Southern Illinois University Carbondale will begin its 2026 Outside the Box New Music Festival on March 24, featuring six internationally recognized musicians and nine performers from the SIU School of Music. The event, now in its nineteenth season, will run for six days at various campus locations including Shryock Auditorium, the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall, and Altgeld Hall. All master classes, workshops, and concerts are free and open to the public.
The festival aims to bring world-class composers, musicians, artists, and technologists to the region so that local audiences can experience performances typically found in larger cities. It also introduces guest artists to the Carbondale community.
Featured guest artists include composer and pianist Eric Moe from the University of Pittsburgh; Paul Hertz, an independent artist; Andy Hudson from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music; Ji Hye Jung and W. Lee Vinson from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music; and Stephan Moore from Northwestern University. SIU faculty members participating are Christopher Butler (percussion), David Dillard (baritone), Abbie Eads (conductor), Anthony Gray (piano), Yuko Kato (piano), Richard Kelley (saxophone), Jiyeon Lee (piano), Eric Mandat (clarinet), and Christopher Walczak (music theory and composition).
Walczak, who organizes the festival, said its mission “is to bring world-class composers, performing musicians, artists, and technologists” so that people in the region can enjoy concerts similar to those in major metropolitan areas while also introducing visiting artists to Carbondale.
The schedule includes a clarinet master class by Andy Hudson on March 24 followed by his evening performance. Other events feature new compositions by SIU student composers on March 31; a seminar with Eric Moe on April 1; presentations by Stephan Moore and Paul Hertz on April 2; performances by guest percussionists Ji Hye Jung and Lee Vinson on April 3; and a final concert by the Altgeld Chamber Players on April 4. The closing night will also feature works by guest composer Moe as well as Kathleen Ginther, who taught at SIU for eighteen years before retiring.
The festival continues its tradition of providing unique musical experiences for both students and community members.
