Community Calendar

Singer Maureen Christine and woodwind artist Michael Bazan will perform popular hits from 1970s sweethearts as part of the McHenry County College (MCC) Concert Series on Sunday, February 12 at 3 p.m.
Christine brings her crystal-clear voice to classic 1970s hit songs by female vocalists including Karen Carpenter, Barbra Streisand, Toni Tennille, Helen Reddy, and a special tribute to Olivia Newton-John.

Vocalist Maureen Christine is a national recording artist and award-winning singer with a lovely, sweet voice and a beautiful way with ballads. She has opened for Helen Reddy, Willie Nelson, and has sung the National Anthem for the Chicago Cubs and in movies. Michael Bazan is a respected music educator and professional musician who has played for renowned artists such as Cab Calloway, Billy Eckstine, The Four Tops, and Frankie Valli. They will be accompanied by pianist Chuck Larkin, former music director and keyboardist for Jersey Boys.

The performance will be held at MCC’s Luecht Auditorium, 8900 US Highway 14, Crystal Lake, IL. It is free and open to the public.

This month Concerts on the Creek/Inspiration on the Creek proudly welcomes Stateline celebs Jodi Beach and Jim McDowell, with Jodi's exquisite vocal interpretations and piano stylings accompanied by Jim's virtuosic bass playing. There is no preaching or liturgy. (These Sunday Inspiration concerts run about an hour, with no intermission.)

This concert will take place at Spring Creek Church, 4500 Spring Creek Road. Attendance will be limited to 150. Free-will donations will pay the musicians and help to defray the church's costs as host. Those who wish guaranteed seating regardless of what time they arrive may make an early donation in the form of a $6 ticket at http://www.tktassistant.com/Tix/?u=COTC.

Those who wish a seating guarantee but are unable to buy tickets online may email cotc4500@gmail.com or phone 815.979.1949 for special arrangements. The suggested donation for those who do not reserve seats in advance is $10, but all donations are appreciated.

Ice cream and soft drinks will be available for sale before the concert and during intermission. We offer free off-street parking for 95 vehicles, and our all-on-one-floor listening area is easily accessible; acoustics are excellent.

Duo partners Kathryn Siegel and Marty Hackl present a violin & viola program with an international flair.

Learn about the STEM features of a steel band!

At our monthly Teen STEM Cafés, we have short talks about STEM fields, related STEM activities and enjoy free Pizza from Hy-Vee. Family members are welcome.

This free presentation is for all ages. Registration is required.

For additional information or help with registration, please contact Susan at susang@dkpl.org or (815) 756-9568 ext. 3400.

Safe Passage, DeKalb County’s domestic violence and sexual assault crisis center, will host their annual Valentine’s Day themed fundraiser on February 17th. The Love Over Violence Event (L.O.V.E.) will be held at Blumen Gardens in Sycamore from 6:00pm to 9:30pm. The event will include an evening of decadent appetizers, drinks, dancing, and a raffle.

Pull up a sandbag and swing the lantern! The phrase, initially of British military origin, refers to the lamps hung from a ship’s beams that would swing while the ship was out at sea. This expression has come to be synonymous with the telling of tales (mostly true, some tall tales) in maritime culture.

Join singer, songwriter, and storyteller Dave Martin on an exploration of the vast wonder of the world’s oceans and Great Lakes. Casting off, listeners will be regaled with legendary incidents that have occurred on the high seas near and afar, and become acquainted with colorful characters that have forged the flinty character of sea-going people. In this program, audience members meet a real pirate of the Caribbean, end up in a precarious position with the captain of a Boston Whaler off Nantucket, and experience the legendary fury of a ‘November Witch’ on the Great Lakes; a storm that occurred in 1913, and is referred to by Great Lakes mariners and historians as the ‘White Hurricane.’

Dispatched from the Third Coast, Dave Martin entertains and delights with his keen sense for stories and wry presentation sensibility.

This event is free and open to all. No registration is required. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the DeKalb Public Library.

For additional information, please contact Samantha at samanthah@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 1701.

Arcomusical cordially invites the DeKalb community to attend Transformation Through Rhythm, the annual percussion performance event that is drumming for a good cause! Held at the DeKalb High School auditorium on Sunday afternoon February 19th at 3PM, featured musicians include the Harambee Ensemble, the DeKalb High School Percussion Ensemble, the Northern Illinois University Percussion Ensemble, and Arcomusical. All donations received will benefit the almost 140 non-profit organizations based in and/or serving DeKalb County who participate in the DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership’s annual Give DeKalb County event, this year celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Donations will be collected digitally and in person at the concert. No ticket is needed to attend the event.

“​​The Transformation Through Rhythm concerts bring together the perfect combination of music, community and helping support a cause. In previous years we held them as fundraisers for our local hospice, as well as a sister hospice in South Africa. I'm thrilled the concerts are being resumed, with the fundraising component supporting Give DeKalb County, thus benefiting all nonprofits in our county. The concert itself is amazing, a joyful tapestry of rhythm, energy, people, color and inspiration.”

-Jen Conley (Transformation Through Rhythm Founder, music therapist, and licensed counselor)

Jazz in Progress joins us for an after-hours concert that will feature different styles of big band and modern jazz music in the library’s main lobby!

Jazz in Progress (JIP) organized in 2012 to encourage local musicians to play jazz in support of its mission of musical, charitable, and educational purposes to advance the appreciation, performance, and history of jazz music and its related genres. Its membership includes a variety of talented musicians from the DeKalb County area. The ensemble also honors the practice of inviting local high school and college jazz musicians to sit in with the band, giving young musicians an opportunity to gain more experience in playing jazz music.

JIP is an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that puts funds raised back into local community music programs. Past recipients of JIP donations include the DeKalb, Genoa-Kingston, Hinckley-Big Rock, Indian Creek and Sycamore music booster organizations, as well as St. Mary’s-DeKalb and the DeKalb County Community Foundation.

JIP has performed at benefit and fund raising events and venues around the area including the St. Mary’s Lancer Legacy Ball, Sycamore Natural History Museum’s Rockin’ for the Reptiles, Stage Coach Theatre, Sycamore Farmers Market, Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, Artigras, The House Café, and Oak Crest Senior Proms. The band also has performed with the Celebration Chorale and at many other community and charity events.

This concert is free and open to all. No registration is required. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. and music will begin at 6:30 p.m.

For additional information, please contact Samantha at samanthah@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 1701.

Preeminent area trumpeter and principal of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Mark Baldin presents works by Ponchielli and Shostakovich, among lighter fare.

The Dixon Municipal Band is pleased to announce its premier Spring Concert on Saturday March 4, 2023. The concert will be held at The Dixon: Historic Theatre at 7:00 PM and admission is free.

This is a family friendly event which will feature the phenomenal Harry Watters - Trombone Soloist. Both young and mature will enjoy the energy and extreme talent of our guest soloist. The band also has some exciting numbers planned for this event.

Jazz Trombonist Harry Watters travels nationally and internationally as a Jupiter Artist. Watters has performed with a long list of distinguished artists, including Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, Doc Severinsen, Peter Nero, Carl Fontana, and James Moody and has appeared as a featured soloist with bands and orchestras around the world.