Krannert Center Wraps Up Black History Month In Style!
Krannert Center will conclude its Black History Month programming with three exceptional music performances, plus a discussion with one of the nation’s foremost jazz musicians.
Esteemed jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard will be presenting excerpts from his Grammy Award-winning masterwork, Fire Shut Up In My Bones, at Krannert Center on Thursday, February 27. This work, based on New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow’s widely acclaimed memoir, offers a hybrid classical/jazz/R&B/gospel-inflected score to tell the story of a young man’s journey to overcome and transcend a life of trauma and hardship. Blanchard has won eight Grammy Awards, is a 2024 NEA Jazz Master, and has composed the scores for over 60 film projects (including extensive work with Spike Lee) and some 20 solo albums. Fire Shut Up in My Bones Is Blanchard’s second opera.
Blanchard will be the guest of honor at a roundtable discussion on February 27th at 11 AM at the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures. The Art and Impact of Terence Blanchard: A Conversation on Culture, Music and Storytelling, will focus on the impact of Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Distinguished panelists include Professor Jeff Magee from the School of Music; Dr. Ollie Watts Davis, Professor of Voice and Director of the Black Chorus at the School of Music; and Leon Lewis-Nicol, doctoral student in Jazz Piano Performance at the School of Music. The roundtable will be moderated by Illinois Soul/Illinois Public Media’s David Pierce. Admission is free.
For the entire month of February, Krannert Center’s Thursday concert series, Krannert Center Uncorked, is presented with our partner Illinois Soul 101.1 FM. The first two, featuring Ryan Byfield & Nuclei and jazz supergroup Soul Syndicate, were a huge success. The remaining Uncorked performances feature Bloomington, Illinois-based neo-soul group Soft Spoken on Thursday, February 20, and Grammy Award-winning guitarist Isaiah Sharkey on February 27. All February Uncorked performances are from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Stage 5 in the Krannert Center lobby. Admission is free, with light refreshments available for purchase.
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.