2025 - 2026 Upcoming Series Events
The 2025-2026 Fine Arts Series will once again bring nationally and internationally recognized artists to enrich your lives, providing both familiar and new musical treasures. All performances will be held in Rammelkamp Chapel unless otherwise noted. Check up the lineup below!
- EQUINOX CHAMBER PLAYERS
Sunday, September 21, 2025 :: 3 PM
Our 46th season opens with the return to our series of the acclaimed woodwind quintet, the Equinox Chamber Players for “A Stroll on the Eve of the Autumnal Equinox.” Founded in 1999, the Equinox Chamber Players is one of St. Louis’ most dynamic performing chamber groups. Their multicultural music crosses international boundaries while bridging the gap between classical music and storytelling. Equinox celebrates community life with commissioned works inspired by environmental surroundings, historical and present day culture, and everyday heroes. Join us for their exciting concert on the eve of the fall equinox!
IN ADDITION TO OUR OPENING CONCERT, we would like to invite you to a cookie celebration on the quad in front of Rammelkamp Chapel at 2:00 pm before the 3:00 concert. There you will find other music lovers also celebrating the start of our season! If you have not yet purchased a season ticket by that time, you may do so at that event.
- FALL FESTIVAL WITH BURR OAK STRING BAND | FAMILY NIGHT SERIES
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 :: 6 PM :: Historic Upper Quad
The Fine Arts Series enjoys planning family events in the fall! Please join us at 6pm on the ¶¶Ňőpro Quad for some fun family activities, all to the accompaniment of the Burr Oak String Band who will be performing from 6-7pm. While rooted in the traditions of American Old-time string music, the close harmonies and the interplay of mandolin, guitar, fiddle and clawhammer banjo bring the Burr Oak sound to other musical genres and traditions. The musicians of this ensemble are widely known as performers and composers of bluegrass music throughout the Midwest and in Canada.
- JACOB HOFELING FEATURING SILENT FILM IMPROVISATION
Friday, October 31, 2025 :: 7:30 PM
Equally renowned for his solo and collaborative performances, organist Jacob Hofeling will animate your Halloween with a program sure to please listeners of all ages. Known for performing repertoire of well-known composers alongside selections by under-represented masters, Hofeling is also a consummate improviser. Enjoy this rare opportunity to watch an abridged version of the 1922 silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror accompanied by organ improvisation. Included in Roger Ebert’s list of Great Movies, IMDB calls this first-ever vampire film “one of the silent era’s most influential masterpieces.” Is this horror family-friendly? Absolutely! Turn it up a notch by attending in costume!
- ENGELBACH-HART MUSIC FESTIVAL | FREE CONCERTS
You are cordially invited to attend the Engelbach-Hart Music Festival, to be held again this year in November. This admission-free event is a gift to the community and will consist of three concerts. The “popular and highly unusual classical quartet” Quartetto Gelato opens the festival on Thursday evening with an enchanting and eclectic program. Featuring repertoire that includes not only classical masterpieces, but also regional music from all over the globe, the group’s virtuosity and versatility along with their warm and engaging stage presence are sure to enrich and excite you. With sold-out performances around the globe and a recording which has been to outer space, this ensemble is a must see! Friday’s program is our annual Faculty Collage Concert, highlighting the exceptional talents of the ¶¶Ňőpro music faculty. Finally, Saturday’s concert will feature guitar ensemble Duo 220. Hailed for their “extraordinary technique and musicianship,” Duo 220 has established a firm position at the forefront of American guitar ensembles. Guitarists Adam Larison and Andrew Stroud strive to create programs that are new, fresh and accessible through a mixture of both standards and lesser-known works in the guitar duo repertoire, inventive and effective transcriptions, and newly commissioned works by young composers, with an emphasis on reaching as broad an audience as possible.
- QUARTETTO GELATO :: Thursday, November 13, 2025 :: 7:30 PM
- FACULTY COLLAGE CONCERT :: Friday, November 14, 2025 :: 7:30 PM
- DUO 220 :: Saturday, November 15, 2025 :: 7:30 PM
- TRIO MEDIÆVAL
Sunday, January 25, 2026 :: 3 PM
Formed in 1997, Trio Mediæval consists of founding members Linn Andrea Fuglseth and Anna Maria Friman, and Jorunn Lovise Husan who joined the group in 2018. Hailed as a “fascinating journey with music of timeless beauty”, Trio Mediæval’s highly acclaimed first disc “Words of the Angel” (2001) launched the group into the elite circles of early music ensembles and introduced them to a broad international audience A typical Trio Mediæval programme combines their many varied strands of musical exploration: historically informed performance of medieval sacred music, folk music (adapted and arranged by members of the group); contemporary Nordic jazz; specially commissioned works; improvisation with or without instruments.
Trio Mediæval has toured extensively in Europe and USA, and has visited Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Australia. The group has performed in a variety of venues and has been invited to appear on the most prestigious stages in the world, including Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Vienna Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. This will be the first time they appear on our Fine Arts Series.
- TOM IRWIN: ONE FOR THE KIDDOS | FAMILY NIGHT SERIES
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 :: 6 PM :: Sibert Theatre
This family-oriented mid-week early evening program is sure to be a hit with children of all ages, as well as adults! Tom Irwin is a highly respected and beloved singer-songwriter, well-known to audiences of all ages throughout central Illinois and beyond. This One for the Kiddos performance is based on his book of the same name, an illustrated, “singalong, playalong” songbook featuring songs by Tom, with a co-write by Amy Battles, and a version of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” plus artwork by Kevin Atterberry, released in 2025. At this performance, Tom and Amy will perform the songs live, including interaction with “kiddos” of all ages, for a fun, informative and entertaining evening. Bring the whole family!
- TWO TIMES TRUE WITH KIM FULLER
Saturday, April 11, 2026 :: 7:30 PM
We conclude our season with the return to our stage of a Jacksonville favorite, St. Louis’ extraordinary jazz pianist Carolbeth True and her trio Two Times True, plus Kim Fuller, one of St. Louis’ most popular and versatile vocalists, in a dazzling program of jazz and gospel standards. In addition to their extensive performance record, these stellar musicians have been dedicated to inspiring next generations of jazz lovers through their involvement in the educational program “The Jazz Story” at the Sheldon in St. Louis. Do not miss this evening of outstanding music making - and bring the whole family!
Fine Arts Series Ticket Information:
Adult season tickets are available for $70, which is a $20 savings over purchasing tickets individually. Adult tickets to individual concerts are available for $20 per concert, except for the family programs on October 15 and March 11, when adult tickets will be just $5. As always, students of all ages and children are admitted free of charge to all concerts.
Please consider making a donation to the series: Your generosity and support help ensure that we are able to continue bringing quality programming to the Jacksonville community!
For more information, to purchase a Season or Single Event ticket, or to make a donation, please contact Jennifer Phebus ’07 at 217.245.3192 or jennifer.phebus@ic.edu.