June 08, 2009

Music festival events planned in Murphysboro

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois Music Festival, hosted by the School of Music at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, begins this month and includes performances in Murphysboro.

The Murphysboro events kick off with a free chamber music concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. on June 17 at the Liberty Theater. The concert features a wind quintet and a wind octet. Chamber music, also known as “the music of friends,” is classical or art music for a small group of instruments.

The popular children’s program, Klassics for Kids, comes to Murphysboro with a 10 a.m. performance on June 23 at the Liberty Theater. The free program, developed just for listeners as young as newborn by Kara Benyas and Edward M. Benyas, music festival artistic director, is a traditional feature of the music festival and is part of the University’s community outreach. This performance features a tango sextet.

The Southern Illinois Music Festival is a multi-venue festival bringing classical and jazz music to the greater Southern Illinois and Metro East area. For a complete schedule of all festival events and information about the artists, visit www.sifest.com.