Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

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File:UIUC Krannert Performing.JPG
The west facade of the Krannert Center; the amphitheatre is on the left

The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is an educational and performing arts complex located at 500 South Goodwin Street in Urbana, Illinois, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Herman C. Krannert, an industrialist who was the founder of Inland Container Corporation and an alumnus of the University, and his wife Ellnora Krannert made a gift of $16 million which made creation of the Center possible. Max Abramovitz, the architect of the Center, was also a UI alumnus.

The total combined seating capacity of the four venues at the Center is approximately 4,000. The main lobby features a floor made of teak from Thailand, which cost $1 million, and marble walls from Carrara, Italy. The building opened in 1969.

Performance facilities

File:Foellinger Great Hall.jpg
An interior view of Foellinger Great Hall
  • Foellinger Great Hall, with 2,078 seats, is the largest of the venues at the Center and is known for its acoustics; it attracts world famous artists and ensembles to perform every year. Some noteworthy orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony have used the hall for recordings. The School of Music at the University of Illinois hosts many performances at this venue by students, faculty, the Sinfonia da Camera and the University of Illinois Wind Symphony. It is the main venue for the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, the Professional Orchestra in Residence at the Krannert Center and the Sinfonia da Camera conducted by Ian Hobson.
Dr. Cyril Harris, a noted acoustician and Emeritus Professor of Architecture at Columbia University designed the interior of the Foellinger Great Hall. His past projects include the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and Powell Symphony Hall in St. Louis. Later projects include the mid-1970s renovation of Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center and the late-1990s design of Benaroya Hall in Seattle.[1] The design of the hall is almost perfectly symmetrical. There are no parallel surfaces in the room, instead all the surfaces are angled to ensure that the sound reflects back to the audience. This accounts for much of the hall's acoustic superiority. No amplification is necessary for instrumental music.
  • Tryon Festival Theatre, with 974 seats on two levels, was primarily intended for operas and the acoustics are designed to favor vocal performances. It also hosts performances of ballet, dances, musicals and plays. This theater is equipped with a Sennheiser Audio System, computerized lighting control, sound reinforcement and recording capability. It has become a tradition for the local Champaign-Urbana Ballet and the Sinfonia da Camera to perform The Nutcracker in the Festival theatre every December. A unique feature of the theatre, designed to support the plays and musicals, is that a trap door may be placed almost anywhere on stage with removable 4'x 8' panels.
  • Colwell Playhouse, with 674 seats, mainly hosts plays and dance performances and is used mainly by the Departments of Theatre and Dance and also by touring productions. Like the Festival theatre, it is equipped with a Sennheiser Audio System, a computerized lighting system, sound reinforcement and recording capability. The acoustics in this venue are designed to specifically support speech performances. The walls are shaped to reflect voices from the stage towards the audience while the back walls are echo-proof.
  • Studio Theatre, a small theatre with 200 seats, is a black box theatre designed to support experimental performances. It was intended as an experimental workspace for students and performers and hence has a smaller, less intimidating seating capacity. Its audio and lighting capabilities are similar to the other venues with a computerized lighting system and sound reinforcement.
  • Amphitheatre; this theater is located on the outside of the Krannert Center and is a common spot for students to relax, study, and socialize during the warmer months. It is a popular on-campus first date destination and was voted "Best Spot to Share A First Kiss" by the student population in 2006. It is also the location of On The Rocks a set of student written, produced, and directed one-act plays put on by the Krannert Center Student Association in the spring.

Other facilities

  • Stage 5 Bar; this bar and performance stage is located in the central lobby of the center. It is used for a variety of purposes including simple patron lounging, meetings, course events and small performances like Afterglow concerts, Traffic Jam events and Interval concerts. It is also home to Krannert Uncorked. Krannert Uncorked is a wine tasting event, for those of age, on Thursdays. Stage 5 Bar also serves cocktails, imported beers and hors d'oeuvres 90 minutes before most performances until performances end for the evening.
  • Intermezzo Cafe, located on the north end of the lobby between Colwell Playhouse and the Studio Theatre, provides full meals, snacks, and refreshments throughout the day and before/after performances all week. The cafe is certified by the Illinois Green Business Association, and all proceeds go back into Krannert Center events. They use many locally produced products, as well as organic and vegetarian selections.

Notable performances

Artists

Ensembles

Festivals
The Krannert Center hosts the Ellnora Guitar Festival (formerly Wall to Wall Guitar Festival) every two years in September, beginning in 2005, which has featured artists such as Pat Metheny, Elliot Fisk, Andy Summers, Taj Mahal, Vernon Reid, Toubab Krewe, Campbell Brothers, The Romeros, Alex DeGrassi, Los Lobos, John McLaughlin, Jorma Kaukonen, and Buddy Guy.
Additionally, Krannert has sponsored the Pygmalion Music Festival every September since 2006, which has brought indie rock artists such as Iron & Wine, The Books, David Bazan, Danielson, Andrew Bird, Yo La Tengo, and High Places to the traditionally jazz and classical-oriented venue.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.


External links

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