Culture

Foellinger Great Hall in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is considered one of the top ten best college music halls in America.
 Last night, I put on my Illini orange tie and my blue blazer (my wife wasn't home when I dressed:) and we headed to C-U to watch nephew Ned perform with the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra.  The U. of I. Chamber Singers and the U. of I. Oratorio Society also performed with the orchestra.
I have been to numerous concerts in old Foellinger Auditorium (which is still a neat place), but this was my first time in the Great Hall at Krannert.  After we took our seats, the hall filled with a cacophony of sound.  From the stage the musicians were entering and warming up and tuning their instruments.  The Choir members were finding their positions on the risers, and the audience was chatting.  Soon the lights dimmed and the hall fell silent.  The conductor made his appearance and the concert began.  The large hall has excellent acoustics and was soon filled with amazing music.  Perhaps the highest quality large group performance and the most talented musicians I have ever heard. Classical music,very professionally performed.  One of the soprano soloists, singing from the choir balcony, was able to fill the great hall with sound from her voice alone.
The only negative in my opinion was that the theme of the concert centered on war and death.  Not exactly an uplifting theme.
In addition to Mozart and Bach, much of the music was composed by Lewis Spratlan, a Pulitzer prize winning composer, who flew in from Massachusetts to watch the performance of his composition.



We met up with Ned after the concert and took him to Dairy Queen before we headed home.

And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.
I Samuel 18:6