Arts Calendar
Revised Tuesday 06/24/08
Through 05/31/2009
Lakeview Museum presents "Within the Emperor's Garden: The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion", a one-fifth scale replica of a classic Chinese pavilion that stands within the Forbidden City in Beijing. This exhibit is on tour from the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and Peoria is the very first stop on the tour. For hours and information, call Lakeview Museum, 1125 West Lake Avenue, at 686-7000.
Through Friday, 10/31
The Historical Tours return for 2008 through the Peoria Historical Society. Board the Trolley for the Grandview Drive and Springdale Cemetery Tour, the River City Tour, the All-American City Tour, or the Old Peoria and the Judge Tour. For hours and information, call the Peoria Historical Society at 674-1921.
Through Sunday, 08/17
The Peoria Municipal Band, directed by Dr. David Vroman, continues its 71st year of free concerts under the stars in the Glen Oak Park amphitheatre Wednesdays and Sundays at 7:30pm. For more information, visit the Band website at www.peoriamunicipalband.com
Concerts are presented at the Glen Oak Park in the Fred Huber Amphitheater. Admission to the concerts is free! Dr. David Vroman of Bradley University is the director of this 50-member professional concert band. Each week the band brings a wide variety of music to the stage that appeals to audiences of all ages. It is a great way to spend a summer evening with family and friends.
Music at these performances will entertain and invigorate adults and children alike. Popular theme concerts will play a central role in the programming of marches, show tunes, dances, overtures, hymns, popular songs, and of course, solos. The rich tradition of outstanding vocal and
instrumental soloists performing with the band will continue throughout the summer. Celebrity emcees from throughout Central Illinois will host many of the Sunday evening performances.
On three consecutive Wednesday evenings (July 9, 16, 23) the band will perform on the Peoria Riverfront. These performances will be conveniently located so that families can enjoy the beautiful riverfront along with the boom and the swing of some familiar Sousa marches. Of special note, the
"Independence Day Celebration in Music" will be held at Glen Oak Park on Thursday, July 3rd with fireworks following which will pay tribute to the United States of America and the men and women of the armed forces.
On Friday evenings, June 27, July 11 and July 25, the band will be performing in different locations “out about town” at an earlier start time of 7pm. The locations and dates are: Shoppes at Grande Prairie June 27, Peoria Christian Center July 11, and St. Philomena Church July 25.
The Peoria Municipal Band was formed in 1937 through the efforts of Local 26 of the American Federation of Musicians and interested citizens. Prior to 1937 the band was a professional municipal band complete with management and "Soloists of National Reputation". Current band members come from all walks of life; many are currently music teachers in the local schools. They are selected by audition and then commit to a full season of rehearsals and performance. Hundreds of thousands of people have enjoyed their music since 1937. Today, with the support of the city, the band continues the long-standing tradition of excellence in music.
Through Thursday, 07/03
The 6th Annual Illinois Chamber Music Festival at IWU will present a summer concert series featuring artists from The International Sejong Soloists; The Illinois, Indianapolis, and Chicago Symphony Orchestras; Illinois Wesleyan, Illinois State, and Western Illinois Universities; Hope College; Crane
School of Music SUNY, Potsdam; and the Dobrin Petkov Music College in Bulgaria.
All concerts will take place in Westbrook Auditorium on the IWU campus and are free and open to the public. Please see the following concert schedule:
Tuesday, June 24, 7:30 pm – Faculty Concert
Thursday, June 26, 7:30 pm-- Student Concert
Friday, June 27, 7:30 pm-- Faculty Concert
Sunday, June 29, 3:00 pm-- Faculty/Student Concert
Tuesday, July 1, 7:30 pm—Faculty Concert
Thursday, July 3, 5:00 pm—Final Student/Faculty Concert
Please visit http://www2.iwu.edu/music/k12/camp.shtml or call Lisa Nelson at 309-556-3547 for more information.
Wednesday, 06/25, Friday, 06/27 and Sunday, 06/229
Looking for something to do that will be enjoyable and with the right price, FREE! Come to Glen Oak Park and spend a wonderful, relaxing family evening and listen to the music of the Peoria Municipal Band. The band is in their 71st Season and continues to play their weekly concerts at the amphitheater, riverfront and around the city.
The Peoria Municipal Band will present two concerts at the Glen Oak Park Amphitheater on Wednesday, June 25th and Sunday, June 29th at 7:30 pm. Dr. David Vroman is the director of this 50-member professional concert band. Each week the band brings a wide variety of music to the stage that appeals to audiences of all ages. It is a great way to spend a summer evening with
family and friends.
Plus, this week the Band is "Out About Town" for a concert at Shoppes at Grande Prairie at 7pm. Come to the Court outside Bergner's for a very enjoyable hour.
This week the band will feature Debra Austin as the vocal soloist, and hornist Laurel Filzen Etzel will perform. Wednesday the Band will present the amazing and moving work "Inchon". And on Sunday the Band will celebrate the 100th birthday of composer Leroy Anderson.
Also, be sure to get your copy of "Music To Our Ears", a musical history of Peoria by Monica Vest Wheeler. It's available at all Band concerts for just $20, and the proceeds go towards building a Band Endowment at the Community Foundation of Central Illinois.
Music at each weekly performance will entertain and invigorate adults and children alike. All the concerts will include programming of marches, show tunes, dances, overtures, hymns, popular songs, and of course, solos. The rich tradition of outstanding vocal and instrumental soloists performing
with the band will continue throughout the summer.
Through Saturday, 06/28
Corn Stock Theatre presents the classic Neil simon comedy "The Odd Couple" in the tent in upper Bradley Park in Peoria with shows starting at 7:30pm. For tickets and information, call Corn Stock at 676-2196.
Wednesday, 06/25 through Saturday, 06/28
EastLight Theatre in East Peoria presents the multiple-Tony-Award-winning musical by Mel Brooks, "The Producers". Curtain time is 7:30pm. For tickets and information, call EastLight at 699-SHOW.
Wednesday, 06/25 through Sunday, 08/10
The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is in its 31st season. Spend a pleasant summer’s evening on the grassy lawn of the Festival’s grounds with a picnic basket, a bottle of wine, and great friends. Bask in the serene environment of the lush gardens and Pre-performance live music. The plays are performed in rotation and include "The Taming of The Shrew" (the classic Battle of the Sexes!), "Titus Andronicus" (a bloody look at politics, honor and revenge), and "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged" (an hilarious romp through 37 plays in 97 minutes!).
The Festival performs on the grounds of Ewing Manor, 48 Sunset Rd., Bloomington, IL 61701. Ewing Manor is at the corner of Towanda Avenue & Emerson street and is easily accessible from I-55, I-39 or I -74.
Grounds open at 5pm for picnicking, with pre-show entertainment atarting at 6:45. Performances start at 7:30pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Performances start at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays. For complete performance listings please go to www.thefestival.org or call (309) 438-2535.
Thursday, 06/26 through Saturday, 08/09
Festival 56 returns to various venues in Princeton, Illinois, with 7 productions including "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change", "Hamlet", "Vanities", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "City of Angels", "The Odd Couple", and "A Doll's House." There are also additional events on the schedule. For complete information, call toll-free (866) 806-5656 or visit www.festival56.com
Friday, 06/27 through Saturday, 08/02
The Undergraduate Student Invitational exhibit, opens June 27th and runs through August 2nd at the Peoria Art Guild, on the corner of Harrison and Washington streets downtown. The opening reception is Friday, June 27th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. The public is invited to attend. One outstanding student from each of a dozen college or universities were chosen to participate in this exhibition. Several of the students were graduates of the Peoria Art Guild's Mentor Apprentice Program.
Saturday, 06/28
The Peoria Riverfront Market continues from 8am to noon each Saturday morning through September with locally grown food, local craft items and entertainment. This week's performer is Barry Cloyd from 8:30am to noon.
Saturday, 06/28
A Banjo Concert, performed by the Central Illinois Banjo Club, will take place in the Historic Town Square. The master of ceremony will be the area’s renowned comedian Mike Dentino. Mike has performed in more local theatre shows than anyone can count. The concert will begin at 11am. In case of rain, the concert will be held at the Snyder Village Retirement Center located on the East side of town on Route 116 at 1200 E. Partridge St. in Metamora. A good will offering will be taken during the concert to help fund the statue project. Sing-a-long with some old time tunes.
The Historic Metamora Courthouse was built in 1845 as the government center for Woodford County. It was a court for the former Illinois Eighth Judicial Circuit. The Metamora courthouse is best known for being one of only two surviving courthouses on the 8th Judicial Circuit in Illinois. This historic courthouse is where the future U.S. president Abraham Lincoln practiced law and handled more than seventy cases, including two murder cases and two harboring slave cases.
Woodford County is currently midway in a fund drive to raise money to BRING LINCOLN HOME to Metamora. A life size statue of both Abraham Lincoln and the defendant, Mrs. Goings, he represented during the last trial he worked here in Metamora, is planned to arrive in Metamora in time to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday on February 12, 2009. World renowned for his Lincoln work, Illinois Sculptor John McClarey has already completed the conceptual design of the statue. McClarey created the statue at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield and many other sites including a statue in Moscow, Russia. The permanent home of the new statue will be in the Historic Metamora Town Square. The town square, where Abraham Lincoln counseled many of his clients, is located across the street from the courthouse.
The concert will be held in conjunction with this season’s first Metamora Farmer’s Market, which is held around the square. The Farmer’s Market will open 8am ‘til 1pm on this special day. Usual hours will be 8am ‘til noon. This year’s Farmer’s Market promises to have more purveyors of produce, arts and crafts than ever before.
There will be a Pork Chop Fry, from 11am ‘til 1pm, with chips and soda. An Ice Cream Social will also be held 11am ‘til 1pm. The Ice Cream Social will be provided by the Woodford County Historical Society Lincoln Statue Committee and the Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site. Everyone involved will be local volunteers and all proceeds will benefit the statue fund. For an enjoyable time, join the crowd in Metamora on Saturday, June 28. We need your support to BRING LINCOLN HOME.
Saturday, 06/28 and Sunday, 06/29
The Peoria Park District presents the 6th annual "Rhapsody in Bloom" arts festival in the Luthy Botannical Gardens of Glen Oak Park in Peoria from 10-5 Saturday and noon to 5 Sunday. In addition to the art items on view and for sale, food and entertainment will be available. Members of the WCBU staff will serve as MCs for the performances. For tickets and information, call 686-3362.
Sunday, 06/29
The Princeton Community Band presents “Sousa and his Contemporaries,” the third concert of its summer 2008 series. Along with some favorite Sousa marches, the program will also include music by other composers who were writing at the same time as the “March King.” This free concert will be held at Soldiers' and Sailors' Park in Princeton at 7:00 pm, weather permitting. The band is under the direction of Jeremy Lehman.
Thursday, 07/10 through Sunday, 07/13
The Peoria Park District's Community Children's Theatre is proud to present its summer musical “OKLAHOMA”, directed by Lisa Voyles. Take a step back in time this summer to the Indian territory of Oklahoma. Set at the turn of the century, Oklahoma captures the rivalry between cattlemen and farmers. This popular 1943 Rogers and Hammerstein musical tells the story of the farm girl Laurey and
the two rivals for her affection: the cowboy Curly and Jud, the brooding farmhand. The enduring and endearing music in this Western included the enchanting "Oh What a Beautiful Morning", "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top", “People Will Say We're in Love”, "I Can't Say No", "Oklahoma!” and many more, making this a musical treat for the whole family. The cast is made up entirely of youth aged 8-18. Performances are July 10, 11 and 12 at 7:00 p.m. and July 11, 12, and 13 at 1:30 p.m. at Peoria Players Theatre. Tickets are on sale now at the Glen Oak Park Pavilion and are $7 for students 12 and under and seniors and $9 for adults or at www.artspartners.net. Group rates for groups of 10 or more are also available. For further information contact 309-681-2861.
Thursday, 07/17 through Saturday, 07/19
Arc Light Productions returns with another summer of community theatre for Glasford and surrounding communities. The main production will be "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller (based on his book), presented on July 17, 18, and 19 in the Illini Bluffs High School Theatre and again co-directed by Jeff Driscoll and Rachel Waters. The story is told from the point of view of Captain Yossarian, a pilot convinced his number is up, yet every time he reaches his quota of missions, the requirements are increased until he flatly refuses to fly. This dramatic story of the stresses of war is filled with comedic characters like the C.O. bucking for general, a mess officer who runs an international cartel, undercover agents who end up investigating each other, and many more - a cast of some 44 members will fill the stage. Open auditions for "Catch-22" will be held on May 29 and 30 from 2pm - 7pm at the High School Theatre. This production is open to all members of the community - you do not need to be a student to try out, nor do you need any prepared materials or theatre experience. Rehearsals are in the evenings, beginning on June 3rd.
We will be in need of additional help behind the scenes for this production, in areas like set construction, set painting, hair and make up, and set decoration/props. If you are interested in a non-acting role, please contact Jeff Driscoll by e-mail at jeff@arclightpro.com or by phone at
309-231-9270.
Visit our website at www.arclightpro.com for more information on these
events.
Friday, 07/25
Reel to Real shows "Winged Migration" (Le Peuple Migrateur) at ICC North campus in the Arbor Auditorium at 7:00 PM. A Belgian film nominated for an Oscar, another three international wins and 12 nominations. This documentary highlights the migratory patterns of birds filmed on all seven continents over the course of three years. As they journey around the world, there is family time (courtship, nesting, birth, and first flight) and hardships to overcome (weather, hunters, and pollution). Sparse narration and a few titles – it is both visually and intellectually absorbing. Adults $5.00, Students $4.00. For more information, 339-3001 or email r2rfocus@yahoo.com
