CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Krannert Center for the Performing Arts will celebrate 50 years of providing memorable moments with its Come Home to Krannert Center weekend April 12-14. The building, funded by a gift from Herman and Ellnora Krannert, opened in April 1969 and was recognized as a premier university-based performing arts center. It is also the performance home of the academic departments for theater, music and dance.
“A robust arts and culture scene is essential to the quality of life in any great city or community,” said Mike Ross, the director of Krannert Center. “It is extremely rare, however, for a population center the size of Champaign-Urbana to have a cultural asset as significant and as high-impact as Krannert Center. We are fortunate to have a campus and community who value the arts and continue to support our mission.”
The highlight of the 50th anniversary weekend is the Come Home Gala at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Krannert Center lobby. The event is free and open to the public. Acoustical music performances at three areas in the lobby begin at 6 p.m., with complimentary appetizers and a cash bar.
Ross and other U. of I. leaders will speak at 7 p.m., followed by the performance of an original composition by guitarist, singer and producer Steve Dawson, who has performed at Krannert’s ELLNORA: The Guitar Festival, and the School of Music’s Jupiter String Quartet.
“Dawson wrote this beautiful piece of music for guitar and string quartet,” said Bridget Lee-Calfas, Krannert Center’s advertising and publicity director. “It was first shared with Mike Ross by New York Guitar Festival founder David Spelman, and Mike knew right away that it was perfect for this occasion.”
The music will be accompanied by a slideshow of historic images of Krannert Center on a 24-foot LED screen. The gala will finish with a global toast by those at the gala and on social media, using the hashtag #KrannertCenterat50. The social media posts will be displayed on the LED screen. A DJ will play music for dancing following the toast.
Throughout the weekend, visitors will be able to add their Krannert Center memories to a timeline in the lobby and see a display of photos and items from the center’s 50 years, curated by the Library’s Student Life and Culture Archives.
The weekend begins with forums on the future of performing arts in higher education from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1-2 p.m. Friday in Colwell Playhouse. Those participating in the conversations on the challenges and opportunities for performing arts centers include Ross; Jerry Yoshitomi, a consultant for performing arts centers in higher education; directors from performing arts centers at peer institutions; and the leaders of performing arts and other departments on campus.
A panel discussion, “The Miracle on the Prairie,” at 3:30 p.m. Friday in Colwell Playhouse will highlight the history of Krannert Center, including its architecture and behind-the-scenes stories. The discussion will be led by former Krannert Center senior associate director Rebecca McBride, former technical director Tom Korder, former lighting director Ray Caton and former Alumni Association CEO Jim Vermette, among others.
Visitors can meet at an informal gathering from 5-7 p.m. Friday in the lobby.
An open house featuring guided tours will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. The tours will include live rehearsals in the center’s rehearsal spaces and music in the hallways. Such tours have not previously been available to the general public.
A tour of the Richmond Family Welcome Gallery at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center from 2-3 p.m. Saturday will include an exhibit with items related to Krannert Center.
The winner of Krannert Center’s annual Debut Artist competition, saxophonist Wilson Poffenberger, will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday in Foellinger Great Hall. Since 1984, Krannert Center and the School of Music have chosen a student through audition to give a Debut Artist recital.
Poffenberger, a second-year doctoral student in the School of Music, will perform selections by Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Ravel, Fernande Decruck, Florent Schmitt and Edison Denisov, as well as original arrangements. Pianist Casey Dierlam will accompany him. Stage seating is unavailable but balcony seats can be purchased for $10 at Krannert Center’s ticket office or online.