PAST EVENTS
Instrumental Concert
April 24, 2024 | 7:30 p.m.
Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration
Reservations are not required for this free presentation.
Spring Choral Concert
April 25, 2024 | 7:30 p.m.
Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration
Reservations are not required for this free presentation.
"Urinetown"
By Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis
April 5-6 and 10-13, 2024 | 7:30 p.m.
April 7 and 14, 2024 | 2:30 p.m.
Perry Theatre in the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley Center for Cultural Enrichment
349 S. Gladstone Ave.
Winner of three Tony Awards, three Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards and two Obie Awards, Urinetown is a hilarious musical satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, environmental collapse, privatization of natural resources, bureaucracy, municipal politics, and musical theatre itself! Hilariously funny and touchingly honest, Urinetown provides a fresh perspective on one of America's greatest art forms.
In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he's had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom!
Important Note: Musical contains mature themes.
Faculty Speaker Series
"Today is a Good Day to Define 'Quantum' in Quantum Computers"
March 19, 2024 | 3 p.m.
Tapper Recital Hall
Reservations are not required for Faculty Speaker Series events.
Space is limited. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
During this presentation, Aurora University Professor Juan A. Colón Santana will delve into the intricacies of quantum computing. Providing an in-depth examination, he will offer a comprehensive overview of the foundational concepts that set quantum computers apart from their classical counterparts, covering topics ranging from qubits and superposition to entanglement and quantum gates. Professor Santana will also explore the potential of quantum computing in addressing intricate challenges that classical computers currently face, shedding light on the implications of achieving quantum supremacy.
Faculty Speaker Series
"Sextortion Awareness"
February 15, 2024 | 3 p.m.
Tapper Recital Hall
Since 2019 there has been a significant increase in the crime labeled “sextortion.” This crime is affecting teens through college-age men and women. Sextortion involves cybercriminals contacting the victim through social media, exchanging indecent pictures, and then demanding money by threatening to share the indecent photos with the victim’s friends, family members and employers. The FBI disseminated a warning to news agencies in December 2022, stating that out of 3,000 victims, 0.4% committed suicide. The way to reduce this criminal activity is to educate and disrupt. Aurora University Criminal Justice Adjunct Professor, Lorie Hermesdorf, will discuss the warning signs of sextortion, measures you can take to protect yourself, and what to do if you or someone you know is currently experiencing this crime.
Winterfest: A Christmas Concert
December 10, 2023 | 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration
The Aurora University Choirs will treat us to seasonal choral music both familiar and new at Winterfest: A Christmas Concert, featuring the University Chorale, Aurora Singers, and SpartanCor.
AU Concert Band
December 6, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration
AU String Ensemble and Flute Choir
December 5, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration
Student Honor Recital
December 1, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration
Student soloists chosen to be honored by the applied faculty.
Fall Choral Concert
October 30, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
Crimi Auditorium in the Institute for Collaboration
Featuring University Chorale, SpartanCor and Aurora Singers, along with guest choirs.
Faculty Speaker Series
"Automatic Thinking: Contemplating Consciousness, Reality, and Humanity from Art to AI"
October 26, 2023 | 3 p.m.
Tapper Recital Hall
In 1924, poet Andre Breton published his Surrealist Manifesto, envisioning artistic expressions of the actual functioning of thought without any of the control exercised by reason and exempt from aesthetic or moral concerns. A century later, we find ourselves similarly questioning the nature of reality, confronted by deep fakes, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. Today, machine intelligence is a significant part of everyday life. From internet searches and sophisticated marketing to medical diagnosis and financial planning, AI is rapidly changing how information is generated, processed, and utilized. It could be said that with it, we have finally developed a manner of outsourcing what we normally call thinking. Through the lenses of visual culture and philosophy, Aurora University Professors Libby Escobedo, Mark Walter, and Gopal Gupta reexamine the nature of thought and perception and essential questions about humanity’s place in this transformative era and highlight the importance of preserving and nurturing unique qualities like empathy, creativity, and ethical reasoning that set humans apart in an increasingly AI-driven world.
"This Random World"
By Steven Dietz
October 11-14, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
October 15, 2023 | 2:30 p.m.
Black Box Theatre (Stephens Hall Room 119)
405 S. Gladstone Ave.
We want to believe that serendipity brings us together, but is that just a myth? Mining the comedy of missed connections, "This Random World" asks the serious question of how often we travel parallel paths through the world without noticing. From an ailing woman who plans one final trip, to her daughter planning one great escape and her son falling prey to a prank gone wrong, this funny, intimate, and heartbreaking play explores the lives that may be happening just out of reach of our own.