Clef Notes

We met with 26-year-old conductor Shelbie Rassler, who has just embarked on a 50+ city tour of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert, which comes to the State Farm Center in Champaign on Wednesday, October 2. The show features live orchestral musicians, a DJ, and electronics, which accompany the film on the big screen. Read on to learn more about Rassler and the joys and challenges of this massive undertaking.

MASTERPIECE series Wolf Hall returns to WILL-TV this fall, airing Sundays at 9 p.m. beginning October 27. Adapted from Hilary Mantel’s historical novels, the award-winning miniseries charts Thomas Cromwell’s rise to political power within the court of King Henry VIII. Music plays an integral role in setting the mood of the show, be it through composer Debbie Wiseman’s contemporary score featuring Tudor instruments or the integration of authentic music from the era played by the Musicians of Shakespeare’s Globe, some of which was written by Henry VIII himself. While today Henry VIII is most remembered for his six wives and founding the Church of England, he was an accomplished musician and composer and prominent patron of the arts. In this article, we’ll examine Henry VIII’s musical contributions and attempt to separate fact from fiction.  

On Friday, September 20, internationally acclaimed concert organist Katelyn Emerson will play a special recital at Wesley United Methodist Church in Urbana. Her concert opens a year of celebratory events in honor of the E. M. Skinner organ’s 100th birthday. Read on to learn more about Emerson, her recital program, and the historic instrument.

On September 2, Illinois Public Media is introducing a new daily show called BirdNote. Each two-minute episode illustrates the lives of birds with rich sounds and engaging stories, providing a moment of respite from the day’s news and deepening listeners’ connection with nature. The show will air weekdays at 5:58 am and 12:58 pm on WILL-FM 90.9. In anticipation of this new show, we're looking at composers who were inspired by the sounds of birds.

Most classical listeners do not listen exclusively to classical music, but the genre forms one part of their broader listening habits. If you’re anything like me, sometimes classical music can be too distracting or have too many emotional and dynamic peaks and valleys to be relegated to background music. So, we’ve highlighted four classical–crossover albums we think you might enjoy that either riff on old classics or forge their own path as models of “post-classical” music. While engaging in their own ways, they do lend themselves to various relaxed listening situations.

Champaign-Urbana Theater Company (CUTC) is back with a production of one of the most beloved musicals of all time, The Sound of Music. Presented by the Champaign Park District, the show runs Thursday, August 1 through Sunday, August 4 at the historic Virginia Theatre. We spoke with the creative team of CUTC’s production to learn about their involvement in the show and their relationship with this famous musical.

Award-winning MASTERPIECE series Sherlock is back on WILL Passport! Set in contemporary London, Sherlock is the modern and quirky spin on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic detective stories. Friends of WILL get exclusive early access to stream and binge all four seasons via the PBS app ahead of the series' rebroadcast on WILL-TV later this year. Read on to learn how the violin helps construct the character of the famous detective in the stories and contributes to the emotional storytelling in the television series.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s (UISO) first performance. To commemorate this milestone, Director of Orchestras Dr. Carolyn Watson had an idea: to launch a commissioning initiative to expand and diversify the orchestral canon. Through the 1874 Project, the University of Illinois will commission six female composers to write works that the UISO will premiere and record over the next few years.

Illinois Summer Youth Music (ISYM) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Each summer, ISYM brings over 1,000 students and 150 faculty and staff to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus for three weeks of intensive music tuition. Students can choose from 20 different programs, from large ensembles to solo instruments and even music technology and hip-hop. Programs are offered to meet the needs of students of various abilities and experience levels, with junior, senior, and pre-college divisions. Read on to learn more about the annual program and its history.

After a year-long search process, the Danville Symphony Orchestra has just announced its next music director. Conductor Matthew Sheppard was selected from over 60 highly qualified applicants to lead the local professional orchestra. He takes over for Jeremy Swerling, who held the position for 27 years before retiring in 2023. Read on to learn more about Maestro Sheppard and his goals for the Danville ensemble.