Center Set for July Completion; Director Departing for UNI
Celebrate with Western Illinois University in its new home for the performing arts in 2026-2027.
Western Illinois University's fine arts and communications, and the Performing Arts Society, presents its Gold Series of professional performances, 'A Season of Joy!', in the new Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts (GCPA), which opens in Fall 2026. The first performance in the new center is Chicken Wire Empire, a Wisconsin-based Bluegrass band, Wednesday, Sept.
16. Recognized worldwide for top-tier performances and jam-band musicality, Chicken Wire Empire will kick off this year's Al Sears Music Festival.
'The Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts Gold Series brings diversity, energy, inspiration, enlightenment and entertainment to Macomb in ways we have never experienced before. The GCPA will also present the Purple Series, featuring WIU theatre, music and dance,' said Theatre and Dance Chair, and College of Fine Arts and Communication Interim Associate Dean Tammy Killian. 'The GCPA will create countless opportunities not only to witness professionals at work, but also to celebrate students aspiring to greatness in a space designed to showcase their passion, creativity, and extraordinary talents. I am honored to play even a small role in something so extraordinary, a vision I know Billy (the late COFAC Dean Billy Clow who was instrumental in getting the GCPA construction underway) would be deeply proud to see inspiring our community.”
A special Gold Series subscription, which includes seven shows, starts at $220 per person. The Gold Series includes a reserved seat for each of the headlining shows during the 2026-2027 season. Tickets for each show can also be purchased separately beginning in August. More information on the Gold Series subscription, which is available for purchase now, as well as the performances, can be found at westernpresents.com.
'A Season of Joy!' Performances:
Sept. 20: Gravity - Three Wicked Voices Make One Gravity-Defying Show Three West End divas, all known for portraying Elphaba in Wicked, will dominate the stage with powerhouse vocals and thrilling harmonies in a tribute to the greatest female voices of Broadway and beyond.
Oct. 22: Magic Rocks - Illusionist Leon Etienne, who has made his name Fooling Penn & Teller and amazed the judges on America's Got Talent, brings his high-energy brand of spectacular magic in a show suitable for the entire family.
Dec. 1: STOMP - The international touring sensation makes its first ever stop in Macomb! Perfectly choreographed chaos takes the stage in this kinetic celebration of sound and movement.
Feb. 6, 2027: Forgottonia - Chris Vallillo's Valentine to the people and places of rural Illinois fills the big stage while Tim Schroll's photography fills the big screen, right here where the journey began.
March 24, 2027: Big Gravity - TaikoArts Midwest brings to life the ancient Japanese tradition of the taiko drum, evoking spirituality, joy and a thundering vision of a new world.
April 5, 2027: Quad City Symphony Orchestra - For the first time in more than 20 years, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra ventures out to perform in Goldfarb Center's Great Hall for its Masterworks concert, featuring Dvorak's joyful Eighth Symphony and a premiere performance of a new work by composer Michael Abels.
GCPA Director Takes New Position
On Tuesday, WIU Provost Mark Mossman shared a message with the WIU community thanking Lefter for her dedication and announcing her departure for a position at the University of Northern Iowa, which she starts July 1. According to Mossman, programming and planning for the inaugural season will continue as scheduled, and an interim CPA director will be named in the near future.
GCPA Director Ann Lefter shared the 2026-2027 season line-up at the recent Performing Art Society Gala at WIU. Lefter was named to the role in May 2024 after serving 22 years as director of the arts for the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). She has been overseeing the construction of the center during her tenure, and was also responsible for lining up the acts in the new fine arts center.
Watch The Community News Brief for a construction update on the Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts, and the appointment of an interim director.
About the Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts
Construction began on the accessible 100,000-square-foot building in September 2022, and now, almost four years later, the CDB's substantial completion is set for July.
The Capital Development Board, which provided funding for the facility, will host a dedication later this summer when the building is complete. The contemporary structure includes several classrooms, offices, practice rooms, studios and performance spaces. The Great Hall, an 869-seat Proscenium Theatre, will provide an ultramodern performance space for music, theatre and dance productions as well as regional and national touring performances, while the smaller Black Box theatre will provide a more intimate space for campus productions.
River City Construction, LLC, of Peoria, IL, has served as the general contractor for the $119 million center, with Cannon Design, Inc. as the architect-of-record overseeing construction and Pelli Clarke Pelli serving as the architectural design firm. The GCPA, which is part of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, has been the number one priority on Western's capital development list since 2006 and has been in some form of planning and/or discussion since December 1972.
Bookmark wiu.edu/cofac/gcpa for continued construction progress, photos, announcements and more.
