SINFONIA DA CAMERA | PYGMALION 2025
Schedule
Sat Sep 20 2025 at 03:30 pm to 04:15 pm
UTC-05:00Location
William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College | Champaign, IL
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MULTIPLE PERFORMANCES | ALL AGES1st Show: Doors 3:00 pm | Show 3:30 pm
2nd Show: Doors 4:45 pm | Show 5:15 pm
3rd Show: Doors 7:00 pm | Show 7:30 pm
4th Show: Doors 8:45 pm | Show 9:15 pm
For the first time in its history, Sinfonia da Camera principal musicians form an 18 piece chamber orchestra to present an immersive audio-visual concert live at Staerkel Planetarium. The featured work, Darius Milhaud’s La création du monde, portrays an African myth about the creation of the world and all life forms. Scored for a jazz influenced ensemble including alto saxophone, the music blends bluesy American jazz idioms with Milhaud’s signature bitonality to create a vivid and rhythmically charged soundscape. Rich in texture and color, the work captures the chaos and wonder of genesis, culminating in a rapturous finale that celebrates the beauty and vitality of life on earth. Originally composed in 1923 following Milhaud’s visit to Harlem, the piece reflects his fascination with the emerging sounds of Black American music and his desire to fuse it with classical traditions.
To open the concert, Benjamin Britten’s striking Sinfonietta showcases the young composer’s early brilliance, pairing driving energy with lyrical intensity in a work that hints at the emotional depth of his later masterpieces. With its vibrant contrasts and virtuosic interplay among instruments, it’s a powerful prelude to the evening’s main event. Also on the program is a newly commissioned work by UIUC composition professor Steve Taylor, exploring the full sonic possibilities of the ensemble in the unique, immersive setting of the planetarium dome.
MORE ON SINFONIA DA CAMERA
In residence at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, this professional chamber orchestra is led by world-renowned pianist, conductor, and educator, Maestro Ian Hobson. Sinfonia da Camera is comprised of University of Illinois faculty, staff, and students, as well as distinguished regional and national freelance musicians. Founded in 1984, Sinfonia has welcomed world-class soloists, commissioned new works, and presented beloved orchestra favorites and hidden gems to local audiences for 40 years.
In its debut season, Sinfonia released an acclaimed recording of French Piano Concerti with music director Ian Hobson conducting from the keyboard; it was the subject of a 90-minute Public Television special. Since that time, Sinfonia has performed over 1,000 musical works featuring more than 150 local and guest artists. Through Maestro Hobson’s commitment to excellence in all of the orchestra’s endeavors – special projects, recordings, tours, and concerts for the hometown crowd at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts – Sinfonia has achieved national and international recognition.
Sinfonia has been featured on over a dozen recordings and has several projects in the works. In 2011, the Albany label released a Sinfonia recording on another American composer, Willian Schuman, during his centenary year. A live recording of Sinfonia da Camera’s October 6, 2012 concert featuring music by Pulitzer Prize-Winning composer George Walker was recently released on Albany Records. The fourth and final volume of the Ignaz Moscheles cycle was released in 2012. The previous volumes were reviewed by American Record Guide: “Hobson, whose elegant phrasing, remarkable ear for color, and miraculous ability to evenly sustain the most difficult runs – each like a string of pearls – are simply a joy to hear” and “[The concerti] seem tailor-made for Hobson’s great panache and free-wheeling style.“ Ten recordings by Sinfonia da Camera for the Zephyr label have been released to rave reviews at home and abroad.
To learn more about the orchestra, Maestro Hobson, the musicians, administration, and Advisory board visit Sinfonia’s website.
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Where is it happening?
William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College, 2400 W Bradley Ave, Champaign, IL 61821-1806, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
