in 1971, this vibrant and ever-exploring dance company gathered inspiration from a feisty, light-loving fungus called pilobolus crystallinus—an organism that propels its spores with extraordinary speed and accuracy. In The Big Five-OH!, audiences will once again be astounded by the imaginative, genre-defying artists of Pilobolus as they contort, shape shift, and wriggle their way into athletic feats of creative expression that push the boundaries of the human form. This milestone performance will feature repertoire from the past five decades, including the vintage classic Untitled, the high-voltage Megawatt, and the company’s signature shadow work Transformation.
Recommended for ages 8 and up. SA OCT 3 AT 7:30PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 23 / SC 18 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 20 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN YOUTH SERIES
“It’s as if we’re being given a fleeting glimpse of the inner workings of the universe.” —The New York Times
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“The tone he gets is almost human in its slight graininess and glow.” —The Washington Post
Chen
JULIO ELIZALDE, PIANO MARQUEE CLASSICAL MIX SERIES Violinist Ray Chen redefines what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st century. His remarkable musicianship has led to engagements with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world, and his online media presence enhances his listeners’ experiences. First Prize Winner of both the Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elizabeth (2009) Competitions, Chen’s profile has steadily risen in Europe, Asia, and the United States as well as his native Australia. Noted as “one to watch” by The Strad and Gramophone magazines, he made the Forbes “30 Under 30 Asia” list;
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appeared in the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle; has been featured in Vogue; and performed at major media events such as France’s Bastille Day (live to 800,000 people), the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm (telecast across Europe), and the BBC Proms. Along with his stellar concert performances, he is deeply committed to music education, inspiring a new generation of music students with his video series combining comedy and music. Praised as a musician of “compelling artistry and power” by the Seattle Times, the gifted American pianist Julio Elizalde enjoys a multifaceted career as soloist, chamber musician,
VIOLIN
artistic administrator, educator, and curator. He has performed in many of the major music centers throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America to popular and critical acclaim and since 2014, has served as the Artistic Director of the Olympic Music Festival near Seattle, Washington. TU OCT 6 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 48 / SC 43 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 50 / SC 45 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10 CLASSICAL MIX SERIES (5 EVENTS): 191 / SC 166 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
Circa: En Masse
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Direct from Brisbane, Australia, and under the direction of visionary leader Yaron Lifschitz, the highly athletic, frontier-pushing acrobats of Circa deliver wild and tender visions of humanity at its extremes through unique circus-style interpretations of Franz Schubert’s achingly beautiful Winter’s Journey and Swan Song, both of which are interspersed with Swedish composer Klara Lewis’ soulful, contemporary grooves. Then, Igor Stravinsky’s iconic Rite of Spring, as played live on dueling pianos in a first-ever circus setting, offers ecstatic, savage energy as the troupe’s frenetic physicality captures the intensity of life-anddeath struggles. Recommended for adult audiences. TH OCT 8 AT 7:30PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 28 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 30 / SC 25 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
Circa acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
. . . A REVOLUTION IN THE SPECTACLE OF CIRCUS —LES ECHOS
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Psh*tter! A DRINKING SONG FOR THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2020
ILLINOIS THEATRE By Henry Wishcamper Lisa Gaye Dixon, director Genessee Spridco, associate director This wry, tragi-comic political satire, based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth and its surrealist reimagining Ubu Roi, was originally intended to premiere in March 2020. Illinois Theatre had to suspend performances due to the coronavirus pandemic but is glad to bring Psh*tter! to audiences this season. The world premiere of a new work and the first play by noted Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate and Chicago director Henry Wishcamper, Psh*tter! asks the question: what happens when greed, corruption, and incompetence rule and when violence has no consequences? The answer is so terrible, you have to laugh out loud, if only to keep from crying. Uncovering the filth that lies at the heart of authoritarian regimes is the first step to seeing them for what they are, and Psh*tter! does that in poignantly timely ways. Come for the Shakespeare, come for the grime. Come for the madcap hijinks. Come because sometimes, as terrible as things may be, you just have to laugh. Contains strong language, simulated violence, and sexual situations. TH-SA OCT 8-10 AT 7:30PM TH-SA OCT 15-17 AT 7:30PM SU OCT 18 AT 3PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE PICK FIVE+: 24 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 24 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 ILLINOIS THEATRE SERIES (4+ EVENTS) PRICE PER SHOW: 23 / SC 22 / STU 13 /UI & YTH 8
DESSERT + CONVERSATION
Go behind the scenes with a pre-show conversation.
Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020, Spring 2020
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SA OCT 10 AT 6:30PM SU OCT 18 AT 2PM KRANNERT ROOM 10 (INCLUDES DESSERT AND BEVERAGE)
BARTÓK
CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA
SINFONIA DA CAMERA Ian Hobson, music director, conductor, and piano With works by Weber, Hindemith, and Bartók, this program has been crafted to showcase Sinfonia da Camera’s skill and agility. Composed in a more Classical style, Weber’s Overture to Oberon is a collage of melodic fragments from the opera and utilizes a technique of leitmotif writing that would later be incorporated in the works of Richard Wagner. Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber borrows incidental themes composed by Weber, which Hindemith then transforms throughout the grand four-movement work. Following intermission, Sinfonia concludes the program with Bartók’s masterpiece Concerto for Orchestra. Perhaps Bartók’s most popular work, the ingenious composition expertly features each section of the orchestra throughout the five movements, treating each, as the composer noted, “in a soloistic and virtuosic way.”
Weber: Overture to Oberon Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra SA OCT 10 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 36 / SC 32 / STU 8 / YTH 5 SINGLE: 40 / SC 36 / STU 10 / YTH 5 SINFONIA DA CAMERA SERIES (ALL 6 EVENTS): 208 / SC 184 / STU 40 / YTH 25
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JANEandBUNNETT Maqueque MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES What started five years ago as a project to mentor and record promising Cuban female musicians has become one of the top groups on the North American jazz scene led by internationally acclaimed, five-time Juno Award-winner Jane Bunnett. The veteran jazz icon and composer is joined in Maqueque by Dánae Olano on piano, Tailin Marrero Zamora on bass, MaryPaz Fernández on percussion, Yissy García on drums, and the vocals of Joanna Tendai Majoko in a fresh, inventive exploration of Afro-Cuban melodies. Together, they have played in major jazz festivals including Newport and Monterey, have been featured on NPR’s Jazz Night
in America, were nominated for a Grammy Award for their 2016 release Oddara, and were voted as one of the top 10 jazz groups in the most recent critics poll by DownBeat magazine, which has described the band’s live performance: “Maqueque entranced listeners with a clave-induced set of Afro-Cuban, booty-shaking world jazz that would have made Dizzy smile.” SA OCT 10 AT 7:30PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 33 / SC 28 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 35 / SC 30 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
“BAND OF YOUNG KILLER FEMALE MUSICIANS PLAYS LIKE SEASONED VETERANS. THE MUSIC IS A REAL TREAT.” —DOWNBEAT
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2020 KRANNERT CENTER DEBUT ARTIST:
SAORI KATAOKA, TRUMPET
HANAH FREEMAN-CHOI, PIANO
SUNDAY SALON SERIES—EMERGING ARTISTRY A native of Tokushima, Japan, Saori Kataoka started her musical journey at an early age. Her love of music eventually led to international performances and to awards at the Roger Voisin Memorial Trumpet Competition, the Vienna International Music Competition, the Junior Classical Music Competition in Japan—and to being named the 2020 winner of the Krannert Center Debut Artist competition. Kataoka is enrolled in the Artist Diploma program with a graduate minor in dance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she has been featured in Aaron Copland’s Quiet City with the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Trumpets with the Illini Strings. Kataoka is also a passionate dancer of Awa Odori, a traditional folk dance from her hometown. For her Debut recital, rescheduled from April 2020, she will present the following program: Ewazen: Sonata for Trumpet and Piano Takemitsu: Paths de Abreu: Tico Tico Enesco: Légende Gershwin (arr. Turrin): Someone to Watch Over Me Clarke: The Maid of the Mist Salon-style performances offer a close connection between artists and guests as audience members sit in six rows of seats on stage with the performer. Light refreshments are served before and after the performance. Balcony tickets (without refreshments) are also available. SU OCT 11 AT 3PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL, SALON-STYLE PICK FIVE+: 54 / SC 49 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 56 / SC 51 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 BALCONY: 10 / UI & YTH 5*
*Balcony tickets do not include food and beverage. SUNDAY SALON SERIES (5 EVENTS): 260 / SC 235 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
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Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra:
The No One’s Rose Matthew Aucoin, conductor Zack Winokur, stage director Bobbi Jene Smith, choreographer American Modern Opera Company
CANCELED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC
MARQUEE GREAT HALL SERIES A powerful new production from Philharmonia Baroque and the American Modern Opera Company, The No One’s Rose centers around text by 20th-century poet and Holocaust survivor Paul Celan that asks a difficult question: what can be recovered after a whole world disappears? In this unique meditation on loss and resilience, J.S. Bach’s cantatas are interwoven with Celan’s poetry, newly set to music by MacArthur Fellow Matthew Aucoin, a musician “devoted to championing the unique ability of music, literature, and art of all kinds to mirror and amplify the gamut of human emotions” (The San Diego Union-Tribune). The performance features some of today’s brightest vocal talents and contemporary dancers including soprano Julia Bullock, who captivated Krannert Center audiences with her 2014 Sunday Salon concert; countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo; tenor Paul Appleby; bass-baritone
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Davóne Tines; violinist Keir Gogwilt; cellist Coleman Itzkoff; percussionist Jonny Allen; and dancers Bobbi Jene Smith, Or Schraiber, Julia Eichten, and Yiannis Logothetis. Completing the innovative production team are lighting designer John Torres, costume designer Carlos Soto, and producer Cath Brittan. After its world premiere at Stanford University’s Bing Concert Hall on October 7, The No One’s Rose tours to Krannert Center and to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This performance will last approximately 80 minutes and will be presented without intermission. No late seating will be available. TH OCT 15 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 47 / SC 42 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 49 / SC 44 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 GREAT HALL SERIES (5 EVENTS): 258 / SC 233 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
A co-production of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale and American Modern Opera Company; commissioned by Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale and Stanford Live
The Dhamaal Dancers AND
MUSICIANS OF INDIA
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Drawing on mythology, traditional dance, and a variety of Indian musical styles, the legendary Dhamaal Dancers and Musicians of India present a vibrant celebration of the ancient cultural tradition of Holi, or the Festival of Colors. Director Rahis Bharti continues his family’s legacy of more than seven generations of royal court musicianship—the Khan Sehab who performed for the great empiric rulers of India—with brand-new compositions featuring the flute, tabla, harmonium, dhol, and sitar, accompanied by mesmerizing choreography.
Recommended for ages 7 and up. TU OCT 27 AT 7:30PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE PICK FIVE+: 26 / SC 21 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 28 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN
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SHE KILLS MONSTERS
The Wolves, Spring 2020
ILLINOIS THEATRE By Qui Nguyen Lisa Gaye Dixon, director Few contemporary plays have been as widely performed and well-loved as Qui Nguyen’s She Kills Monsters. Agnes Evans lives an uneventful life until she is thrust into crisis by the sudden deaths of her parents and sister in a tragic car accident. Shaken out of her routine and forced to confront everything she had been pushing aside in order to keep her life uneventful and ordinary, Agnes begins to explore the worlds her sister had created through the fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons. Toggling back and forth between reality and fantasy, Agnes gradually comes to know herself and her family and learns to overcome her own inner monsters as she lets her life blossom into the extraordinary. Featuring action-packed combat staging and ingenious design, this production will delight with spectacle even while it engages subtle emotions. Contains adult content.
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TH-SA OCT 29-31 AT 7:30PM TU-SA NOV 3-7 AT 7:30PM SU NOV 8 AT 3PM STUDIO THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 24 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 24 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 ILLINOIS THEATRE SERIES (4+ EVENTS) PRICE PER SHOW: 23 / SC 22 / STU 13 / UI & YTH 8
CONCERT ARTISTS GUILD WINNER:
TRIO
SUNDAY SALON SERIES—EMERGING ARTISTRY Lauded for its “stunning virtuosity and ensemble work,” the Merz Trio has been hailed as “riveting,” with “fresh and surprising interpretations” (Reading Eagle). Formed in 2017 by pianist Lee Dionne, violinist Brigid Coleridge, and cellist Julia Yang, the Trio earned Gold Medals at the 2019 Fischoff and 2018 Chesapeake Competitions and was named a winner of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Competition. Taking its name from the early 20th-century found-object collages, or “Merz pictures,” of German visual artist Kurt Schwitters, the Trio embraces the artist’s description of “Merz” as “creating connections . . . preferably between everything in this world.”
Salon-style performances offer a close connection between artists and guests as audience members sit in six rows of seats on stage with the performer. Light refreshments are served before and after the performance. Balcony tickets (without refreshments) are also available. SU NOV 1 AT 3PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL, SALON-STYLE PICK FIVE+: 54 / SC 49 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 56 / SC 51 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 BALCONY: 10 / UI & YTH 5*
*Balcony tickets do not include food and beverage. SUNDAY SALON SERIES (5 EVENTS): 260 / SC 235 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
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MARQUEE CLASSICAL MIX SERIES
Verona Quartet
Acclaimed for its bold interpretive strength and electrifying performances, the Verona Quartet is the 2020 recipient of Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, which honors and promotes a rising young string quartet whose artistry demonstrates that it is in the process of establishing a major career. Upon their retirement in 1995, members of the acclaimed Cleveland Quartet envisioned a lasting legacy for young chamber musicians and joined forces with Chamber Music America and eight chamber music presenters—including Krannert Center—to create this award. The Verona Quartet’s members represent four different nations, but their singular approach and unanimity of purpose in both musical and cultural cooperation have quickly earned the group a reputation as an
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“outstanding ensemble . . . cohesive yet full of temperament” (The New York Times). Formed at Indiana University under the tutelage of the Pacifica Quartet and Atar Arad, the ensemble’s “thoughtful, impressive” performances emanate from the spirit of storytelling; the Quartet believes that the essence of storytelling transcends genre, therefore the name “Verona” pays tribute to William Shakespeare, one of the greatest storytellers of all time (Cleveland Classical). TU NOV 10 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 31 / SC 26 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 33 / SC 28 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10 CLASSICAL MIX SERIES (5 EVENTS): 191 / SC 166 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Riccardo Muti, Zell Music Director
Edward Gardner, conductor | Alexander Gavrylyuk, piano
MARQUEE GREAT HALL SERIES With a storied history that began in 1889, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently hailed as one of the world’s leading orchestras. The iconic ensemble returns to its “southern home,” Krannert Center’s renowned Foellinger Great Hall, under the direction of British conductor Edward Gardner. Chief conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Gardner was recently appointed Principal Conductor Designate of the London Philharmonic Orchestra with his tenure commencing in September 2021. The diverse program includes Rachmaninov’s epic Second Piano Concerto, featuring the electrifying, poetic artistry of pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk.
Wagner: Prelude to Parsifal Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 Walton: Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Minor TH NOV 12 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 63 / SC 58 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 65 / SC 60 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10 GREAT HALL SERIES (5 EVENTS): 258 / SC 233 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
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A LITTLE
Night Music
LYRIC THEATRE @ ILLINOIS Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler Dawn Harris, director Michael Tilley, music director Love entangles all the characters in Stephen Sondheim’s four-time Tony Award-winning A Little Night Music— love remembered, love unrequited, love still to be found. In this musical comedy of manners, both charming and wistful, surprises lie just around the corner, and a magical summer night offers new beginnings. Romance and longing are carried along on Sondheim’s lush score, which includes the masterpiece “Send in the Clowns.”
TH-SA NOV 12-14 AT 7:30PM SU NOV 15 AT 3PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 33 / SC 28 / STU 16 / UI & YTH 8 SINGLE: 35 / SC 30 / STU 18 / UI & YTH 10 LYRIC THEATRE SERIES (ALL 3 EVENTS): 93 / SC 78 / STU 42 / UI & YTH 18
DESSERT + CONVERSATION
Enjoy a pre-performance discussion with members of the artistic team. SA NOV 14 AT 6:30PM SU NOV 15 AT 2PM KRANNERT ROOM 10 (INCLUDES DESSERT AND BEVERAGE)
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NOVEMBER DANCE 2020
Psalm, Jose Limon (reconstructed by Roxane D’Orleans Juste), Fall 2019
DANCE AT ILLINOIS As the curtain goes up on November Dance, the only thing for certain is that the election will be over, humans will be changed as a result of the pandemic, and the curtain might be a virtual curtain revealing our dances streamed or made specifically for the camera. Dance at Illinois anticipates a residue of emotions, so this reminds us to ground ourselves in the basics—the body moving here and now.
resisting the temptation to be categorized, and disrupting the ‘nice wrapping others prepare for us.’” Both Professors Sara Hook and Abigail Zbikowski will subvert the stage experience with an explosion of socially distanced humans in choreography that embraces the embodied experiences gained from months of Zoom dance classes and rehearsals. Stay tuned for details!
Dance at Illinois is excited to present two works from artists who have deep roots with the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH). Founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell, DTH was one of the first ballet companies to hire and celebrate Black dancers. Dance at Illinois Professor Endalyn Taylor, a former principal ballerina with DTH, will create a new work tentatively titled You’ve Been Boxed, now don’t move too much. She describes this work as a “journey of self-identifying,
May contain adult content. TH-SA NOV 12-14 AT 7:30PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE PICK FIVE+: 21 / SC 20 / STU 16 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 22 / SC 21 / STU 17 / UI & YTH 10 DANCE AT ILLINOIS SERIES (ALL 4 EVENTS): 70 / SC 66 / STU 58 / UI & YTH 40
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JAZZ COLLABORATIONS SINFONIA DA CAMERA Ian Hobson, music director and conductor Clark Gibson, alto saxophone J. David Harris, clarinet James Pugh, trombone This rare program celebrates the many collaborations that have occurred between the jazz and symphonic realms throughout the previous century. Beginning with Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, an intimate “symphonic birthday greeting” for the composer’s wife, the program then shifts to the twentieth century. In collaboration with the Champaign-Urbana Jazz Festival, alto saxophonist Clark Gibson performs selections from Charlie Parker’s quintessential recording Bird with Strings, featuring lush orchestrations from the American Songbook. The program continues with Roy Harris’ American Symphony, an incomplete work commissioned for Tommy Dorsey and reconstructed by Sinfonia’s principal trombonist, James Pugh. Next, Sinfonia presents Morgan Powell’s Red, White, and Black Blues, which the composer describes as “not blues in the traditional sense” but inspired by W.C. Handy’s suggestion that “the blues came from the man farthest down.” Principal clarinetist J. David Harris is then featured in two compositions originally commissioned for the iconic jazz clarinetist and bandleader Woody Herman—first, Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto, a jazz-influenced concerto grosso and then, concluding the program, in Leonard Bernstein’s rousing Prelude, Fugue and Riffs. Wagner: Siegfried Idyll Parker: Bird with Strings Stravinsky: Ebony Concerto Harris: American Symphony (1938) Powell: Red, White, and Black Blues Bernstein: Prelude, Fugue and Riffs SA NOV 14 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 36 / SC 32 / STU 8 / YTH 5 SINGLE: 40 / SC 36 / STU 10 / YTH 5 SINFONIA DA CAMERA SERIES (ALL 6 EVENTS): 208 / SC 184 / STU 40 / YTH 25
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“The whole joyous evening was a liberation, carrying us back to a time when the terms ‘classical’ and ‘folk’ hadn’t yet been invented, and music was simply music.” —The Telegraph
BAROKKSOLISTENE:
Alehouse Sessions
THE
CANCELED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES With global recognition for historically informed performance, the musicians of Barokksolistene present their boisterous, award-winning, and everchanging Alehouse Sessions—released as an album on Rubicon Classics in 2017—celebrating the Purcell overtures, English sea shanties, and raucous Scandinavian and Canadian folk songs enjoyed in 17th-century English taverns. Founder and violinist Bjarte Eike leads musicians on strings, percussion, keyboard, and voice to create a virtuosic jam session that’s “innately theatrical, genre bending, and suffused with great musicianship and string playing” (The Strad).
SU NOV 15 AT 3PM AND 7:30PM STUDIO THEATRE, CLUB-STYLE PICK FIVE+: 38 / SC 33 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 40 / SC 35 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
Barokksolistene is supported by Arts Council Norway.
Club-style performances offer first-come, first-served seating at tables in the Studio Theatre. Full bar service with snacks is available during the performance.
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CONTRA TIEMPO
LAS CAFETERAS: JOYUS JUSTUS MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES joyUS justUS is an immersive dance experience that takes on joy as the ultimate expression of resistance. Whenever humans have survived immense hardship and injustice, prevailing with their humanity intact, the presence of joy—the knowing and celebration of true beauty and power—has been at the root. joyUS justUS seeks to redefine the often negative narrative surrounding people of color in the United States as being underprivileged, voiceless, powerless, and victimized.
THE DANCING WAS SUPERB, THE MUSIC OUTSTANDING, AND THE MESSAGE WAS POTENT, TIMELY, AND POSITIVE. —LA DANCE CHRONICLE
In this production, that tale is flipped through stories of joy collected from communities of color in South Los Angeles—personal truths about the power of hope, faith, family, and community. These are expressed through the rigorous social dance forms that inform CONTRA-TIEMPO’s Urban Latin Dance technique and are set to the powerful, live, East L.A. sound of son jarocho superstars Las Cafeteras. The stage hosts a community altar and is populated with local, intergenerational participants. Don’t miss this joy-filled evening that celebrates healing, connectivity, and love! Recommended for ages 8 and up. This performance will last approximately 75 minutes including a 20-minute intermission. Following the performance, please join us for a community dance party in the Lobby. TH NOV 19 AT 7:30PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE PICK FIVE+: 39 / SC 34 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 41 / SC 36 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN
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NUTCRACKER THE
CHAMPAIGN URBANA BALLET | CHAMPAIGN-URBANA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES
Recommended for ages 5 and up.
E.T.A. Hoffmann’s timeless tale—complete with enchanted toys, a princely hero, and fanciful figures— comes to life in this showcase of community talent. Set to Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra’s live performance of Tchaikovsky’s enduring score, this annual holiday tradition sparkles with exquisitely handcrafted costumes and magical moments.
TH-FR DEC 3-4 AT 7:30PM SA DEC 5 AT 2PM AND 7:30PM SU DEC 6 AT 2PM AND 6PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 47 / STU 29 / YTH (12 AND UNDER) 20 SINGLE: 48 / STU 30 / YTH (12 AND UNDER) 21 FAMILY FUN
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HOLIDAY CHAMPAIGN-URBANA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Stephen Alltop, music director and conductor Central Illinois Youth Chorus, Andrea Solya, conductor Bahareh Poureslami, soprano Carl Alexander, countertenor Maria Arrua, violin Ring in the magic of the holiday season with Baroque favorites by Vivaldi, the angelic voices of the Central Illinois Youth Chorus, and the soaring soprano voice of Bahareh Poureslami. Countertenor Carl Alexander is back by popular demand to perform music composed especially for his extraordinary vocal
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gifts. Concertmaster Maria Arrua helps to usher in chilly weather with “Winter” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. There’s always a surprise or two in store, but you can count on Sleigh Ride and the annual carol sing-along. Coots (arr. Breiner): Santa Claus is Coming to Town Vivaldi: “Laudamus te” from Gloria Vivaldi: “Laudate pueri Dominum” and “Amen” from Laudate pueri RV 601 Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in F Minor (“Winter” from The Four Seasons) Carey: I Saw Three Ships
arr. Fry: Go Tell it on the Mountain Friedman/Wendel: A Chanukah Overture Adam: O Holy Night MacGimsey arr. Fry: Sweet Little Jesus Boy Fry: Bel Canto Anderson: Sleigh Ride arr. Naughtin: Christmas Angels Sing-Along Recommended for ages 8 and up. TH DEC 10 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL 40 / SC 36 / STU & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN
To purchase season tickets, please visit cusymphony.org.
RUSSIAN NATIONAL BALLET:
The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES
Recommended for ages 7 and up.
Capturing both the enduring tradition of classical Russian ballet and freshly invigorated interpretations for today, the 50 dancers of this revered Moscow-based company present two stories with themes of magic, trickery, and love. As with each of its Krannert Center performances since 1999, the company—under the artistic direction of legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko—promises enchanted evenings of graceful and timeless beauty.
WE-TH JAN 20-21 AT 7PM (THE SLEEPING BEAUTY) FR JAN 22 AT 7PM (SWAN LAKE) TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 43 / SC 38 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 45 / SC 40 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN
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CANCELED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Based on the play by William Shakespeare Created and performed by Andy Cannon Produced by Red Bridge Arts, Edinburgh, Scotland “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” Andy Cannon is one of Scotland’s finest storytellers, and with a few simple props, he takes on myriad roles to recount Shakespeare’s “Scottish play” (Macbeth) as a riveting one-person, one-hour show. Modern language and easygoing humor temper the play’s more gruesome events as Cannon leads audience members young and old on a thousand-year journey from fact to fiction and back again. Following the one-hour performance, please stay for a Talkback with Andy Cannon. Recommended for ages 12 and up. FR-SA JAN 22-23 AT 7:30PM STUDIO THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 23 / SC 18 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 20 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN YOUTH SERIES
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“Strikingly heartfelt and intelligent . . . immensely classy stuff ” —The Scotsman
an eye for music Concert Artists Guild Winner: Tabea Debus, recorder with Alex McCartney, theorbo SUNDAY SALON SERIES—EMERGING ARTISTRY Recorder virtuoso Tabea Debus— “one of the most exciting young musicians in the early music world”—is constantly exploring the horizons of music for recorder, from Baroque to contemporary, in programs with wide-ranging themes (Classic FM). Debus is joined by theorbist Alex McCartney whose playing on this long-necked lute has been described as “so clean and clear and the sound so enchanting that everything seems just right” (Lute News). An Eye for Music explores works of Bach and Handel who
both suffered from poor eyesight and who both allegedly had the misfortune of losing it altogether under the knife of an infamous British eye surgeon; music of blind recorder player Jacob van Eyck; and that of visionary medieval polymath Hildegard von Bingen, an early writer on eye colors. These works are paired with freshly penned pieces by contemporary composers Freya Waley-Cohen, Cydonie Banting, and Kate Hannah Sagovsky.
sit in six rows of seats on stage with the performer. Light refreshments are served before and after the performance. Balcony tickets (without refreshments) are also available.
Salon-style performances offer a close connection between artists and guests as audience members
SUNDAY SALON SERIES (5 EVENTS): 260 / SC 235 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
SU JAN 24 AT 3PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL, SALON-STYLE PICK FIVE+: 54 / SC 49 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 56 / SC 51 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 BALCONY: 10 / UI & YTH 5*
*Balcony tickets do not include food and beverage.
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SHE HER OURS Susanna Phillips, soprano | Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
“Vocally riveting, dramatically confident, and with power in reserve.” —THE BOSTON GLOBE
MARQUEE CLASSICAL MIX SERIES Their biographies list countless, highly praised feature performances with the world’s premier opera companies and orchestras, from the Metropolitan Opera to the San Francisco Symphony, from Lyric Opera of Chicago to the New York Philharmonic. Critics have described Phillips’ work as “sumptuous and elegantly sung” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “the real deal” (Baltimore Sun) and Cooke as a “luminous standout” (The New York Times) and “equal parts poise, radiance, and elegant directness” (Opera News).
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Together at Krannert Center, these two splendid musicians will present solo works, song cycles, and duets throughout the program. TH JAN 28 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 53 / SC 48 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 55 / SC 50 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10 CLASSICAL MIX SERIES (5 EVENTS): 191 / SC 166 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
fireworks CHAMPAIGN-URBANA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Stephen Alltop, music director and conductor Maria Arrua, violin John Dee, oboe Stephen Alltop, chamber organ Enjoy some of the most spectacular Baroque music ever written! Glorious concertos by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Telemann will be dazzling delights. The concert will showcase the exceptional talents of Principal Oboist John Dee and Concertmaster Maria Arrua and concludes with Handel’s thrilling Music for the Royal Fireworks, highlighted by a large complement of oboes, horns, trumpets, and drums. Telemann: Concerto for Three Trumpets, Two Oboes, and Timpani Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in A Minor, RV 461 J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major Rameau: Overture to Naïs Handel: Organ Concerto in F Major, Op. 4., No. 4 Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks SA JAN 30 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL 40 / SC 36 / STU & YTH 10
To purchase season tickets, please visit cusymphony.org.
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MEREDITH MONK & VOCAL ENSEMBLE
cellular
songs
Layering, replication, division, mutation—the cellular world is complex, often reassuringly cyclical, and an inspiration for the possibilities of human behavior in this music-theatre piece from Meredith Monk. Cellular Songs is the newest in a series of Monk's works that explore our interdependent relationship with nature while seeking to evoke that which cannot be expressed in words. Monk and the women of her acclaimed Vocal Ensemble, with participation from girls in the Central Illinois Youth Chorus, conjure the circle of life in Cellular Songs by incorporating vocal and instrumental music, movement, light, and film to create a contemplative, playful, and hope-filled experience that once again reveals the elegance and purity of one of the most unique and influential artists of our time. SA JAN 30 AT 7:30PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 26 / SC 21 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 28 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 GREENING THE ARTS
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gorge, Idling gorge just, just idling, just, Jennifer Monson, Fall 2019
February Dance DANCE AT ILLINOIS February Dance honors historic voices and emerging artists beginning with Dr. Kariamu Welsh, a brilliant scholar of cultural studies who created Umfundalai, an African diasporic technique. On this 50th anniversary of Umfundalai, Dance at Illinois presents Welsh’s 1990 masterpiece Women Gather, lovingly reconstructed by Dance at Illinois Professor C. Kemal Nance. Professor Rebecca Nettl-Fiol belongs to a family of artists/scholars who have graced the arts at Illinois: her father Professor Emeritus Bruno Nettl, considered a founder of the field of ethnomusicology, and
2021
her daughter Natalie Fiol, whose vibrant photographs of Dance at Illinois can be seen in this book. Nettl-Fiol’s new work for February Dance will be in memory of her effervescent father who passed away in early 2020. People are still talking about Professor Cynthia Oliver’s work Virago-Man Dem, which was performed in the Marquee season during Krannert Center’s 50th-anniversary celebrations. Luckily for February Dance, Oliver will set a new work on Dance at Illinois students, tentatively titled Fallow, which invites us to imagine and navigate a world of emptiness and expanse. Roxane D’Orleans
Juste, an internationally renowned performer in the José Limón Dance Company for over 30 years, will captivate audiences with her riveting solo L’équivoque, a surreal journey of a dancer unleashing her majestic self. Lastly, a surprise new work, created by an emerging artist in the field, will provide a delightful look at what we can expect ahead. May contain adult content. TH-SA FEB 4-6 AT 7:30PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE PICK FIVE+: 21 / SC 20 / STU 16 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 22 / SC 21 / STU 17 / UI & YTH 10 DANCE AT ILLINOIS SERIES (ALL 4 EVENTS): 70 / SC 66 / STU 58 / UI & YTH 40
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WITH PETER DUGAN, PIANO
MARQUEE GREAT HALL SERIES With a career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and conductor, Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated violinists of our era. Praised for his tone, virtuosity, and engaging stage presence, he has recorded more than 40 CDs garnering Grammy, Mercury, Gramophone, and Echo Klassik awards. Named the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 2011, he is the only person to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the renowned chamber orchestra in 1958. Bell leads the Academy in celebrating its 60th anniversary in the 2020-21 season. He is a recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize and has been named an "Indiana Living Legend." Pianist Peter Dugan—recently named permanent host of NPR’s “From the Top”— has appeared as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across North America and abroad. Equally at home in classical, jazz, and pop idioms, Dugan has performed in duos and trios with artists ranging from Itzhak Perlman and Renée Fleming to Jesse Colin Young and Glenn Close. His debut with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony in 2017 was described by the Los Angeles Times as “stunning.” He is a founding creator and the pianist for Operation Superpower, a superhero opera program for children encouraging them to use their own talents—their superpowers. TH FEB 4 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 55 / SC 50 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 57 / SC 52 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10 GREAT HALL SERIES (5 EVENTS): 258 / SC 233 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
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VIOLIN
JOSHUA BELL
Gem of the Ocean, Fall 2019
A STREETCAR NAMED
DESIRE
ILLINOIS THEATRE By Tennessee Williams Tom Mitchell, director Stella!!! Presented in the Studio Theatre, Tennessee Williams’ 1947 play, immortalized in the 1951 film adaptation by Elia Kazan featuring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Kim Hunter, and Vivien Leigh, brings to life the tortured psychodrama of the classic Southern Gothic. Struggling with madness and financial ruin, Blanche DuBois— who, famously, “has always relied on the kindness of strangers”—intrudes into the lives of her younger sister Stella and brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski. The drama turns on issues of class, gender, and the gossamer veil of respectability that may hold a society together but in doing so inflicts its wounds on those who become
its collateral damage. Resident director and nationally renowned Williams scholar Tom Mitchell gives this play new life in a production that lets us reflect on what has changed since it was first performed and what remains the same in human nature and in American culture, despite the intervening decades. Contains adult content and violence. TH-SA FEB 4-6 AT 7:30PM TU-SA FEB 9-13 AT 7:30PM SU FEB 14 AT 3PM STUDIO THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 24 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 24 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 ILLINOIS THEATRE SERIES (4+ EVENTS) PRICE PER SHOW: 23 / SC 22 / STU 13 / UI & YTH 8
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dublin irish dance Wings—A Celebration of Irish Dance
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Produced in the Emerald Isle by the critically acclaimed creative team of choreographer Alan Scariff, music director Eric Cunningham, and movement director Ciarán Connolly, this brand-new Irish dance production showcases original music and choreography influenced by the world’s cultures. Unleashing a signature mix of rhythmic stomps, gravity-defying jumps, and rapid-fire leg work, these world-champion Irish step dancers—alongside some of Ireland’s finest musical and vocal virtuosos—amass their imaginative energy in a transformative tribute to the ancient culture of Celtic folk dancing and its role in all types of celebratory occasions. Recommended for ages 7 and up. SA FEB 6 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 28 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 30 / SC 25 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN
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jupiter
string quartet
MARQUEE CLASSICAL The Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel (Meg’s sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-inlaw). This tight-knit ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music. In addition to their performing career, they have been quartet-in-residence at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana since 2012 where they maintain private studios and direct the chamber music program. Their program features Beethoven’s early String Quartet No. 6, containing the notable “La Malinconia” (Melancholy); Britten’s String Quartet No. 2, written in 1945 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the death of English composer Henry Purcell; and Beethoven’s penultimate quartet, the profound and enveloping Op. 131.
Beethoven: String Quartet No. 6 in B-flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6 Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 36 Beethoven: String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 TH FEB 11 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 23 / SC 18 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 20 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10
Other performances by the Jupiter String Quartet: TH SEP 17 WITH IMANI WINDS (PG 26) TH APR 8 WITH GLORIA CHIEN, PIANO (PG 81)
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English Painters, Poets, and Playwrights SINFONIA DA CAMERA Ian Hobson, music director, conductor, and piano Richard Prior, guest conductor Sinfonia da Camera presents an evening of evocative musical imagery inspired by English painters, poets, and playwrights. A depiction of Thomas Rowlandson’s painting of the same name, William Walton’s Portsmouth Point Overture portrays the seaside bustle of the busy port town in southern England as ships prepare for departure. The title of Frank Bridge’s There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook is drawn from Shakespeare’s Hamlet in which Queen Gertrude
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describes the tragic circumstances in which the drowned Ophelia was discovered. Sinfonia then welcomes Maestro Ian Hobson to the piano, and composer Richard Prior to the podium to perform the world premiere of Prior’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Prior describes his composition as “champion[ing] both the piano and orchestra in often equal roles as the vibrant cinematic drama unfolds.” Finally, as part of a continuing collaboration with Lyric Theatre @ Illinois and in celebration of Valentine’s Day, the evening concludes with a lightly staged production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury. A comic opera depicting a “breach of marriage” trial, this farcical pro-
duction ultimately concludes in an unexpected new marriage and “joy unbounded!” Walton: Portsmouth Point Overture Bridge: There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook Prior: Piano Concerto No. 2 (World Premiere) Gilbert and Sullivan: Trial by Jury SA FEB 13 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 36 / SC 32 / STU 8 / YTH 5 SINGLE: 44 / SC 40 / STU 10 / YTH 5 SINFONIA DA CAMERA SERIES (ALL 6 EVENTS): 208 / SC 184 / STU 40 / YTH 25
YOUNG CONCERT ARTISTS WINNER
ALBERT CANO SMIT, piano SUNDAY SALON SERIES—EMERGING ARTISTRY Along with capturing First Prize in the 2019 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, pianist Albert Cano Smit picked up seven other special prizes, including the Krannert Center performance prize. Those honors follow his First Prize award at the 2017 Walter W. Naumburg Piano Competition, which presented him in recital at Carnegie Hall. He currently studies with Robert McDonald at The Juilliard School and has benefited from extensive artistic advice from Young Concert Artists alumni Richard Goode and JeanYves Thibaudet with whom he gave four-hand piano performances in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. Cano Smit has shared the stage with numerous symphony orchestras in the United States and abroad, including the American Youth Symphony and the Montreal Symphony, and has given recitals at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, at Germany’s Rheingau Music Festival, and throughout Spain. Salon-style performances offer a close connection between artists and guests as audience members sit in six rows of seats on stage with the performer. Light refreshments are served before and after the performance. Balcony tickets (without refreshments) are also available. SU FEB 14 AT 3PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL, SALON-STYLE PICK FIVE+: 54 / SC 49 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 56 / SC 51 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 BALCONY: 10 / UI & YTH 5*
*Balcony tickets do not include food and beverage. SUNDAY SALON SERIES (5 EVENTS): 260 / SC 235 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
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john pizzarelli AN D catherine russell NAT K I N G CO LE AN D TH E L AD I E S O F SO N G MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES John Pizzarelli and Catherine Russell express their adoration for Nat King Cole and the Great American Songbook in an intimate club-style-setting homage to the late entertainer’s 1956-57 NBC television show and its famous guests—from Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald to Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday. Pizzarelli— who delivered a stellar and charming 2015 ELLNORA performance with his father Bucky—has been credited with “reinventing the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz” (The Boston Globe). Russell, hailed by The Washington Post as “a wonderfully charismatic performer with a show-stopping voice,”
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is a Grammy Award-winning jazz singer with seven albums to her credit. Like Pizzarelli, Russell grew up in the midst of music—she’s the daughter of pioneering jazz musician Carline Ray and Luis Russell, longtime leader of Louis Armstrong’s orchestra. Club-style performances offer first-come, first-served seating at tables in the Studio Theatre. Full bar service with snacks is available during the performance. TH-SA FEB 18-20 AT 7:30PM STUDIO THEATRE, CLUB-STYLE PICK FIVE+: 58 / SC 53 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 60 / SC 55 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
FR E E FAM I LY FU N CO N CE RT
Lucy Kalantari the Jazz Cats MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES We’re ready to roar into the music of the 1920s with the kiddos of the 2020s in a concert that’s sure to be the cat’s meow! Shimmy on over to the Center for an intergenerational morning with the conservatorytrained and 2019 Grammy Award-
winning Lucy Kalantari and her fabulous cohort of collaborators, the Jazz Cats. Family audiences are sure to delight in their high-energy, interactive jazz music; silly, sly, and imaginative bilingual lyrics; and swinging scat sing-alongs!
Recommended for all ages. SA FEB 20 AT 10AM (CRAFT ACTIVITIES BEGIN AT 9:30AM) LOBBY FAMILY FUN FREE
(DONATIONS ENCOURAGED)
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noises ILLINOIS THEATRE By Michael Frayn J.W. Morrissette, director A steamy, maddeningly madcap play within a play on stage and a hilariously hectic comedy behind the scenes, Noises Off follows the cast and crew of the play Nothing On, a British sex farce, as they struggle with missed cues, malfunctioning props, and a healthy dose of misguided energy. As they move from rehearsal to performance run, things crack and fall apart—in the most uproarious ways—and the mounting chaos threatens to overwhelm even the most stalwart performers. Will anyone make it out unscathed? Who can say, but we’ll surely have a laugh finding out. TH-SA FEB 25-27 AT 7:30PM TH-SA MAR 4-6 AT 7:30PM SU MAR 7 AT 3PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE PICK FIVE+: 24 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 24 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 ILLINOIS THEATRE SERIES (4+ EVENTS) PRICE PER SHOW: 23 / SC 22 / STU 13 / UI & YTH 8
Go behind the scenes with a pre-show conversation. SA FEB 27 AT 6:30PM SU MAR 7 AT 2PM KRANNERT ROOM 10 (INCLUDES DESSERT AND BEVERAGE)
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The Wolves, Spring 2020
DESSERT + CONVERSATION
STREET
scene
LYRIC THEATRE @ ILLINOIS Music by Kurt Weill Lyrics by Langston Hughes Book by Elmer Rice Sarah Wigley, director Kevin Stites, music director
TH-SA FEB 25-27 AT 7:30PM SU FEB 28 AT 3PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE
Kurt Weill’s Tony Award-winning score fuses an uncommon mix of music genres—show tunes, jazz, arias, folk songs, and spirituals—to express the passions and frustrations of people living in a multiethnic New York City tenement block during two brutally hot days in the Great Depression era. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Elmer Rice, with lyrics by the Harlem Renaissance poet, novelist, and playwright Langston Hughes, Street Scene remains as relevant today as when it premiered at New York City’s Playhouse Theatre in 1929.
LYRIC THEATRE SERIES (ALL 3 EVENTS): 93 / SC 78 / STU 42 / UI & YTH 18
PICK FIVE+: 33 / SC 28 / STU 16 / UI & YTH 8 SINGLE: 35 / SC 30 / STU 18 / UI & YTH 10
DESSERT + CONVERSATION
Enjoy a pre-performance discussion with members of the artistic team. FR FEB 26 AT 6:30PM SU FEB 28 AT 2PM KRANNERT ROOM 10 (INCLUDES DESSERT AND BEVERAGE)
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PRAGUE MARQUEE GREAT HALL SERIES Tomáš Brauner, chief conductor Tomáš Jamník, cello Founded in 1934, the Prague Symphony Orchestra is the official orchestra of the capital city of the Czech Republic. By recording music for the majority of Czech films in the 1930s and performing regularly in live broadcasts on the Czechoslovak Radio, the young orchestra made a name for itself. Soon, its concert seasons
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SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
developed, and the symphony established its long-standing international reputation for excellence, contributing significantly to the musical scene in the capital while also promoting Czech culture abroad. With the Prague-born conductor Tomáš Brauner—among the most sought-after conductors of his generation—the orchestra will perform music of Beethoven and Dvořák, including Beethoven’s rousing Egmont Overture.
Beethoven: Egmont Overture, Op. 84 Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 SA FEB 27 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 45 / SC 40 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 47 / SC 42 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10 GREAT HALL SERIES (5 EVENTS): 258 / SC 233 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
Lang Lang PIANO
BACH'S GOLDBERG VARIATIONS MARQUEE GREAT HALL SERIES Lang Lang is a leading figure in classical music today. As a pianist, educator, and philanthropist, he has become one of the world’s most influential and committed ambassadors for the arts in the 21st century. Equally happy playing for billions of viewers—as at the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing—or for a few hundred children in a public school, he is a master of communicating through music. In his own words, “Music makes life better. It heals, unites, and inspires, and it makes us better people. Music is powerful.” In this performance, his first at Krannert Center since 2016, Lang presents Robert Schumann’s lyrical Arabesque and J.S. Bach’s celebrated Goldberg Variations, which began life in the 18th century as a study for harpsichord—a melody with 30 variations that range from whimsical to achingly sad and cover miles of ground in between. When Lang Lang first publicly performed this work in March 2020, it was a highly anticipated and emotional performance for him, reached “after years of practice, preparation, and reflection . . . a real ‘dream come true’ moment.” Schumann: Arabesque in C Major, Op. 18 Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
. . . his playing was so raptly beautiful that one was afraid to breathe for fear of missing anything. — CHICAGO TRIBUNE
WE MAR 3 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 58 / SC 53 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 60 / SC 55 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10 GREAT HALL SERIES (5 EVENTS): 258 / SC 233 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
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May contain adult content.
Studiodance I features keystone projects of Dance at Illinois graduate students Roxane D’Orleans Juste, Jaylen Clay, and Danzel Thompson -Stout that explode open new possibilities of contemporary dance.
TH MAR 4 AT 7PM (PROG. A) AND 9PM (PROG. B)
The work of graduate student Rachel Rizzuto will be featured in Studiodance I Extended, which will be held at an alternative location on dates to be announced. Learn more at dance.illinois.edu.
I Will, I Will, I Willllllll, William Ervin, Fall 2019
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FR MAR 5 AT 7PM (PROG. B) AND 9PM (PROG. A) SA MAR 6 AT 7PM. (PROG. A) AND 9PM (PROG. B) STUDIO THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 16 / SC 15 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 17 / SC 16 / STU 16 / UI & YTH 10 DANCE AT ILLINOIS SERIES (ALL 4 EVENTS): 70 / SC 66 / STU 58 / UI & YTH 40
Studiodance
DANCE AT ILLINOIS
2021
SMALL ISLAND
BIG SONG
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Australian producer and filmmaker Tim Cole and his Taiwanese partner BaoBao Chen traveled to 16 island nations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans over three years to record indigenous music using traditional instruments and languages in natural settings. Their aim was to explore the Austronesian migration theory that many present-day Oceanic cultures originated in Taiwan, and the result was the award-winning album Small Island Big Song. Performed live, this mighty oceanic showcase unites Indigenous musicians from seafaring cultures as far afield as Hawaii, Madagascar, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Borneo, Papua New
Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Guam, and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and celebrates diverse traditions and instrumentations such as falsetto singing, log drumming, valiha (zither), panpipes, and sapé (lute) with contemporary inflections that represent both ancient legacies and the present impact of changing climates on these cultures.
GLOBAL TRANSFER AFTERGLOW: AAKASH MITTAL’S AWAZ TRIO
This performance will last approximately 70 minutes and will be presented without intermission.
Aakash Mittal has worked as a performing artist, teaching artist, and composer since 2002. As a composer and improviser, Mittal employs colorful dissonances, meditative silences, and angular rhythms to express environments and spaces from the American West to the dense streets of Kolkata, India. Members of the trio include Aakash Mittal, saxophone; Miles Okazaki, guitar; and Rajna Swaminatham, mrudangam.
FR MAR 5 AT 7:30PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE
FR MAR 5 ABOUT 9:45PM STAGE 5, FREE
PICK FIVE+: 23 / SC 18 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 20 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
GREENING THE ARTS
Recommended for ages 7 and up.
FAMILY FUN YOUTH SERIES
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A Child of Our Time CHAMPAIGN-URBANA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Stephen Alltop, music director, conductor, and piano Andrew Megill, conductor University of Illinois Black Chorus, Ollie Watts Davis, conductor University of Illinois Chamber Singers, Andrew Megill, conductor University of Illinois Oratorio Society, Andrew Megill, conductor A Child of Our Time is a beautiful and moving work inspired by Bach’s Passion settings. Michael Tippett traces an arc from oppression in World War II to a message of hope and reconciliation for humanity. Spirituals such as “Steal
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Away” and “Deep River” serve as points of reflection throughout this masterpiece. The concert opens with lively music by Jessie Montgomery, a rising star in our musical world. Ennanga, for harp, piano and strings, is one of the most popular works by American composer William Grant Still. Montgomery: Starburst Still: Ennanga Tippett: A Child of Our Time SA MAR 6 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL 40 / SC 36 / STU & YTH 10
To purchase season tickets, please visit cusymphony.org.
A TRIBUTE TO ARETHA FRANKLIN
The Queen of Soul FEATURING DAMIEN SNEED WITH SPECIAL GUEST KAREN CLARK SHEARD
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Musician, vocalist, and composer Damien Sneed— a mentee of the late Aretha Franklin who toured with the legendary singer in the later years of her more than six-decade career—called on those deeply personal experiences in creating this tender, multimedia reflection on Franklin’s life as the most successful female recording artist in history. Sneed, also Music Director and Composer-in-Residence of the Houston Grand Opera, is joined by an accomplished cast of jazz, gospel, and soul musicians and vocalists led by four-time Grammy awardee and multiple Gospel Music Association Dove Award-winner Karen Clark Sheard, renowned in the music industry for her multi-octave vocal range. TU MAR 9 AT 7:30PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 43 / SC 38 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 45 / SC 40 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
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“A pianist of imperial command, possessed of a dazzling, deceptively casual virtuosity.” —The New York Times
CHUCHO VALDÉS q ua r tet
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Cuban pianist, composer, and arranger Chucho Valdés has become “one of the most influential figures in modern Afro-Cuban jazz” through a six-decade career that began as a member of his father’s Sabor de Cuba orchestra (Billboard). He’s perhaps best known as the founder of Irakere—a landmark ensemble that introduced African drum traditions to Cuban dance music—which he led for more than 30 years. After an enormously
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fruitful period of both leading Irakere and exploring projects as a solo performer and group leader, Valdés chose in 2005 to focus on his work as a pianist and with small ensembles, including the Afro-Cuban Messengers, Jazz Batá, and his acclaimed Quartet. As he prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday in 2021, Valdés continues the prodigious creative output for which he’s earned six Grammy and four Latin Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from
the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, induction into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a DC Jazz Festival Lifetime Achievement Award. This performance will last approximately 90 minutes and will be presented without intermission. TU MAR 23 AT 7:30PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE PICK FIVE+: 37 / SC 32 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 39 / SC 34 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
DANCE AT ILLINOIS
studio dance 2021
Always expect delightful surprises in Studiodance II when Dance at Illinois students present their dancemaking investigations curated by a panel of faculty and students. Be sure to get your tickets early, as this is always a highly attended event. May contain adult content. TH-SA MARCH 25-27 AT 7:30PM STUDIO THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 16 / SC 15 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 17 / SC 16 / STU 16 / UI & YTH 10 DANCE AT ILLINOIS SERIES (ALL 4 EVENTS): 70 / SC 66 / STU 58 / UI & YTH 40
Period Piece, Rachel Rizzuto, Fall 2019
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mark morris dance group AND MUSIC ENSEMBLE
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Birds chirping, crocuses blooming, and the return of Mark Morris Dance Group to Krannert Center—all sure signs of spring! This heralded company has called the Center its Midwest home for two decades and delighted our community with impassioned performances, immersive mentorship, and highimpact engagement, all under the leadership of legendary choreographer Mark Morris.
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Morris is known for his masterful understanding and use of music, and on this visit, the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed live by the company’s Music Ensemble, will take center stage as Mozart Dances bursts forth with “boundless energy,” “relentless inventiveness,” and “sheer delight in creativity” (Austin Chronicle). Mozart Dances consists of three sections, each featuring a different Mozart piano work:
Eleven—Piano Concerto No. 11 in F Major, K. 413 Double—Sonata in D Major for Two Pianos, K. 448 Twenty-Seven—Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat major, K. 595 FR-SA MAR 26-27 AT 7:30PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 41 / SC 36 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 43 / SC 38 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
IMMORTAL SINFONIA DA CAMERA Ian Hobson, music director, conductor, and piano Sinfonia da Camera celebrates the 251st anniversary of Beethoven’s birth with a program of beautifully evocative and timeless pieces that continue the orchestra’s ongoing Beethoven cycle. Noting, “No one can love the country as much as I do,” Beethoven illustrates his “recollections of country life” in Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral.” In the dramatic “Leonore” Overture No. 3 from his opera Fidelio, Beethoven musically depicts the darkness of a prison cell, the hope of reprieve, and, ultimately, the joy of freedom. Finally, Maestro Ian Hobson takes the stage as both conductor and pianist for Beethoven’s elegant Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor. Heavily inspired by Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24, the piece was composed during a transitional period in Beethoven’s career, as he began to stretch the boundaries of classical practice and usher in the Romantic period that was to follow. Join Sinfonia for an evening of immortal music!
BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, “Pastoral” Beethoven: “Leonore” Overture No. 3 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 SA MAR 27 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 36 / SC 32 / STU 8 / YTH 5 SINGLE: 40 / SC 36 / STU 10 / YTH 5 SINFONIA DA CAMERA SERIES (ALL 6 EVENTS): 208 / SC 184 / STU 40 / YTH 25
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THE 7 FINGERS
passengers
“The 7 Fingers achieves what most contemporary circus acts can only dream of—the fusion of mass entertainment and intellectual exploration.” —The Bay State Banner, USA
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES We all have somewhere to go, even though our reasons for leaving may differ. Tearful goodbyes, joyful reunions, unexpected encounters— they are all part of the journey down the track of life. This seven-member Montreal-based circus troupe—you may remember them as Les 7 Doigts de la Main—returns to Krannert Center to take audience members on a magical trip, this time by metaphorical train. Passengers is a nostalgic look at the dualities of departure and arrival, stillness versus acceleration, the familiar and the foreign, and past versus future— all told through breathtaking acrobatic skill, evocative imagery, highly physical theatre, and mesmerizing music. Recommended for ages 7 and up. This performance will last approximately 90 minutes and will be presented without intermission. SU MAR 28 AT 3PM TU MAR 30 AT 7:30PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE PICK FIVE+: 31 / SC 26 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 33 / SC 28 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN YOUTH SERIES
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JUPITER STRING QUARTET with Gloria Chien, piano MARQUEE CLASSICAL The Jupiter String Quartet, an “ensemble of eloquent intensity,” performs to acclaim across the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America in the world’s finest halls—including Krannert Center’s Foellinger Great Hall at the University of Illinois where the Jupiter is quartet-in-residence (The New Yorker). Joining the quartet for this concert is pianist Gloria Chien who leads a diverse musical life as a noted performer, concert presenter, and educator. Selected by the Boston Globe as one of its Superior Pianists of the year, “who appears to excel in everything,” Chien performs frequently with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The Jupiter String Quartet presents works by brother and sister Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel. They are joined by Chien for American composer Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet, written in 1907. Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 12 Hensel: String Quartet in E-flat Major Beach: Piano Quintet, Op. 67 TH APR 8 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL
“a wondrously rich palette of colors, which she mixes with dashing bravado and with an uncanny precision of calibration . . . . Chien’s performance had it all, and it was fabulous.” —Richard Dyer
PICK FIVE+: 23 / SC 18 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 20 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10
Other performances by the Jupiter String Quartet: TH SEP 17 WITH IMANI WINDS (PG 26) TH FEB 11 (PG 63)
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Gem of the Ocean, Fall 2019
THEREALNESS ILLINOIS THEATRE By Idris Goodwin Aaron Muñoz, director It’s 1996 when young hip-hop fan T.O. escapes the suburbs. Hip-hop, the music at the center of his world, is in full swing. When he meets MC and single mother Prima, he falls— hard. But a series of lies he tells to get closer to her start to catch up to the two of them, forcing T.O. to grapple with questions about
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what he really wants and how his fantasies of the hip-hop life, forged as they were in the suburbs, intersect with Prima’s reality. With a soundtrack of classic 1990s hip-hop and a story about love complicated by class in Black America, this play ultimately brings us face-to-face with elemental questions about desire, our ethical commitments to one another’s humanity, and the remarkable challenge of simply being honest with ourselves.
Contains adult content. TH-SA APR 8-10 AT 7:30PM TU-SA APR 13-17 AT 7:30PM SU APR 18 AT 3PM STUDIO THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 24 / SC 23 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 25 / SC 24 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 ILLINOIS THEATRE SERIES (4+ EVENTS) PRICE PER SHOW: 23 / SC 22 / STU 13 / UI & YTH 8
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES
Queen’s Cartoonists THE
How do you mix jazz, classical music, and comedy to create an all-audiences experience? By incorporating cartoons, of course! This action-packed ensemble, led by Joel “Sweet Sauce McKinley” Pierson, takes inspiration in animations from around the world, classic and contemporary. Audiences will revel in the interplay between beloved scenes on video with a swinging (and often silly) soundscape that serves up a zany showcase of musical virtuosity, measured mayhem, and unexpected antics! Recommended for ages 5 and up. This performance will last approximately 75 minutes and will be presented without intermission. FR APR 9 AT 7:30PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE PICK FIVE+: 18 / SC 13 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 20 / SC 15 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 FAMILY FUN YOUTH SERIES
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SINFONIA DA CAMERA Ian Hobson, music director and conductor Dmitry Kouzov, cello Sinfonia da Camera’s 37th season finale presents an evening of music from two of Russia’s greatest composers. The program begins with Tchaikovsky’s symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini, a passionate musical depiction of the tragic tale of damned lovers from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Sinfonia then welcomes cellist Dmitry Kouzov to perform Tchaikovsky’s elegant concerto for cello and orchestra, Variations on a Rococo Theme. Composed immediately following Francesca da Rimini, these classical variations provide a delightful contrast to the intensity of his preceding work. Finally, the evening concludes with Shostakovich’s critically provocative Symphony No. 9. Originally intended to be a majestic celebration commemorating the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II, the completed work differed significantly in scope and character. As the composer noted, “if the Seventh and the Eighth symphonies bore a tragic-heroic character, then in the Ninth a . . . bright mood predominates.” Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32 Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 70 SA APR 17 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 36 / SC 32 / STU 8 / YTH 5 SINGLE: 40 / SC 36 / STU 10 / YTH 5 SINFONIA DA CAMERA SERIES (ALL 6 EVENTS): 208 / SC 184 / STU 40 / YTH 25
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Tchaikovsky Shostakovich AND
2021
KRANNERT CENTER DEBUT ARTIST SUNDAY SALON SERIES—EMERGING ARTISTRY Each performance season, the Krannert Center Debut Artist concert beautifully embodies the nature of Krannert Center as a collaborative laboratory, classroom, and public square. Together, Krannert Center and the School of Music choose by audition an outstanding student. This performer then receives a professional contract for their Debut Artist performance, working with members of Krannert Center’s staff
and School of Music faculty to plan, present, promote, and document their recital. Audience members receive a special opportunity to hear a rising University of Illinois performer and to experience history in the making. Salon-style performances offer a close connection between artists and guests as audience members sit in six rows of seats on stage with the performer. Light refreshments are served before and after
the performance. Balcony tickets (without refreshments) are also available. SU APR 18 AT 3PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL, SALON-STYLE PICK FIVE+: 54 / SC 49 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 56 / SC 51 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 BALCONY: 10 / UI & YTH 5*
*Balcony tickets do not include food and beverage. SUNDAY SALON SERIES (4 EVENTS): 260 / SC 235 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
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The Brahms Effect Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
MARQUEE CLASSICAL MIX SERIES Western classical music’s leading figure at the culmination of the Romantic era, Johannes Brahms, laid an inspirational groundwork for generations of composers—and performers—to come. Pursuing their mission to share the exhilaration of chamber music around the globe, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center members Juho Pohjonen (piano), Paul Huang (violin), Matthew Lipman (viola), David Finckel (cello), David Shifrin (clarinet), and Radek Baborák (horn) have created a special, Brahms-centered program. The evening’s first two works are trios by Brahms whose emotional range and innovative spirit influenced the formative elements of the evening’s third selection—Sextet in C Major by Hungarian composer Ernő Dohnányi.
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Brahms: Trio in A Minor for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Op. 114 Brahms: Trio in E-flat Major for Horn, Violin, and Piano, Op. 40 Dohnányi: Sextet in C Major for Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano, Op. 37 TH APR 22 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL PICK FIVE+: 36 / SC 31 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 38 / SC 33 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 CHORAL BALCONY: 15 / UI & YTH 10 CLASSICAL MIX SERIES (5 EVENTS): 191 / SC 166 / STU 75 / UI & YTH 50
kandace springs
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Kandace Springs’ soulful singing arises in a sumptuously layered mix of R&B, jazz, and pop. After years immersed in developing her lithe, smoky voice—praised by her late mentor Prince as one “that can melt snow”—and intensely expressive piano style, Springs fully launched her solo vocal and piano career in September 2014, just two months after Prince invited her to perform at Paisley Park to mark the 30th anniversary of the release of “Purple Rain.” Among her creative works from Blue Note Records are Soul Eyes (2016) and Indigo (2018), both of which spent time near the top of Billboard’s contemporary jazz chart. Her newest release, The Women Who Raised Me (2020), features her unique interpretations of songs that she first heard growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, influenced by such classic icons as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Carmen McRae, through 1960s legends Nina Simone and Dusty Springfield, to modern masters such as Sade, Lauryn Hill, and her childhood idol Norah Jones. Club-style performances offer first-come, first-served seating at tables in the Studio Theatre. Full bar service with snacks is available during the performance. FR APR 23 AT 7:30PM SA APR 24 AT 7PM AND 9PM STUDIO THEATRE, CLUB-STYLE PICK FIVE+: 53 / SC 48 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 55 / SC 50 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
“A vocal force to be reckoned with.” —Okayplayer
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russian festival CHAMPAIGN-URBANA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Stephen Alltop, music director and conductor Adam Neiman, piano East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra, Kevin Kelly, Music Director The CUSO season culminates with a grand celebration of orchestral color. Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, overflowing with drama and musical passion, will be performed by CUSO side-by-side with the ECIYO. Adam Neiman, a pianistic virtuoso of the first order, will amaze with Rachmaninov’s ever-popular Rhapsody. Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, enhanced by Ravel’s brilliant orchestration, is one of the great showpieces for symphony orchestra. This performance will be accompanied by video produced by Shatterglass Studios, featuring the photography of Larry Kanfer and Karyl Wackerlin.
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Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, Overture-Fantasy Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 Mussorgsky arr. Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition SA APR 24 AT 7:30PM FOELLINGER GREAT HALL 40 / SC 36 / STU & YTH 10
To purchase season tickets, please visit cusymphony.org.
LYRIC THEATRE @ ILLINOIS Music by Georges Bizet Adapted by Peter Brook Nathan Gunn, director Julie Jordan Gunn, music director Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen is one of the most popular operas ever written, and this theatrical adaptation focuses all its fiery drama on four characters: the fierce and seductive Gypsy Carmen; her lovers, soldier Don José and bullfighter Escamillo; and the innocent messenger Micaëla. Containing all of the opera’s unforgettable arias and dialogue from Prosper Mérimée’s novella on which Bizet’s work was based, this 90-minute, one-act production distills Carmen into an intense and gripping tragedy. Sung in French with English supertitles Contains adult content TH APR 29-SA MAY 1 AT 7:30PM SU MAY 2 AT 3PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE
La TRAGÉDIE de CARMEN
PICK FIVE+: 33 / SC 28 / STU 16 / UI & YTH 8 SINGLE: 35 / SC 30 / STU 18 / UI & YTH 10 LYRIC THEATRE SERIES (ALL 3 EVENTS): 93 / SC 78 / STU 42 / UI & YTH 18
DESSERT + CONVERSATION
Enjoy a pre-performance discussion with members of the artistic team. SA MAY 1 AT 6:30PM SU MAY 2 AT 2PM KRANNERT ROOM 10 (INCLUDES DESSERT AND BEVERAGE)
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ONE BOY’S DAY MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Seeking the extraordinary in the mundane, One Boy’s Day creates a contemplative space for audiences to consider the past, reflect upon the present, and generate hope for our future. At a time when definitions of community, privacy, and citizenship are becoming increasingly contentious, this deeply poetic work puts children at the center and asks how their lives have changed over the past 70 years, opening up the intimate account of one boy from a largely homogenous, middle-class town to the rich multiplicities of a diverse present-day America. In 1949, eight social scientists descended upon rural Kansas to engage in a detailed observational study of human behavior. In their quest to document the life of an “ordinary” child, their primary subject became seven-yearold “Raymond Birch,” and their resulting 435-page report on one boy’s day aimed to describe
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“how children actually behave in real-life situations” and offer insight into what makes an “ideal” American community. The study is a meticulous minute-by-minute account of Raymond’s every activity—from getting up and eating breakfast to playing with his friends, from studying English and participating in music class to eating dinner and going to bed. Decades later, composer and director Mikel Rouse—a longtime collaborator with Krannert Center through projects including Dennis Cleveland, The End of Cinematics, Gravity Radio, and The Demo—discovered and became fascinated with this study. Along with artistic collaborators Jeff Sugg, Jim Findlay, Christopher Ericson, Matthew Gandolfo, Hideaki Tsutsui, and William Knapp, Rouse created a time-accurate, immersive, multimedia installation and music concert with video, light, sound, and text and architectural environments based on the 1949 research. One
Conceived, written, and directed by Mikel Rouse Boy’s Day lasts for 13 hours and 33 minutes—from the time Raymond Birch woke until the time he went to bed. Throughout the duration of this innovative piece, which Krannert Center has helped foster for over three years, audience members are encouraged to come and go as they please, watching the work as a staged performance or moving inside the installation. Live music (string quartet, chorus, and local improv musicians) will combine with live and recorded video capturing teachers and classes onstage for the first time. Orchestrating an “average day” in class will offer the opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the powerful work of teachers while highlighting children and the profound beauty of their contributions. Recommended for ages 5 and up. FR APR 30 FROM 7AM TO 8:33PM COLWELL PLAYHOUSE FAMILY FUN FREE NO TICKETS REQUIRED (DONATIONS ENCOURAGED)
MARQUEE BIG MIX SERIES Taj Mahal has devotedly pursued and elevated blues music throughout his 60-year career, respecting the music’s origins in the American South, the Caribbean, Africa, and elsewhere while creating entirely new sounds over and over again. A 2017 Grammy Award for TajMo— Taj’s collaboration with Keb’ Mo’— brought his Grammy tally to three wins and 14 nominations, and in 2020, his self-titled 1968 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Additional honors include Blues Hall of Fame membership and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association. A Krannert Center ELLNORA alum, Taj appreciates the accolades, but his motivation lies elsewhere. “I just want to be able to make the music that I’m hearing come to me—and that’s what I did,” he says. “When I say, ‘I did,’ I’m not coming from the ego. The music comes from somewhere. You’re just the conduit it comes through. You’re there to receive the gift.” WE MAY 5 AT 7:30PM TRYON FESTIVAL THEATRE PICK FIVE+: 37 / SC 32 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10 SINGLE: 39 / SC 35 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10
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GREATER TOGETHER Support Krannert Center today
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A Community of Philanthropy Krannert Center is able to pursue the fulfillment of its mission, despite the COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges, because of the spirited generosity and steadfast commitment of those who support each season. As a new chapter begins in this more than 50-year legacy, it is also a time to provide for the future through our ongoing Endow the Dream fundraising campaign. Krannert Center remains enormously thankful for the University of Illinois’ core institutional support and vital funding from the Krannert Center Student Fee, the College of Fine and Applied Arts, and the Frances P. Rohlen Visiting Artists Fund. Krannert Center is truly grateful to those INDIVIDUALS, BUSINESSES, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS whose generosity sustains both artistry and access through Colwell, Ikenberry, Foellinger, and Krannert Center Society-level gifts, Loop and Marquee Circle membership, event sponsorships, and underwriting. Gifts of all sizes—both current use and planned estate gifts—support free events, make visiting artist performances possible, and provide critical sustenance for the Center’s initiatives. The Center also deeply values the students and community members of all ages who invest their time and energy as Krannert Center VOLUNTEERS.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PHILANTHROPY HAS NEVER BEEN GREATER. TOGETHER, WE CAN CREATE POWERFUL IMPACT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. Please find detailed donor recognition in program booklets, on the Lobby donor wall, and at KrannertCenter.com. To learn more about how to contribute, please visit KrannertCenter.com/Give or contact us at advancement@krannertcenter.illinois.edu or 217.333.6700.
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THANK YOU
to the following agencies and foundations:
THE ANDREW W.
MELLON FOUNDATION
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Corporate and Community Sponsors Please join Krannert Center in showing appreciation for the following 2020-21 season-long sponsors and the numerous event and initiative sponsors who will be recognized throughout the year: PLATINUM
LEAD GOLD
GOLD
CE R
S
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PL A NE
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LOOKING FORWARD To ensure the Center’s financial strength in the future, the Endow the Dream campaign continues in conjunction with the University of Illinois’ With Illinois campaign. Krannert Center’s ambitious plan to increase the endowment fund by $30 million will provide for the long-range funding of artist fees, creative research and the development of new work, engagement and access programs, and the professional training and cultural experience of arts and non-arts majors. Although the Center rigorously supports students and the performing arts academic units throughout the facility, additional support for Dance at Illinois, Illinois Theatre, the School of Music including Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, and for the resident orchestras Sinfonia da Camera and Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra is needed to ensure the continued success of these critical academic and cultural assets. Join our community of philanthropy today at: KrannertCenter.com/Give advancement@krannertcenter.illinois.edu 217.333.6700
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PLANNING CALENDAR 2020-21 SA SEP 12 5:30pm Opening Night Party 6pm New Souls (Amp) 6:30pm Doctor Nativo (Stage 6) 7:45pm The Bluebonnets (Stage 5) 8pm New Souls (Amp) 9pm The Soul Rebels (Stage 6) SU SEP 13 3pm Sinfonia da Camera: A Mutual Celebration (FGH) TU SEP 15 7:30pm PHILADANCO! (TFT) TH SEP 17 7:30pm Imani Winds with Jupiter String Quartet: (im)migration —music of change (FGH) FR SEP 18 7:30pm Pablo Ziegler Chamber Quartet: RADIOTANGO (ST) SA SEP 19 7pm Pablo Ziegler Chamber Quartet: RADIOTANGO (ST) 9pm Pablo Ziegler Chamber Quartet: RADIOTANGO (ST) TH SEP 24 PYGMALION FR SEP 25 PYGMALION and PYGHACK SA SEP 26 11am Manual Cinema: The Magic City (TFT) PYGMALION and PYGHACK TH OCT 1 7:30pm Police Deaf Near Far (ST) FR OCT 2 7:30pm Police Deaf Near Far (ST) 7:30pm ELLNORA Reverb: Strings for Peace (FGH) about Global Transfer Afterglow: 9:30pm Derek Gripper (Stage 5) SA OCT 3 7:30pm Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra: Mahler’s Third Symphony (FGH)
7:30pm Pilobolus: The Big Five-OH! (TFT) 7:30pm Police Deaf Near Far (ST) TU OCT 6 7:30pm Police Deaf Near Far (ST) 7:30pm Ray Chen, violin (FGH)
SU OCT 18 2pm Dessert and Conversation: Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (KR) 3pm Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (CP)
WE OCT 7 7:30pm Police Deaf Near Far (ST) TH OCT 8 7:30pm Circa: En Masse (TFT) 7:30pm Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (CP) 7:30pm Police Deaf Near Far (ST)
TU OCT 27 7:30pm The Dhamaal Dancers and Musicians of India (CP) TH OCT 29 7:30pm She Kills Monsters (ST)
FR OCT 9 7:30pm Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (CP) 7:30pm Police Deaf Near Far (ST)
FR OCT 30 7:30pm She Kills Monsters (ST)
SA OCT 10 6:30pm Dessert and Conversation: Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (KR) 7:30pm Jane Bunnett and Maqueque (TFT) 7:30pm Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (CP) 7:30pm Police Deaf Near Far (ST) 7:30pm Sinfonia da Camera: Bartók Concerto for Orchestra (FGH) SU OCT 11 3pm 2020 Krannert Center Debut Artist: Saori Kataoka, trumpet (FGHS) Police Deaf Near Far (ST) TH OCT 15 7:30pm Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (CP) 7:30pm Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra: The No One’s Rose (FGH) FR OCT 16 7:30pm Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (CP)
SA OCT 17 7:30pm Psh*tter! A Drinking Song for the Year of Our Lord 2020 (CP)
SA OCT 31 7:30pm She Kills Monsters (ST) SU NOV 1 3pm Concert Artists Guild Winner: Merz Trio (FGHS) TU NOV 3 7:30pm She Kills Monsters (ST) WE NOV 4 7:30pm She Kills Monsters (ST) TH NOV 5 7:30pm She Kills Monsters (ST) FR NOV 6 7:30pm She Kills Monsters (ST) SA NOV 7 7:30pm She Kills Monsters (ST) SU NOV 8 3pm She Kills Monsters (ST) TU NOV 10 7:30pm Verona Quartet (FGH) TH NOV 12 7:30pm Chicago Symphony Orchestra (FGH) 7:30pm November Dance 2020 (CP) 7:30pm A Little Night Music (TFT)
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FR NOV 13 7:30pm November Dance 2020 (CP) 7:30pm A Little Night Music (TFT) SA NOV 14 6:30pm Dessert and Conversation: A Little Night Music (KR) 7:30pm November Dance 2020 (CP) 7:30pm Sinfonia da Camera: Jazz Collaborations (FGH) 7:30pm A Little Night Music (TFT) SU NOV 15 2pm Dessert and Conversation: A Little Night Music (KR) 3pm Barokksolistene: The Alehouse Sessions (ST) 3pm A Little Night Music (TFT) TH NOV 19 7:30pm CONTRA-TIEMPO & Las Cafeteras: joyUS justUS (CP) TH DEC 3 7:30pm The Nutcracker (TFT) FR DEC 4 7:30pm The Nutcracker (TFT) SA DEC 5 2pm The Nutcracker (TFT) 7:30pm The Nutcracker (TFT) SU DEC 6 2pm The Nutcracker (TFT) 6pm The Nutcracker (TFT) TH DEC 10 7:30pm Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra: Holiday Splendor (FGH) WE JAN 20 7pm Russian National Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty (TFT) TH JAN 21 7pm Russian National Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty (TFT) FR JAN 22 7pm Russian National Ballet: Swan Lake (TFT) 7:30pm Is This a Dagger? The Story of Macbeth (ST) SA JAN 23 7:30pm Is This a Dagger? The Story of Macbeth (ST)
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SU JAN 24 3pm Concert Artists Guild Winner: Tabea Debus, recorder with Alex McCartney, theorbo: An Eye for Music (FGHS)
SU FEB 14 3pm A Streetcar Named Desire (ST) 3pm Young Concert Artists Winner: Albert Cano Smit, piano (FGHS)
TH JAN 28 7:30pm Susanna Phillips, soprano and Sasha Cooke, mezzosoprano: She her ours (FGH)
TH FEB 18 7:30pm John Pizzarelli & Catherine Russell: Nat King Cole and The Ladies of Song (ST)
SA JAN 30 7:30pm Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra: Baroque Fireworks (FGH) 7:30pm Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble: Cellular Songs (TFT)
FR FEB 19 7:30pm John Pizzarelli & Catherine Russell: Nat King Cole and The Ladies of Song (ST)
TH FEB 4 7:30pm A Streetcar Named Desire (ST) 7:30pm February Dance 2021 (CP) 7:30pm Joshua Bell, violin with Peter Dugan, piano (FGH) FR FEB 5 7:30pm A Streetcar Named Desire (ST) 7:30pm February Dance 2021 (CP) SA FEB 6 7:30pm A Streetcar Named Desire (ST) 7:30pm February Dance 2021 (CP) 7:30pm Dublin Irish Dance: Wings— A Celebration of Irish Dance (FGH) TU FEB 9 7:30pm A Streetcar Named Desire (ST) WE FEB 10 7:30pm A Streetcar Named Desire (ST) TH FEB 11 7:30pm A Streetcar Named Desire (ST) 7:30pm Jupiter String Quartet (FGH) FR FEB 12 7:30pm A Streetcar Named Desire (ST) SA FEB 13 7:30pm A Streetcar Named Desire (ST) 7:30pm Sinfonia da Camera: English Painters, Poets, and Playwrights (FGH)
SA FEB 20 10am Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats (LOB) 7:30pm John Pizzarelli & Catherine Russell: Nat King Cole and The Ladies of Song (ST) TH FEB 25 7:30pm Street Scene (TFT) 7:30pm Noises Off (CP) FR FEB 26 6:30pm Dessert and Conversation: Street Scene (KR) 7:30pm Street Scene (TFT) 7:30pm Noises Off (CP) SA FEB 27 6:30pm Dessert and Conversation: Noises Off (CP) 7:30pm Street Scene (TFT) 7:30pm Noises Off (CP) 7:30pm Prague Symphony Orchestra (FGH) SU FEB 28 2pm Dessert and Conversation: Street Scene (KR) 3pm Street Scene (TFT) WE MAR 3 7:30pm Lang Lang, piano: Bach’s Goldberg Variations (FGH) TH MAR 4 7pm Studiodance I 2021 (ST) 7:30pm Noises Off (CP) 9pm Studiodance I 2021 (ST)
FR MAR 5 7pm Studiodance I 2021 (ST) 7:30pm Small Island Big Song (TFT) 7:30pm Noises Off (CP) 9pm Studiodance I 2021 (ST) about Global Transfer Afterglow: 9:45pm Aakash Mittal’s Awaz Trio SA MAR 6 7pm Studiodance I 2021 (ST) 7:30pm Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra: A Child of Our Time (FGH) 7:30pm Noises Off (CP) 9pm Studiodance I 2021 (ST) SU MAR 7 2pm Dessert and Conversation: Noises Off (KR) 3pm Noises Off (CP) TU MAR 9 7:30pm A Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul (TFT) TU MAR 23 7:30pm Chucho Valdés Quartet (CP) TH MAR 25 7:30pm Studiodance II 2021 (ST) FR MAR 26 7:30pm Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble: Mozart Dances (TFT) 7:30pm Studiodance II 2021 (ST) SA MAR 27 7:30pm Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble: Mozart Dances (TFT) 7:30pm Sinfonia da Camera: Immortal Beethoven (FGH) 7:30pm Studiodance II 2021 (ST) SU MAR 28 3pm The 7 Fingers: Passengers (CP)
FR APR 9 7:30pm The Queen’s Cartoonists (CP) 7:30pm The Realness (ST)
SU MAY 2 2pm Dessert and Conversation: La Tragédie de Carmen (KR) 3pm La Tragédie de Carmen (TFT)
SA APR 10 7:30pm The Realness (ST)
WE MAY 5 7:30pm Taj Mahal (TFT)
TU APR 13 7:30pm The Realness (ST)
VENUE KEY Amp = Amphitheatre CP = Colwell Playhouse FGH = Foellinger Great Hall FGHS = Foellinger Great Hall Salon KR = Krannert Room Stage 5 = Lobby next to Stage 5 Bar Stage 6 = Lobby in front of Great Hall ST = Studio Theatre TFT = Tryon Festival Theatre
WE APR 14 7:30pm The Realness (ST) TH APR 15 7:30pm The Realness (ST) FR APR 16 7:30pm The Realness (ST) SA APR 17 7:30pm Sinfonia da Camera: Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich (FGH) 7:30pm The Realness (ST) SU APR 18 3pm 2021 Krannert Center Debut Artist (FGHS) 3pm The Realness (ST) TH APR 22 7:30pm Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: The Brahms Effect (FGH) FR APR 23 7:30pm Kandace Springs (ST) SA APR 24 7pm Kandace Springs (ST) 7:30pm Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra: Russian Festival (FGH) 9pm Kandace Springs (ST) TH APR 29 7:30pm La Tragédie de Carmen (TFT)
TU MAR 30 7:30pm The 7 Fingers: Passengers (CP)
FR APR 30 7am8:33pm One Boy’s Day (CP) 7:30pm La Tragédie de Carmen (TFT)
TH APR 8 7:30pm Jupiter String Quartet with Gloria Chien, piano (FGH) 7:30pm The Realness (ST)
SA MAY 1 6:30pm Dessert and Conversation: La Tragédie de Carmen (KR) 7:30pm La Tragédie de Carmen (TFT)
In any season, all artists and programs are subject to change. Change is particularly likely during the 2020-21 season as a result of the pandemic. Please visit KrannertCenter.com for updates and to sign up for Krannert Center’s e-newsletter.
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PLAN YOUR VISIT Please let us know if we can assist you in any way as you get ready to enjoy Krannert Center; we will be happy to help. We look forward to welcoming you to the Center soon! Ticket Office tickets and general questions 217.333.6280 or 800.KCPATIX kran-tix@illinois.edu Patron Services Office special tour requests and accessibility assistance 217.333.9716 patronservices@krannertcenter.illinois.edu KrannertCenter.com information on events, parking, daily tours, accessibility, email newsletter, and more
Credit for Ticket Returns If you can’t attend a performance, simply phone us to return your tickets (no need to come in person) by 6pm the day before the performance for a full credit, issued on a Krannert Center gift card, which never expires and can be used for tickets or any of our services. We never charge a handling fee for any ticket purchase, exchange, or return! Parking Underground parking is free Monday through Friday after 5pm and all day Saturday and Sunday. Meters on the street are enforced 7am to 6pm Monday through Saturday and are free all day Sunday.
Bringing Children to Krannert Center Krannert Center is committed to programming for audience members of all ages. Many events are planned especially for children and their families at which dancing, singing, and all-ages participation are welcome! These events are marked “Family Fun” in this book and at KrannertCenter.com. For events not indicated as “Family Fun,” we ask that everyone in your party, regardless of age, be able to sit quietly through at least a two-hour performance without disturbing others. For symphony, ballet, and other performances where focus is a prerequisite for full enjoyment of the artistic experience, the recommended age for attendance is at least six years. (This age might sometimes differ, and if so, this will be indicated on the event’s web page.)
Groups that include children who do not meet the minimum recommended age may not be able to enter the theatre. Patrons who create a disturbance during a performance will be kindly asked to leave the performance out of courtesy to the performers and other audience members. For ticketed events, all audience members, including children of all ages, are required to have a ticket. If we can be of assistance as you plan your visit, please feel free to call the Ticket Office at 217.333.6280 or email krannertcenter@illinois.edu. We will be happy to help with any questions you might have. Thank you!
Printing and distribution of this season publication is funded by earned income as well as private, business, and foundation support. No state funds are used. Core funding from the University of Illinois supports indirect costs, such as staff. This book was sent to print on June 5, 2020.
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DINING AND GIFT SHOP Our lobby services are open day and evening to serve you:
SMOOTH SELECTIONS AND ARTISANAL APPETIZERS
SUSTAINABLE SPECIALS AND EVERYDAY INDULGENCES
SHOWCASE + GIFT SHOP
WHY WAIT? Order before you head into the theatre, and we’ll have your food and beverages
waiting for you at intermission or after the show.
FSC
All paper used in this book is FSC® certified and comes from well-managed forests.