Preview: Ellnora – The Guitar Festival

Jon Stone

Updated:

September 6, 2011 12:56 pm

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Preview: Ellnora – The Guitar Festival

Ellnora Krannert was married to the successful businessman Herman C. Krannert who, in the early part of last century, bootstrapped his way through the University of Illinois and eventually become a millionaire and philanthropist — making the world a better place with corrugated fiber boxes. The Krannert Center on that same campus in Champaign-Urbana now hosts world-renowned symphony, drama, and opera companies, the occasional rock show, and a biennial guitar festival called “Ellnora”.

But Ellnora is not in the same vernacular as the typical music festival. It’s different because its space, the diversity of its participants, and its overall mission veer away from usual festival fare. Ellnora trades outdoor stages, sunshine, and beer for elegant, indoor auditoriums, air conditioning, and wine. What follows is a parade of artistry: countless years of carefully distilled talent and tradition revolve through the beautiful theatres and lobby in a kind of eccentric but beautiful calliope of joyful noise. There’s one more difference and it’s striking. Despite the talent and the beautiful space, at Ellnora, it’s the guitar in the spotlight — its history and its futures: the ring, the twang, the fuzz, the wah-wah.

This year, Ellnora brings together a wide swath of guitar talent — what director Mike Ross sums up as “extraordinary artistry, extraordinary diversity, and extraordinary generosity.” Generous indeed. Nearly half of the shows at Ellnora are free including performances from The Black Crowes’ Luther Dickinson paired with country-bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart, the inimitable Tony Rice Unit, and, as if that wasn’t enough, Chris Thile and Michael Daves will play a free show covering material from their fantastic 2011 release Sleep with One Eye Open. The weekend will also include ticketed performances from Taj Mahal Trio, Calexico, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Bill Frisell, My Brightest Diamond, Sonic Youth’s Lee Renaldo, and Grammy winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin.

Ellnora kicks off this Thursday night, September 8th, in Champaign. I’ll be back with my review early next week.