This week, the Lyric Theatre at Illinois put on a production of Black Square, an opera with music by Ilya Demutsky, and a libretto by Igor Konyukhov and Olga Maslova. The opera is based on …
Posts by Alejandra I. O. Pires:
A sophistication that belies their youth: An interview with Neptune’s Core
When I called up Neptune’s Core for a chat, they’d just finished their first of eight shows at SXSW the previous day. I was surprised that they had so many shows in such a short …
When the devil makes an offer: A review of Witch at KCPA
When it comes to stories, it’s been said that there are ultimately two kinds of stories to tell: a.) someone sets off on a journey, and b.) a stranger comes to town. This past weekend, …
Javi Vasquez brings his Guatemalan roots to the C-U music scene
When I heard that Champaign County had a thriving Guatemalan community, I was quite surprised. But for musician Javi Vasquez, it was the reason he decided to move here. For Vasquez, whose family hails from …
Forging connections in celebration: A night at the theater with Indian Ink’s Mrs. Krishnan’s Party
On a frigid January evening last weekend, I stepped in from the cold into the back room of Mrs. Krishnan’s shop. I didn’t know what to expect from this production of Indian Ink Theatre Company’s …
Derailed Fest carries on the legacy of Rail Fest in C-U
Since 2021, the music-loving denizens of Central Illinois have had the opportunity to come together for an excellent selection of bands in downtown Champaign at the first and second annual Rail Fest. Held at the …
Musings on desire in The Wild Party
On the evening of November 7th, I had the pleasure of heading over to the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and seeing a production of Andrew Lippa’s musical The Wild Party, put together by …
Bridging early 20th century India and Holocaust Poland with Tagore’s The Post Office
A few weeks ago, my friend Ragini brought to my attention that Rabindranath Tagore, the globally renown Bengali writer, activist, and cultural figure, had a strong link to Champaign-Urbana. During the academic year 1912–13, Tagore …
This is Kangaroo Court is a psych rock rollercoaster
Earlier this year, Kangaroo Court released their first album, This is Kangaroo Court. Formed in Champaign-Urbana in 2021, they relocated to Chicago not too long ago. Their debut album has been a long time in …
A chill in the air and aural brutality at Oktstonerfest
For the past couple of years, Oktstonerfest has been a personal high point of my October. Held in Tolono’s Loose Cobra bar, owned and operated by the legendary Matt Talbott, Oktstonerfest features a line-up of …