Illinois Classical

08/22/2026

🚨Free swag alert! 🚨

Pick up your exclusive Illinois Classical chip clip at The ILLIAC today from 4pm!

Important instructions for our latest Illinois Classical freebie. Get yours today at Hessel Park in Champaign during The Illiac.

08/21/2026

🌳 Come visit our booth on Saturday at The ILLIAC!

🎻 Sign up for our classical music newsletter, Clef Notes, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a limited edition Illinois Classical sweatshirt.

😎 Already a subscriber? Come see us anyway and pick up some additional Illinois Classical and Illinois Public Media swag!

08/21/2026

Tune into Illinois Classical this Saturday at noon for Giuseppe Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” on Afternoon at the Opera. Michele Mariotti conducts this 2026 production from the Weiner Staatsoper starring Nadine Sierra (Luisa), George Petean (Miller), Freddie De Tommaso (Rodolfo), Marko Mimica (Wurm), and the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera.

Luisa, the daughter of the veteran Miller, is in love with a young hunter who has come to her village with the arrival of the new feudal lord. But Wurm, the castle steward, is also in love with Luisa. He reveals the true identity of the supposed huntsman to her father: it is Rodolfo, the feudal lord's son, which makes a marriage with Luisa impossible for reasons of status. Rodolfo wants to fight for his love, but he and Luisa fall into the trap of the intriguing and corrupt court society.

08/19/2026

🪐This Saturday, August 22, Sinfonia da Camera returns to headline The ILLIAC. Now in its third year, The ILLIAC is a free outdoor event, featuring live musical performances, food trucks, and more in Hessel Park and across other venues in Downtown Champaign.

Learn more about this year's event and Sinfonia's program at the article linked in the comments below 👇

Pygmalion Illinois Public Media

08/18/2026

🎷This week on Prairie Performances, it’s our monthly jazz episode! The title is “Noisy Neighbors”—except in this case, we like having noisy neighbors. You will hear recordings by friendly neighborhood musicians from in and around the state of Illinois, including Johnny Griffin, Ann Hampton Callaway, Kurt Elling, Terreon Gully, and more!

Tune in on Thursday, August 20 at 7pm CST on Illinois Classical 90.9 or stream now at our website, linked in the comments below 👇

08/17/2026

🗓️ Mark your calendars! Check out our list of classical events taking place in Central Illinois the rest of the month. For more information, see the August edition of Clef Notes.

🎼 Not a subscriber yet? Sign up today at https://will.illinois.edu/signup to get the classical calendar straight to your inbox each month.

08/13/2026

Tune into Illinois Classical this Saturday at noon for Charles Gounod’s “Faust” on Afternoon at the Opera. Nathalie Stutzmann conducts this 2026 production from the Bayerische Staatsoper.

Disillusioned with old age, Faust (Jonathan Tetelman) makes an ill-fated deal with the Devil, Méphistophélès (Kyle Ketelsen), in exchange for youth, wealth, and the hand of the beautiful Marguerite (Olga Kulchynska). What could possibly go wrong? 😈

08/11/2026

This week on Prairie Performances, we are listening to music from some of the many small ensembles in and of the city of Chicago. Our program includes music from Avalon String Quartet, Orion Ensemble, Third Coast Percussion, and more.

Join us Thursday, August 13 at 7pm CST on Illinois Classical 90.9, or stream now on our website, linked in the comments below.

08/07/2026

Tune into Illinois Classical this Saturday at noon for Claude Debussy’s dreamy “Pelléas et Mélisande” on Afternoon at the Opera. Maxime Pascal conducts 2026 production from Milan’s Teatro all Scala starring Bernard Richter (Pelléas), Sara Blanch (Mélisande), and Simon Keenlyside (Golaud).

08/06/2026

Tune in tonight at 7PM!

Catch the new season premiere of "Prairie Performances" TONIGHT at 7 PM on Illinois Classical 90.9!

On this season's premiere of "Prairie Performances," host Mel Miller celebrates beautiful beginnings. This episode showcases local performances of beloved classical overtures. Listeners will hear selected overtures from Franz Schubert, Hector Berlioz, and others, while learning how overtures are responsible for setting the tone of a piece and how they showcase the instrumentation of an upcoming performance.

Tune in on Thursday, August 6 at 7pm CST on Illinois Classical 90.9 or stream online!