Summer 2024 Brings Outdoor Summer Concerts To The Mac's Lakeside Pavilion  

McAninch Arts Center (MAC), located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage (COD), will present the 2024 Lakeside Pavilion Free Outdoor Summer Series. Programming runs July 12-Aug. 9. Concert programming includes a Friday evening Pops Concert Series and Thursday evening WDCB LIVE Jazz Concert Series.

The Friday Night Pop Concert Series opens with a special pops concert by New Philharmonic, the professional symphony orchestra in residence at the MAC, under the baton of Maestro Kirk Muspratt July 12. It will be followed by The Brit Pack, a must-see tribute band performing the works of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, David Bowie, Radiohead, The Police and more July 19. Uptown takes the Lakeside stage with a mix of smooth stylings of R&B and the fresh hits of today July 26; and Elton Rohn caps the series with a performance of Elton John's greatest hits Aug. 9. All Pop Music Series concerts are free and begin at 7:30 p.m.

WDCB 90.9 FM, Chicago's home for jazz, located on the campus of COD, curates the Thursday Evening WDCB LIVE Jazz Concert Series. Concerts include the soulful Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio known for their jazz-funk covers of greats from the ‘60s and early ‘70s July 18; and three-time Grammy-nominated Indonesian jazz pianist Joey Alexander July 25. Both concerts are free and begin at 7:30 p.m.

Audiences are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item to the Thursday and Friday and night concerts to benefit the Glen House Food Pantry and College of DuPage Student Fuel Pantry.

All Lakeside Pavilion events take place outdoors. In case of inclement weather, concerts will be moved indoors to the Belushi Performance Hall. Large blankets, large coolers and outside alcohol are not allowed. The Pavilion will not be open to anyone prior to 90 minutes before event start time. Reserving of space and holding areas is NOT allowed. Concessions will be available for purchase on site. 

For more information about these concerts, call 630.942.4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org. To secure space for a group, call 630.942.3026.

Also, this summer:

COD College Theater department presents two productions: 

• The five-time Tony Award-winning musical “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” July 5-14 (No performance July 12). The show was the first Broadway musical where the audience at each performance voted for the ending. Tickets are $16 ($14 Students/Seniors). This ticketed production will take place indoors in the MAC's Playhouse Theatre. Please note: this play Contains adult themes and language. For tickets visit AtTheMAC.org.

• A new production, “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Doo-Wop” with free performances at MAC Lakeside Pavilion at 1 p.m., July 13-14.  This free hour-long, interactive family-friendly show about kindness is perfect for children ages 5-10. 
For more information on either show, visit AtTheMAC.org.

Now through Oct. 6 the Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) presents the exhibition Alberto Aguilar: “Grid Luck.” Aguilar explores the grid's role as both a generative and expansive tool. Drawing inspiration from COD's Permanent Art Collection, the exhibit reimagines the materials and spaces within the CCMA, leading to the creation of new site-specific works. Aguilar's innovative approach uses existing objects from institutional spaces as his materials offering a fresh take on traditional art-making, providing a new perspective on often overlooked possibilities. For more information visit TheCCMA.org.

Also note: Mexican Cultural Center DuPage (MCCD) in coordination with Meztli Mexico and in partnership with the College of DuPage Public Art Project (COD) and the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) presents “Olmec Trails: Culture and Legacy.” This new outdoor exhibit featuring 33 hand-painted large-scale renditions of iconic Mesoamerican sculptures will be displayed this summer primarily throughout DuPage County in an expansive exhibition highlighting the culture of the ancient Olmec civilization in a fresh and accessible way. COD is hosting 10 of these painted sculptures plus an Olmec educational display in the MAC lobby. For more information about “Olmec Trails: Culture and Legacy” and related events visit OlmecTrails.com">OlmecTrails.com.

About the MAC

McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage is located 25 miles west of Chicago near I-88 and I-355. It houses three indoor performance spaces (780-seat proscenium Belushi Performance Hall; 186-seat soft-thrust Playhouse Theatre; and a versatile black box Studio Theatre), outdoor Lakeside Pavilion, plus the Cleve Carney Museum of Art and classrooms for the college's academic programming. The MAC has presented theater, music, dance and visual art to more than 1.5 million people since its opening in 1986 and typically welcomes more than 100,000 patrons from the greater Chicago area to more than 230 performances each season.

The mission of the MAC is to foster enlightened educational and performance opportunities, which encourage artistic expression, establish a lasting relationship between people and art, and enrich the cultural vitality of the community. For more information about the MAC, visit AtTheMAC.org.

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