This is the moment you’ve been waiting for!

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is happy to announce the 2023-24 performance season, featuring emerging artists, returning favorites, and the tenth edition of ELLNORA | The Guitar Festival. Events from September to May showcase national and international artists as well as university student performances in music, theatre, lyric theatre, dance, and more.

The complete season listing is at the bottom of this article.

Once every month at the Rose Bowl Tavern in downtown Urbana, if you go on a Monday afternoon, you’ll see an interesting combination of musicians on stage, playing some instruments you may not be familiar with: a healthy mix of percussion, strings, and electronics from far-flung corners of the world, all being led in spontaneous composition by Jason Finkelman, Artistic Director of Global Arts Performance Initiatives here at Krannert Center.

Grab your friends and your dancin’ shoes! Krannert Center is happy to announce the return of Krannert Center Uncorked, our free Thursday night concert series that presents the best musicians in Champaign-Urbana and throughout central Illinois.

“Uncorked is a social event of its own now, like a free Thursday happy hour where everyone is welcome,” Director Mike Ross said. It’s a place where friends can gather, enjoy a beverage from the Stage 5 Bar, and listen to great local music across many genres from bluegrass and folk to rock, jazz, and everything in between.

Krannert Center kicks off the 2025-26 season with our annual Opening Night Party on Thursday, September 4, and YOU’RE INVITED!

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign proudly invites you to Come Be Here and experience its 2025-26 performance season, featuring an exciting mix of emerging and world-class artists in this, its 56^th year.  Events from September to May showcase national and international performers as well as university student performances in music, theatre, lyric theatre, and dance.

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.

Krannert Center is happy to announce on-sale dates for our several of our Spring 2025 performances, which had been previously unavailable.

Tickets for all Spring performances in the Colwell Playhouse, as well as Food by Geoff Sobelle – now in the Tryon Festival Theatre March 6-8 – will go on sale this week.

Krannert Center is actively seeking patron input on the impact the Center has had ­for you and our community.

“The Center is currently embarked upon a visioning and strategic planning process,” Executive Director Mike Ross explained. “A fundamental goal of this work is to create a vision statement that imagines Krannert Center at a horizon point ten years from now to help inform the completion of a five-year strategic plan that will move toward the realization of that vision.”

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is preparing to kick off their 2024-25 season in style with an Opening Weekend Party September 6-7. The festivities will include two days of free live performances, plus food, workshops, interactive displays, and family-friendly activities.

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is pleased to announce the 2024-25 ticket on-sale schedule for all performances except for those in the Colwell Playhouse (see below). 

Tickets will be available to the public beginning Wednesday, August 21 at 10am Central time.