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WIU alumna and former Music faculty member Claudia McCain and her husband, Jim, look forward to the opening of the Goldfarb Center for the Performing Arts in September 2026.
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McCains Support Goldfarb Center, Invest in Music Business Students

July 22, 2026

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*This feature is written and edited by Makenna Frank, a Theatre graduate student.

MACOMB, IL - - Western Illinois University alumna and former Music faculty member Claudia McCain was able to experience a breathtaking moment when the highly anticipated Western Illinois University College of Fine Arts and Communications (COFAC) Recital Hall opened in the early 2000s. Now, she and her husband, Jim, will soon experience something similar when the Goldfarb Center for the Performing Arts opens this fall.

"The arts are WIU's best-kept secret," the McCains said.

The long-anticipated Goldfarb Center will open its doors in September 2026. This is something Claudia has looked forward to since she was a faculty member in WIU's School of Music. Her journey at WIU began as a student earning a master's degree in Music Education/Piano in 1979. Shortly after in 1988, she became the director of the Music Business program at WIU, leading the program for 19 years after it had been established the prior academic year. Under Claudia's leadership, the Music Business program grew from its infancy into a nationally and internationally recognized program and laid the foundation for what the program has become today. She also knows just how transformational this new space will be for the music, theatre and dance programs.

While Claudia has a history of building new opportunities at WIU, her husband, Jim has a different connection to the Goldfarb Center. Although he only took a few graduate classes at WIU, he shares the same love for music and education. The majority of his career was spent first as a band director then as a school administrator in rural Illinois schools. Community members and WIU students alike don't have a space nearby where they can see professional performing arts live due to the rural location of the WIU campus. Jim & Claudia know that this space will provide these opportunities not only for the WIU students, faculty and staff, but for the entire western Illinois region.

Their support for the Goldfarb Center comes from their passion for music and education and through Claudia's connection with the WIU Music Business program. Not only will they continue to support their endowed scholarship, the Jim and Claudia McCain Music Business Scholarship, but they will support and name the Control Room of the Goldfarb Center's Great Hall. This generous and heartfelt donation will allow music business students to gain hands-on experience in live sound ecosystems, programmatic controls and the recording processes.

Both Jim and Claudia have high hopes for the impact the Goldfarb Center will have on the community and they are excited to make attending performances a priority. Claudia retired from WIU in 2007, but it seems to her that, in spite of the challenges the University has faced, the artistry, skills and musicianship of the students, ensembles and faculty of the School of Music is just as strong now, if not stronger than it was when she was a professor there.

"The music program is still producing amazing results," Claudia said.

The McCains are ready to see the "first anything" that is in the Goldfarb Center and to see the performing arts thrive in Macomb. The new facility will host a variety of performances, ranging from music and theatre to illusionists and educational programming. The success of the building is dependent on community support for a variety of performance events and it is notable that the McCains value this importance.

Another important factor to the success of the Goldfarb Center, they believe, is philanthropy to the facility, such as their contribution.

"The more funding that is given, the more enriching the experiences in this building will be for the students learning in it," the McCains said.

Students, faculty and staff at WIU are grateful for all of the support that has been given by our donors.

"We hope that our gift provides educational opportunities for students as well as inspires others to make a financial commitment as well," the McCains said.

Thanks to Jim and Claudia McCain, the WIU Music Business students will have the opportunity to expand on the hands-on classroom experiences they receive at WIU, including a professional, state-of-the-art system in the control room of the Goldfarb Center. Their deep connection and commitment to music education is inspiring and the McCains are beyond excited to experience the arts at WIU in this brand new facility for the first time, just as they did some 26 years ago when COFAC opened.

For more information and to purchase season tickets, visit go.wiu.edu/44TNgBR.

For more information on WIU's Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts, visit wiu.edu/cofac/gcpa. For more information or to stay up to date on performances, etc., follow the center's Facebook page at facebook.com/wiugoldfarbcenter.

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