The Sentinel: Live Entertainment

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A look at Thursday's Night Market at Lincoln Square

Lane To, from Champaign, browses buttons and pins at a booth at last week's Night Market at Lincoln Square Mall. Held at the mall's southwest parking lot near Vine Street, the market offers more than two dozen booths of vendors offering chocolates, flavored popcorn, homemade household goods, and handmade art. Every Thursday until October 10, the market also hosts several food trucks and live entertainment starting at 7 pm. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

LaRisha "RiRi" Exum-Howard, owner of RiPoppedIt, finishes a sale at her booth last Thursday. RiRi creates "Bougie" flavored popcorn for special events and parties. Customers can choose unique flavors such as Cotton Candy, Lemon Pound Cake, Red Velvet and a dozen more made at her store at 2004 S. Neil St. in Champaign. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

Artist Dan Wild, from Champaign, draws a group caricature for a family. Wild, Art Director at Adams Outdoor, is a talented illustrator, graphic designer and caricaturist. At last Thursday's Night Market, he drew portraits at no charge for marketgoers who would pose for two minutes at his booth. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

Local punk rockers Pancr8s performs in their opening set last Thursday. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

Lead singer and songwriter Simona performs with Pancr8s, a local punk rock band. This week's Night Market at Lincoln Square Mall entertainment features the duo Bourema Ouedraogo and Jason Finkelman. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

Hundreds of shoppers peruse the vendor booths at last Thursday's event. Tonight market starts at 6 pm with live entertainment starting at 7 pm. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

Maria Ayala, owner of Pueblito Nature, explains the origins of her Columbian Chocolate with customers last Thursday at her booth. Pueblito chocolate is created in small batches to feature the unique taste from the different growers in rural Columbia. Ayala and her booth will be at tonight's installment of the Night Market at Lincoln Square. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

A short line of marketgoers order drinks at Keke’s Mobile Beverage Trailer. Keke's offers fresh, handsqueezed lemonade, limeade, and teas, each that can be customized to taste with a dozen different flavorings. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

A shopper closely inspects a set of handcrafted earrings from one of the many vendors last Thursday. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

A couple enjoys a quiet moment away from the music in the parking lot a few steps away from the market area. Bourema Ouedraogo and Jason Finkelman are headlining this evening's live entertainment starting at 7 pm. (Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks)

Pressing the right buttons at Urbana Night Market

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Emil "The Button Man" Cobb creates a new button for a customer last Thursday at Urbana's first Night Market at the Square at Lincoln Square Mall Thursday evening. Night Markets will be held every Thursday for the next five weeks in the Southeast parking lot, showcasing local artists, craftsmen, and food vendors. Next week, Panc8s will be the featured band for the event, sponsored by The Market and the Urbana Arts and Culture. Cobb creates photo buttons and keychains on the spot from customer social media feeds or phone albums.

Urbana home to the new Night Market at the Square

Shopper at the Night Market at the Square

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

A shopper browses earrings at a booth at the Night Market at the Square in the southeast lot at Lincoln Square Mall. Market attendees enjoyed a variety of offerings including chocolates, ice cream, custom pork rinds, and popcorn from vendors, while Samba Soul provided live music entertainment at the free event on Thursday. Night Markets will be held every Thursday for the next five weeks, showcasing local artists, craftsmen, and food vendors. Next week, Panc8s will be the featured band for the event, which is sponsored by The Market and the Urbana Arts and Culture.

Samba Soul take the stage at Urbana's Night Market

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Vivian Felicio performs with Samba Soul at Urbana's first Night Market at the Square at Lincoln Square Mall Thursday evening. Playing select classical Brazilian and contemporary songs from Elis Regina, Joao Gilberto, and other popular Brazilian musical artists, the five-member band entertained over a thousand shoppers and area residents, enjoying the mild weather and outdoor market. In addition to Felicio, the band includes George Turner on guitar, bass player Armand Beaudoin, saxophone player Chip McNeil, and the talented Ricardo Flores on drums. Night Markets will be held every Thursday for the next five weeks. The market will include live music, food trucks, and vendors offering food and artwork. Next week's entertainment features Panc8s.

Singing the blues

URBANA - Lead singer Ben Jenkins belts out soulful notes while singing with the Wise Guys at the 6th Annual Prairie Crossroads Blues Festival on Saturday. Also appearing on stage during the day were Rory Book and The Volumes, Cobalt Blues Band, and Funky Mojo Daddy. Over 200 music lovers filled the parking lot next to Bunny's Tavern, enjoying Jenkins and his fellow musicians on a beautiful fall day.

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

Youth Orchestra to perform on Sunday

Members of the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra performed at Smith Recital Hall in Urbana during their Winter Concert 2022. The 2024 concert will be performed this Sunday at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

URBANA - More than three dozen of the best orchestra students in Champaign-Urbana and the surrounding area will perform at the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra Winter Concert at Smith Music Hall in Urbana.

"It’s going to be cold on Sunday. What better antidote than an evening of heartwarming music?" asks music director Kevin Kelly. "The talented students of the orchestra have been working hard since mid-September on a challenging and worthy program."

The program starts at 7 p.m. and will include Richard Wagner’s Prelude to the opera Die Meistersinger, Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, and Sibelius’s Karelia Suite. The orchestra will also perform Johann Strauss Jr.’s Emperor Waltz, and Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince Igor.

The concert free to the public. Those who wish to make a much appreciated donation can do so through The Conservatory of Central Illinois.

Jam packed weekend planned for Urbana's Folk & Roots Festival

URBANA - The 15th annual CU Folk & Roots Festival kicks off tomorrow at 5 pm at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

Louie Pappas plays a saxophone solo during the second set of the Hot Club Urbana's show during the band's rendition of Christmas is Coming in December of 2021. Listen to the entire live performance recorded by Sean Kutzko for Chambana Jazz here. The group will perform at Cloud Mountain Kombucha on Saturday from noon to 2 pm.

Photo: PhotoNews Media Archives

Featuring more than 50 performances at various venues throughout Urbana, this year's festival artists include Adeem the Artist, Dom Flemons, Eddie Barbash + KASA and Friends, Son Monarcas, Tee Dee Young, Anika Emily, Allie Jean, Arco & Aire, Bandoneon Massacre, Big Daddy Pride & the East Side Five, Bill Kirby, Black Eyed Lillies, Brian Krumm and His Barfly Friends, Cajun Strangers, Camellia Moon, Cole Bridges, Congress of Starlings, Derrick Streibig, Fox Crossing, The Gospel of Qui, Hannah Rose and the Sweet Nothings, Hooten Hallers, Hot Club of Urbana, Jaik Willis, Jean Rene Balekita, John Coppess, Kate Campbell, Keith Hall and The Creepin' Grass, Los Texano'z, Meadowhawk, Merry Travelers Duo, Mr. Dave, The Paw Paws, Sixth Street Brass Band, Spencer and Rains, Tumbleweeds, Tyler Lance Walker Gill, and The Young and the Fretless.

The event schedule is online at CU Folk & Roots master schedule and will be updated live with additional performances, venue changes, and last-minute events.

All-access festival tickets are $50, with single-day and single-venue tickets available at The Cohen Building at 136 W. Main Street in downtown Urbana.

The festival will also host dances, instructional sessions, jam sessions, and song circles. A family-oriented event, there are other activities such as storytelling, instrument-making, and other children's programs during the three day event.

For more information visit the Folk & Roots website at https://folkandroots.org/

All that jazz

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Not missing a beat, Mateo Sánchez delivers at Master recital

Mateo Sanchez masters recital at the University of Illinois Music Building

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

URBANA - Percussionist Mateo Sánchez keeps the rhythm during his master thesis recital at the Music Building on the University of Illinois Campus on Wednesday evening. He and his 16-piece ensemble performed six numbers, including four original compositions, for his advisor, a small group of music aficionados and friends. A student of Professor Joel Spencer, Sánchez is working toward his Master Degree in Music & Jazz Performance.

All that jazz

With well-renowned saxophone player Chip McNeil looking on, Issac Hanson belts out...

CATsNAP benefit raises money for cats

Vocalists Elena Negruta and Ingrid Kammin preform a classical piece at the The CATsNAP Benefit Concert on Sunday afternoon...