CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Krannert Center for the Performing Arts will open its 2016-17 season with Afro-Cuban music, blues and a mixture of Bhangra, funk, rock and jazz. The variety of music at the “Opening Night Party” is matched by the variety of performers throughout the season.
Krannert Center’s Sept. 9 opening night will feature the Grammy-nominated Pedrito Martinez Group, led by a master Afro-Cuban musician; Davina and The Vagabonds, with a sound influenced by both blues and jazz; and Red Baraat, an eight-piece band (including a sousaphone) that plays North Indian Bhangra music and was called “the best party band in years” by NPR.
One of the first events of the season is a cine-concert featuring the film “The Triplets of Belleville” with live music. Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville will play “French hot jazz” to accompany the 2003 animated film about the search for a kidnapped cyclist, aided by the Belleville sisters, who were once jazz singers.
Also in September, Black Violin – a duo of classically trained string players – will perform their unique blend of classical music influenced by hip-hop.
The Art of Time Ensemble from Canada will perform the music from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The concert is not a Beatles tribute, but rather its own interpretation of the music.
Lucky Plush Productions – a Chicago-based dance theater company that won a 2016 MacArthur Award – will present “Trip the Light Fantastic: The Making of SuperStrip” in October. The production is about a group of defunct superheroes struggling to again change the world for the better. Krannert Center for the Performing Arts supported the creation of the work through a series of residencies.
An all-female mariachi band, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, will perform traditional Mexican music with Aida Cuevas, a Latin Grammy Award-winning singer, while The Havana Cuba All-Stars will showcase the musical traditions of Cuba.
This year is an off year for the biannual ELLNORA guitar festival, but Krannert Center is presenting Pablo Villegas, a classical Spanish guitarist. His performance is billed as an ELLNORA special event – an effort to present a world-class guitarist during the ELLNORA off years.
During the spring 2017 semester, Red Sky – a Canadian company performing indigenous dance, theater and music – will present “Mistatim,” the story of friendship and the taming of a wild horse.
The Five Irish Tenors and René Marie will also come to Krannert Center during the spring. The Five Irish Tenors will perform beloved Irish songs. René Marie is a jazz singer performing original music, and she’ll perform in a cabaret-style setting in the Studio Theatre.
Another Canada-based company, the cirque performers Les 7 doights de la main, will present the show “Cuisine & Confessions.” Its athletic theatrics center around food and the experiences of eating and being at the table and in the kitchen. The performers bake banana bread on stage during the show.
En Garde Arts returns to Krannert Center with “WILDERNESS,” a multimedia production about the healing power of nature. En Garde Arts presented “BASETRACK Live,” about the impact of war on veterans and their families, at Krannert Center in March 2015.
“Sonic Illinois” is a spring series with an innovative look at new music. It will include a performance of “Anthracite Fields,” for which composer Julia Wolfe won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for music. The production tells the story of Pennsylvania coal miners. The UI Chamber Singers will join Bang on a Can All Stars to perform the piece. Wolfe presented “Steel Hammer,” which told the story of John Henry and the cost of hard labor, at Krannert Center in 2015.
World-renowned baritone Nathan Gunn and pianist Julie Gunn – both U. of I. music professors and directors of the Lyric Theatre program – and the Jupiter String Quartet – the U. of I.’s string quartet in residence – will perform together on their home stage in the Foellinger Great Hall. The performance will be a blending of music and words based on the poems of Billy Collins and on Walt Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.”
Ensemble Basiani is an all-male Georgian choir that will also perform in the Foellinger Great Hall as part of Krannert Center’s “Classical Mix Series.” Their singing style has been designated by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
The Illinois Theatre season includes “Mr. Burns, a post-electric play,” a story based on an episode of “The Simpsons.” After the collapse of civilization, survivors piece together the plot of the Simpsons episode “Cape Feare,” then reenact it. The theatre department’s season also includes “Iago’s Plot,” a Kabuki version of “Othello.”
The Lyric Theatre @ Illinois will feature a season of all Italian productions – “Poppea,” “Viva Verdi!” and “The Light in the Piazza.”
The “Salon Series” showcases emerging artists who are the winners of major music competitions.
Finally, Krannert Center offers seven daytime performances for area schools in its Youth Series. The series includes “Farfalle (Butterflies),” which uses vibrant landscapes, digital imagery and responsive electronics to tell the story of the life cycle of butterflies. It will also be presented as a marquee event.
Tickets for the 2016-17 season at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts go on sale Aug. 13. For a complete schedule of performances, go to krannertcenter.com.