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Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts Announces "A Season of Joy"

May 4, 2026

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MACOMB/MOLINE, IL - -The inaugural season of the Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts at Western Illinois University will be "A Season of Joy." Director Anne Lefter has selected a season for celebration, marking the culmination of the long road to the opening of the new center.

The 2026-27 Season of Joy includes:

September 16, 2026
Chicken Wire Empire
Wisconsin-based bluegrass group recognized worldwide for top-tier performances and jam-band musicality, Chicken Wire Empire will kick off this year's Al Sears Music Festival.

September 20, 2026
Gravity: Three Wicked Voices Make One Gravity-Defying Show
Three West End divas, all known for portraying Elphaba in Wicked, will dominate the stage with powerhouse vocals and thrilling harmonies in a tribute to the greatest female voices of Broadway and beyond.

October 22, 2026
Magic Rocks
Illusionist Leon Etienne, who has made his name Fooling Penn & Teller and amazed the judges on America's Got Talent, brings his high-energy brand of spectacular magic in a show suitable for the entire family.

December 1, 2026
STOMP
The international touring sensation makes its first ever stop in Macomb! Perfectly choreographed chaos takes the stage in this kinetic celebration of sound and movement.

February 6, 2027
Forgottonia
Chris Vallillo's valentine to the people and places of rural Illinois fills the big stage while Tim Schrull's photography fills the big screen, right here where the journey began.

March 24, 2027
Big Gravity
TaikoArts Midwest brings to life the ancient Japanese tradition of the taiko drum, evoking spirituality, joy and a thundering vision of a new world.

April 5, 2027
Quad City Symphony Orchestra
For the first time in more than 20 years, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra ventures out to the Great Hall of the Goldfarb Center for its Masterworks concert, featuring Dvorak's joyful Eighth Symphony and a premiere performance of a new work by composer Michael Abels.

Subscriptions are now on sale at westernpresents.com. Individual tickets will go on sale in August.

The Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts is the first new state-funded academic building at WIU in more than 40 years. It offers 100,000 square feet of performance, rehearsal and teaching space, supporting academic programs in Theatre, Music and Dance. The State of Illinois has invested $119 million into building the center, providing the Western Illinois region with a first-class destination for arts and culture.

For more information on the center, visit wiu.edu/cofac/gcpa/.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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