LLI Cultural Events Committee Recommendations
NIU's Steel Band
Sunday, April 7, 2013, 3 p.m.
NIU Boutell Memorial Concert Hall
Created by G. Allen O'Conner in 1973, the NIU Steel Band was the first active steel band formed at an American university, and has performed throughout the United States and the world. NIU is one of the few institutions in the world at which students may pursue undergraduate and graduate music degrees with the steelpan as the major instrument of choice. As a pioneer, the group is often asked by other institutions to mentor programs just getting started.
The NIU Steel Band is a 35-member groups and is mainly comprised of steelpan and percussion majors. They produce music ranging from the islands of the Caribbean to classical. The band is directed by Trinidad and Tobago natives Liam Teague and Cliff Alexis, who also maintain and upgrade a large inventory of steelpans.
The Cultural Committee recommends an early arrival as this concert is very popular. At one recent memorable performance, representatives of the Jamaican Consulate in Chicago were literally dancing in the aisles!
If you are looking for a musical experience that is different, fun, and FREE, the NIU Steel Band might just be the one.
Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert Romancing the "Rach"
Saturday, May 4, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
NIU Boutell Memorial Concert Hall
- Les Preludes - Franz Liszt
- Piano Concerto No. 2 - Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 - Sergei Rachmaninoff
Preconcert lecture with music director Linc Smelser, 6:30 p.m., location to be announced.
Tickets go on sale 30 minutes prior to the concert. All seats are general admission (no reserved seating).
Tickets for seniors are $10. For more information, call 815-756-3728 or visit www. kishorchestra.org
Linc Smelser, music director of the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra, will present a pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m. His guest will be Miko Kominami, the KSO's piano soloist for the evening, who will play the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor in this concert. Smelser will open the discussion with a brief overview of the evening's program and will turn the conversation toward the soloist and focus on the Concerto. There will be time for questions toward the conclusion of the lecture, around 6:50.