A number of concerts will be held in the Mary Margaret Weeg Cultural Centre at IVCC in May, both from IVCC ensembles and the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra.

During the week of May 1, four concerts will be taking place in the Cultural Centre, all of which are free and open to the public.

On May 1, the IVCC Choir will be performing at 7 p.m. On the following evening, May 2, the IVCC Jazz Ensemble will perform at 7 p.m.

The IVCC Student Recital will be held at 7 p.m., May 3. Bringing the week’s events to a close, the Wind Ensemble will have a concert at 7 p.m., May 4.

“We have prepared a unique program for this last concert,” says Phil Whaley, Wind Ensemble conductor. “There are many familiar songs that the audience will hear, but they will be heard in ways that aren’t as conventional.”

IVCC will also be hosting a concert from the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra (IVSO), titled “Celebrate Culture!” The concert, featuring Kate Tombaugh, will be held at 3 p.m., May 7.

“Orchestral music is alive and thriving throughout the world, as attested to by the proliferation of orchestras in Asian countries and in Latin American countries,” says the IVSO website. “We celebrate the richly colored and rhythmically captivating music of the cultures of Latin America and Spain.”

Tickets for this event cost $20 for adults and $5 for college students. The concert is free for K-12 students. Tickets may be purchased on the IVSO website.

Michael Pecherek, music instructor at IVCC, has 50 tickets for the IVSO concert available for free to college students. Pecherek highly recommends that college students contact him for a free ticket. His email address is michael_pecherek@ivcc. edu.

With finals coming up, Pecherek encourages students to attend a concert in order to take a break from all their hard work and studying.

“You have to clear your mind a little bit and do something different,” says Pecherek. “Sitting and listening to a live musical concert is just a great way to get away from it all for an hour.”