Blog

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts announced its upcoming season this week, and with the breadth and depth of events available, Director Mike Ross hopes that it gives the community many reasons to come together throughout the year.

From nouveau circus acts to modern dance, global to classical and jazz music, alongside performances by University of Illinois students and community groups, the 2026-27 season has something for everyone. And that is exactly how Ross and his team planned it.

The season gets off to a rollicking start with the free “Celebrate Community!” opening night party on Sept. 3, featuring four acts from across the musical spectrum. Mucca Pazza, a “28-piece punk marching band,” will get the party started, leading an outdoor community procession complete with large-scale puppets to the Krannert Center. There, audience members will experience the globally-influenced sounds of Dr. Nativo, Antibalas and Funkadesi. DJ Silkee, a local icon, closes out the evening spinning the tunes to get people on their feet and dancing.

The fall season ramps up from there with “I Hear America Singing.” The multimedia musical evening with Nathan and Julie Gunn and fellow UI faculty members celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

What follows in September is Puerto Rican musical group Cultura Pesá; Grammy-nominated local jazz vocalist Somi; The Pygmalion Festival, with its mix of music, comedy and author interviews; and perhaps most unique, an evening of animé from the wildly popular series ’One Piece.’ Highlights from the series will be projected onto the big screen with musical accompaniment by the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra.

After all the initial excitement, Ross and his team thought late September would be a good time to slow things down. They end the month with a more subdued evening headlined by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and pianist Yefim Bronfman.

What the general public may not know is how much thought goes into what Ross calls “the architecture of the season.” He speaks enthusiastically about the planning process. There are the Post-Its on the wall of his office that he and his team use to map out the various possibilities for an upcoming season.

The Post-Its move around a lot during the planning phase, which begins nearly two years in advance. “We talk very explicitly about energy flow … the arc, and you know, ebbs and flows,” he says.

“When is it a good idea to have a quieter moment?” is a question they ask. “And when do you want to have that, like, super, you know, joyous, ebullient, a billion kinds of energy, like in the opening, with the opening night party,” he says.

Once you know the thought process, it’s hard not to see how it comes through in the lineup of events. The year begins with a bang, then takes a step back before ramping back up in October with a performance by Dance at Illinois alumni under the direction of UI dance Professor Cynthia Oliver; a drag show by Sasha Velour; and then a contemplative night of jazz featuring the Joshua Redman Quartet.

Switching gears, patrons will have the opportunity to globetrot through a variety of musical traditions: an evening of Indian music by master sitar player Niladri Kumaar; a program of “vividly colorful” music by Japanese flute player Kojiro Umezaki and Hub New Music; and Aga Khan Master Musicians, a group of performers “whose artistry is rooted in the traditions of the Middle East, Mediterranean Basin, Central Asia and China.”

The fall season wraps up on a quieter note with a performance by French classical guitarist Raphaël Feuillatre.

After the holidays, the new year starts off with a high-energy performance by Step Afrika, “the leading authority on the art of stepping,” and three nights of unconventional theater with The Neo-Futurists, who will present 30 plays in 60 minutes. The Mark Morris Dance Group returns, performing a family-friendly dance and music production featuring a story written by children’s author R.L. Stein.

Illinois Soul celebrates its third anniversary in February with a celebration at the Krannert featuring neo-soul duo Kindred the Family Soul and comedian Damon Williams.

The bluegrass crowd can low-key rock out to an evening of “genre-crossing music” with Meyer, Marshall, Meyer, a trio of musicians who play bass, mandolin and violin, while gospel fans will definitely want to experience The Blind Boys of Alabama. For those who enjoy tricks of the mind, there is illusionist Scott Silven.

Jazz aficionados have multiple choices, including jazz guitarist Mary Halvorson and Canis Major; Stanley Clarke and Hiromi, featuring PUBLIQuartet, paying homage to Chick Corea; or Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble. Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Samara Joy, who has been compared to the iconic Billie Holiday, rounds out the spring jazz offerings.

Bring the whole family to experience ‘Tilt,’ a Cirque Mechanics’ production that combines circus arts and storytelling; or the Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s production of Joseph Kekuku and the Voice of the Steel Guitar. Start a dance party at children’s musical artist Uncle Jumbo or give your children a heart-thumping cultural experience by taking them to hear and see traditional Japanese taiko drumming by KODO.

Looking for something to provide a bit of food for thought? Check out “Adaku, part 2,” a “multidisciplinary movement piece (that) explores the impact of transatlantic slave trade on generations of families;” or “Trees,” a “live cinema” experience combining documentary film with live original music and narration that looks at humankind’s relationship to trees.

Peppered in between the aforementioned artists are a multitude of classical music events. Included are performances by the baroque ensemble Apollo’s Fire; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and violin superstar Midori performing alongside the European chamber ensemble Festival Strings Lucerne.

There will also be multiple opportunities to see UI artists-in-residence the Jupiter String Quartet, as well as three emerging artists: percussionist Michael Yeung, the Poiesis Quartet and the Krannert Center Debut Artist.

Taken altogether, the season is as varied as the community it is here to serve, and that is Ross’ stated goal.

“Our philosophy, our desire in each season, even though it’s impossible to represent the full spectrum of diversity of artists in any one given season,” says Ross, is to provide “a fuller representation of all the purest beauty that’s out there.”

Part of his role, as Ross sees it, is to do what he can to help bridge the divide in a society that is increasingly polarized. He and his team work tirelessly to find something for everyone. They are very intentional about viewing seasons not by themselves, but in conjunction with the seasons that come before and after. This allows them to provide a broad range of art that appeals to the greatest number of people.

“I know that not everybody who comes to these performances has the same exact worldviews and exact political feelings or sentiments or religious or lifestyle choices and all that,” says Ross, and it pleases him immensely to know that the Krannert is a place where people find commonality despite their differences.

“(We) gotta do all we can to help, at least in a very brief, suspended moment … to help people be reminded that it’s actually possible to be together, sit together, stand together, despite all the differences, to still share in a meaningful experience,” he says.

He gives all the credit to the artists who bring their talents to the Krannert.

“I’m just so grateful to artists, especially in the performing arts, for giving us reason to come together,” he says.