A performance of Steve Reich’s composition Music for 18 Musicians is an event, a monumental, pulsating, mesmerizing musical event. The hour-long work is widely recognized as one of the most influential pieces of the 20th century, and every hearing—and seeing—of it offers a new perspective to the listener. Its 1976 premiere marked a turning point in the Pulitzer Prize winner’s compositional style and a watershed moment in American music, resonating across generations of classical, pop, and jazz audiences through the current day. In this Sonic Illinois collaboration of two Grammy-winning ensembles, Eighth Blackbird—dubbed “one of the smartest, most dynamic contemporary classical ensembles on the planet” (Chicago Tribune)—joins forces with Third Coast Percussion, a quartet that imbues performances with “an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune), to create Reich’s “ever-changing, kaleidoscopic soundworld” (The Guardian).

Admission
Pick Five+: 23 / SC Senior citizens: age 65 or over, or retired U of I faculty and staff 18 / STUNon-U of I college students 15 / UI Current, full-time U of I student & YTH Youth: high school and younger 10 Single: 25 / SC Senior citizens: age 65 or over