From the press release:
Champaign, IL—DoCha, Downtown Champaign’s premiere free music festival, announces its eighth season, April 14-15, 2018. The beautiful and historic Orpheum Theater will once again serve as DoCha’s venue for the 2018 festival. DoCha will transform this former vaudeville theatre into a cabaret-style, live music venue. Guests will be welcome to enjoy food and drinks at tables set up inside the theatre while listening to great live music in an intimate and stylish setting. All events continue to be free and open to the public.
Committed to the idea that music can and should be enjoyed by all people, DoCha’s festival events will be fun-spirited, informal, engaging, collaborative, and educational. Tables and chairs will be set cabaret style around a centrally-placed stage allowing guests to experience the live music performances up close while enjoying food and beverages that will be sold at each evening event. The event is casual and we extend an open invitation to the entire community to join us for a relaxing evening of world-class music.
The festival will feature some of Champaign’s own world-class, internationally acclaimed musicians, scholars, and music educators as well gifted young musicians in unique artistic collaborations both within and outside the chamber music genre.
Highlights for 2018
• Young People’s Concert on Saturday, April 14th at 1 p.m at the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum featuring Pondering Pulses. In Pondering Pulses, not-so-legendary composer Wolfgang Amadeus Schmutzinberry is very concerned when he finds he has no pulse—no musical pulse that is! Luckily DoCha artists are on hand to guide Wolfgang on his path to finding his rhythm and getting his groove back through a fun-filled concert of chamber music masterpieces. Featuring Rami Vamos & Natalie Monterastelli.
This program is Family friendly, free & open to the public!
• Gourmet savory and sweet snack plates, and wines* and other beverages, will be sold by Art Mart at the venue.
*Pending issuance of State and local permits
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
All events are free and open to the public. All events will take place at the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum Theater in downtown Champaign: 346 North Neil, Champaign, IL 61820.
Saturday, April 14th
1 p.m. Young People’s Concert: Pondering Pulses, a comical and educational musical. Family friendly and open to the public. In Pondering Pulses, not-so-legendary composer Wolfgang Amadeus Schmutzinberry is very concerned when he finds he has no pulse—no musical pulse that is! Luckily DoCha artists are on hand to guide Wolfgang on his path to finding his rhythm and getting his groove back through a fun-filled concert of chamber music masterpieces. Featuring Rami Vamos & Natalie Monterastelli.
7 p.m. Chamber Music Performance: Air B&B
DoCha artistic director Stefan Milenkovich will be joined by Bernhard Scully, Michael Tilley and the Music Academy string orchestra in performing Britten’s Simple Symphony, Saint-Saens’ Morceaux de Concert and the Brahms Horn Trio in E flat major. Please join us for an evening abundant in virtuosity!
* Open to people of all ages.
Sunday, April 15th
5 p.m. Chamber Music Performance: Journey East
Programming arranged by the Robert E. Brown Center for World Music featuring traditional Iranian and Southern Indian works plus dances of Bela Bartok. Join us for an evening of strings, vocals and percussion with Stefan Milenkovich, Michael Tilley, Vedhus Hoskere, Aravind Sagar, Sathwik Tejaswi , Soham Mujumdar, Parisa Karimi and Ardavan Ardeshirilajami.
* Open to people of all ages.
DoCha’s 2018 festival is made possible in part by the generosity of community partners and individuals including the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum, Koester & Bradley, LLP, Barham Benefit Group, Sullivan-Parkhill, BodyWork Associates, Pursuit Institute, Dixon Graphics, Adams Outdoor Advertising, Darrell Hoemann Photography, Bubble Academy, Class Act, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois School of Music and the College of Fine and Applied Arts.
About DoCha
DoCha creates chamber music-based experiences for all people that engage all of the senses. Committed to the idea that chamber music can and should be enjoyed by everyone, DoCha is fun, engaging, collaborative, educational, and its performances are free. DoCha began as a collective effort among University of Illinois faculty, students, community members, and friends to experiment with new and adventurous ways to present chamber music for the 21st century.
For more information about the festival, visit www.docha.org.
Top photo by Darrell Hoemann
