Thoughts about the Studio Theatre and intimate performances

I have had the fortune to be present at several of our more recent UIS Kitchen Sink series events in the UIS Studio Theatre.  While the Kitchen Sink series includes a broad range of performing artists, the two most recent events I've attended - concerts by Time for Three and The Good Lovelies - boasted at least two commonalities: both artists covered Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" as their encore and both talked about how great they thought it was to be involved in a series coined "Kitchen Sink".  Yes, the series name is meant to imply that we try to include a broad range of performances (as in, "everything and the...") and it is also meant to imply that the events have the intimacy of being gathered around a kitchen sink, discussing anything and everything you care about.

We have just made special arrangements with Janis Ian and Livingston Taylor to move their performance, coming up on Saturday, March 16, to the Studio Theatre.  This space, just below Sangamon Auditorium, will enable the most intimate experience between the solo artists and the audience.  While I am somewhat inclined to say that it will be a rarity to see artists of this caliber in such an intimate space, given the caliber of some of our recent Kitchen Sink artists, that rarity hardly stands.  What I suppose is really unique is seeing TWO artists of caliber in an intimate evening like this.  Here's what you can expect:

Livingston Taylor has been a force on the folk music scene for over 30 years.  He has toured and collaborated with major artists such as Linda Ronstadt and Fleetwood Mac and has over a dozen albums to his credit.

With hit songs like "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child," Janis Ian is one of folk music's living legends.  A prolific songwriter, she is known for her warm, intimate live shows.  

Janis Ian also recently won a Grammy for narration of the audio book of her autobiography, Society's Child, in a category up against Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama.  It is this kind of exciting exchange that she will bring to UIS on Saturday evening for a beautifully intimate Studio Theatre audience.  Check our website for ticking information.