Springfield Ballet Company performs the holiday classic, The Nutcracker, at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11 with two performances on Saturday. The production features a cast of 130, including children and adults from the Springfield area, SBC members and guest artists. These include: SBC member Caragan Phillips, Clara; Carolina Ballet Theatre members […]
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Branches of brilliance
Looking for a little Christmas spirit in November? Memorial’s Festival of Trees at the Orr Building Nov. 19-27 is a must for pre-season holiday cheer. You can walk around and see more than 150 trees and wreaths decorated by organizations and individuals. Various dancers, bands and singers perform. Other attractions include: children’s craft area, Santa, […]
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Contemporary interpretations
Best Christmas music artist of all time with 27 million albums sold, platinum-selling Mannheim Steamroller opens up the holiday season in Springfield with a November concert at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS. The concert features multimedia images and synchronized lighting and special effects in harmony with the enchanting contemporary and classic sounds that Mannheim Steamroller by Chip […]
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Classical character
Violinist Midori performs at Sangamon Auditorium Oct. 25. She is joined on stage by Pianist Özgür Aydin. On the repertoire for the evening: Mozart: Sonata in E-flat Major K.380; Shostakovich: Sonata Op.134; Schumann: Sonata in A minor, Op.105; and Schubert: Fantasy in C Major, D.934. Sometimes the beauty of a musician as a human being […]
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Leading UIS into the future
Asked what is her most important accomplishment at the University of Illinois Springfield, and Susan Koch, about 100 days into her position as chancellor, names Kimberly Pate. “The hiring of our athletic director was absolutely critical, and even though I wasn’t on board yet I was very, very involved with the hire through the months […]
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Inventive instrumentals
Five-piece Canadian ensemble ScrapArtsMusic brings reused items and industrial waste fashioned into instruments and innovative percussion and drumming music to Sangamon Auditorium, UIS. An energetic mix of metal and movement powered by muscle is sure to get your adrenaline pumping or interest piqued. Founder and musician Gregory Kozak is joined on stage by musicians Spencer […]
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Moving to the music
Here’s a chance to see the dancing of the Springfield Ballet Company in a different light, or should we say sound, as they team up with the St. Louis rock band Downstate, instead of the orchestra, and move to the music of Dave Matthews Band, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Fleetwood Mac, Adele and more. You’ll […]
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‘I see a whole lot of opportunity here’
Henrik Rasmussen calls himself a “Springfielder by choice.” A native of Denmark, Rasmussen moved his family to Springfield in 2009, seeking opportunity, freedom and space to innovate. Now a U.S. citizen, Rasmussen is launching his own public affairs consulting firm in Springfield on Aug. 1, after seven years at another consulting firm. Addressing the crowd […]
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The perfect match
The touching Tony Award-winning musical about a working man and his wife raising their daughters in revolution-plagued 1905 Russia comes to Sangamon Auditorium June 20. The score includes unforgettable songs “Tradition,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and “If I Were A Rich Man.” John Preece plays the lead, Tevye. Don’t miss this Broadway in Springfield production. Fiddler on […]
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Four-decade magic
The 70s classic-rock band America plays at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS on Friday, June 3. Popular for their first #1 song, A Horse With No Name, the group rose to fame with a string of hits, such as, I Need You, Lonely People and Sister Golden Hair, racking up six certified gold and/or platinum albums and […]
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Defenders of the innocent
It’s not every day that a serial killer helps a writer solve a crime, so when Diane Fanning, a Texas true-crime author, received a letter from convicted killer Tommy Lynn Sells admitting to a murder in Illinois, she knew she was on to something big. Fanning convinced Sells to give more details about the1997 murder […]
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Hammy parody
Direct from Broadway to Sangamon Auditorium, UIS, Monty Python’s Spamalot is the official national tour of the Tony award-winning musical. Based on the classic 1975 film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the wackiness continues as King Arthur and his knights (and a few barely-clothed girls) journey for the Holy Grail on the stage. The […]
