The Black Chorus, led by conductor Ollie Watts Davis, will perform a memorial concert at Smith Memorial Hall's Recital Hall. The brief memorial event, free and open to the public, will take place Sept. 11 at 7:46am. The start time coincides with the time the first hijacked jetliner crashed into the north tower of the WTC in NYC. As in past years, the observance will commemorate the event in the universal language of music only.  “There will be no speeches before or after the performance. “ said Karl Kramer, the director of the School of Music.

George Lundeen returns to his alma mater with his latest sculptural endeavor. A 12' bronze sculpture of Red Grange was erected yesterday outside the Memorial Stadium on the Champaign-Urbana campus. Lundeen, who received his Illinois masters degree in 1973, has developed an impressive portfolio of work online, all developed out of his Colorado studio. more.

Parsa Khalili, graduate in Architecture, was recently awarded the 2009 SOM (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill Foundation) Travel Fellowship. Parsa, following his graduation from the University of Illinois, went on to earn his Masters in Architecture at Yale and submitted his portfolio and travel & research proposal this year for the 2009 SOM Prize, deemed among the most prestgious design awards for architecture and engineering students. This is the fourth national/international design competition award earned by Architecture's students over the summer. Parsa and other SOM Foundation awardees for 2009 are included on the foundation web site: http://www.somfoundation.som.com/content.cfm/2009_fellows

Illinois Alumni Magazine Katie Maglia has been named Grand Marshall of the 2009 Homecoming Parade on the Illinois Champaign-Urbana campus. Katie is a painting student and a firefighter in the Air Force National Guard with the 183rd Fighter Wing out of Springfield. One of the individuals featured in the May issue of Illinois' alumni magazine, Katie tells how her time in Iraq affected her life and her art. more (pdf)

Tribune Newspapers - August 31, 2009   Director Ang Lee discusses his newest film, "Taking Woodstock." Adapted from the real-life story of Elliot Tiber, Lee talks about his connection to Tiber, the impact of real-life events and how it defines his approach in film-making. more