150 years ago, on February 28, 1867, the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation creating the Illinois Industrial University, or as we now know it, the University of Illinois. 

The university is celebrating the anniversary of that event on Tuesday, as it launches Sesquicentennial events that will go on for more than a year.

The celebrating begins at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the U of I’s Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana.

This production is a bit different than most shows from Lyric Theatre at Illinois, as it’s a bit of a “greatest hits” show, featuring Lyric Theatre students, the U of I Symphony Orchestra, and the U of I Oratorio Society performing some of the best known arias from Verdi and other Italian opera composers.

University of Illinois Oratorio Society performs work from Pulitzer Prize winner Steven Stucky.

Upcoming concerts have been cancelled -- including one at the University of Illinois Krannert Center for the Performing Arts -- because of one artist’s protest of the president’s order barring refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

Violinist Aisha Orazbeyeva is refusing to perform in the U-S, to show solidarity with those affected by the travel ban.  

On the 21st: We continued our week-long series on the impact of a Trump presidency on Illinois' economy with a discussion about manufacturing and jobs. Plus, we talked about Governor Rauner's plan to protect pharmacy customers from risky drug combinations and discussed how is Illinois divided on the soda vs. pop question. We also spoke with the founder of Mark Morris Dance Group, which will be performing in Urbana this weekend.