Clef Notes

Composer Caroline Shaw was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for her score for Ken Burns’s Leonardo da Vinci docuseries, which aired last fall on PBS. Read on to learn more about Shaw’s score and how it aids Burns in shedding new light on the fifteenth-century polymath. Can’t wait for the next Ken Burns documentary? You’re in luck. Tune in November 16 for The American Revolution, airing on WILL-TV and streaming on the PBS App.

October 25 marks the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss Jr. Known as “The Waltz King,” Strauss is most remembered for his light dance music. His output of over 500 compositions includes ballets, polkas, marches, quadrilles, mazurkas, operettas, and—of course—150 waltzes. He cemented the waltz as the height of sophistication and elegance, and his music came to symbolize Vienna’s cultural golden age before the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Read on to learn more about the influential composer and to hear some of his most beloved works.

The Jupiter String Quartet has announced that first violinist Nelson Lee will be departing the group after their concert at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on September 26, 2025. As a founding member, Lee has performed as part of the Jupiter Quartet for 24 years. Now, he moves on to a position at McGill University in Montréal, Canada. The quartet has also announced that French violinist Mélanie Clapiès will be joining the group as Lee’s successor. Read on to learn more about Lee’s final concert and for remembrances and well-wishes from his colleagues.  

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt turns 90 years old on September 11. Pärt’s unique compositional voice grew out of his interest in Renaissance, Medieval, and Eastern Orthodox sacred music, which he leverages within a minimalist but highly structured framework. To celebrate his birthday, we’ve selected a few of our favorite works from his output and explain how they fit into his biography.

Mathematician and musical satirist Tom Lehrer passed away on July 26 at the age of 97. Although he spent most of his life out of the limelight, preferring to teach rather than perform, he is beloved for his darkly humorous lyrics, often on political or social topics, set to incongruously cheerful melodies. Read on for a brief biography and a selection of some of his best songs.

The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts has announced its 2025/26 season, and we’re happy to report there’s lots on offer for classical music lovers, from baroque to ultra-contemporary and everything in between! Now that tickets are on sale for the general public, we’re highlighting our top pick for each month of the concert season. Of course, we’ll continue to keep you posted on all the classical goings-on in the listening area in our monthly Classical Calendar (subscribe to Clef Notes for access), but we wanted to give our readers a heads up for events of particular note.

On Friday, September 5, Rev. Dr. Jay Regennitter will present an organ recital at Wesley United Methodist Church in Urbana as part of a series of concerts commemorating the 100th birthday of the church’s organ. Read on to learn more about Regennitter and the program he intends to play.

Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) was one of the most consequential symphonic composers of the 20th century, producing a diverse body of work that at times put his life and career in jeopardy when he contravened the Soviet Party’s vague yet imperative stylistic demands. In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of his passing on August 9, we've highlighted five of our favorite Shostakovich works as a way to learn more about this complex figure.

On Saturday, August 23, The ILLIAC returns to Hessel Park in Champaign. Presented by the same promoters who bring you PYGMALION, The ILLIAC boasts a day of free outdoor musical performances. Headlining the event will be Sinfonia da Camera, the professional chamber orchestra in residence at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. The ILLIAC will also feature performances by The Marching Illini, Bandoneon Massacre, and The Soul Syndicate. We spoke with Elizabeth Churchya, executive director of Sinfonia da Camera, and Seth Fein, producer of The ILLIAC and PYGMALION, to learn more about this event.

Author and musician Brendan Slocumb has returned with his latest musical thriller. From the author of The Violin Conspiracy and Symphony of Secrets comes The Dark Maestro, an exciting page-turner about a young Black musical virtuoso who is forced into hiding when his family runs afoul of a ruthless criminal organization—and how he uses his love of music and comic books to fight back.