Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Allerton Park kicks off its concert series May 6

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Allerton Park and Retreat Center will kick off its concert series Friday, May 6.

The “Kick Off Concert” for this year’s Allerton Park Concert Series will feature Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound, playing roots, rhythm and blues, soul, and Brazilian, Cuban and African music. Starting off the evening is West of Staley, a local jazz combo of high school and college students playing jazz standards and original compositions.

The “Kick Off Concert” usually features Americana music – blues, bluegrass or roots – as well as younger acts such as West of Staley, said Derek Peterson, the associate director of park operations and organizer of the concert series. The “Kick Off Concert” is from 6-9 p.m. on the Gate House Lawn.

This year’s concert series will include a new event: “Allerton Festival,” a mid-September music festival that is still in the planning stages. It will be a one-night festival with a nationally known band, Peterson said, and he hopes it will evolve into a festival that spans multiple acts and days. The performers will be announced in June.

Peterson said Allerton is moving toward more festivals featuring national acts.

The other concert series events are:

  • “Irish Fest,” June 3, 6-9 p.m., Gate House Lawn. Irish Fest will feature The Shanties, Amasong (the local award-winning lesbian/feminist chorus) and The Chicago Rovers. It will also include a Celtic Kids play area with activities.
  • “Reds, Whites & the Blues,” July 1, 6-9 p.m., Gate House Lawn. This concert will pair the blues music of The Laurie Morvan Band with vendors offering a variety of wines.
  • “Bluegrass on the Prairie,” Aug. 5, 6-9 p.m., the Meadow. The performers are the Henhouse Prowlers and Ben Miller Band, a progressive bluegrass band. “There’s a little more blues than grass. They’re interesting to listen to, and I think they’ll be a lot of fun,” Peterson said.
  • “Allerton Barn Music Festival,” Sept. 22-23, 7-9 p.m., Allerton Music Barn. Advance ticket purchase required. This festival returns after a year off, now being organized by Allerton Park and Retreat Center rather than the U. of I. School of Music. It retains close ties with the School of Music, though, and Jupiter String Quartet will perform on the first night of the festival. Viktor Krauss – a Champaign native, composer and bassist who records and tours with Lyle Lovett and is the brother of Grammy award-winner Alison Krauss – will headline the second night.

Other than the “Allerton Festival” and the “Allerton Barn Music Festival,” all of the events cost $5 per person or $10 per family. Food vendors will be on-site for each of the concerts, and wine and beer will be sold. Audience members are encouraged to bring picnics, but no outside alcohol is allowed.

Rooms are available at the Allerton Mansion, Gate House and the House in the Woods for guests who want to stay overnight.

Editor’s note: More information about the Allerton Park Concert Series is available online.          

Read Next

Life sciences Portrait of the research team posing together.

Minecraft players can now explore whole cells and their contents

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have translated nanoscale experimental and computational data into precise 3D representations of bacteria, yeast and human epithelial, breast and breast cancer cells in Minecraft, a video game that allows players to explore, build and manipulate structures in three dimensions. The innovation will allow researchers and students of all ages to navigate […]

Arts Photo of seven dancers onstage wearing blue tops and orange or yellow flowing skirts. The backdrop is a Persian design.

February Dance includes works experimenting with live music, technology and a ‘sneaker ballet’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will present February Dance 2025: Fast Forward this week at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. February Dance will be one of the first performances in the newly renovated Colwell Playhouse Theatre since its reopening. The performances are Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Dance professor […]

Honors portraits of four Illinois researchers

Four Illinois researchers receive Presidential Early Career Award

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Four researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were named recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. The winners this year are health and kinesiology professor Marni Boppart, physics professor Barry Bradlyn, chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Ying […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010