The Krannert Center is the cultural anchor of Urbana-Champaign — a large performing arts complex on the southern edge of campus with four performance halls including a full-scale opera house seating nearly 2,000. It hosts opera, ballet, drama, and orchestral concerts throughout the academic year, much of it produced by the university's own schools of music, theatre, and dance, and some of it by visiting national and international companies.
The programming is remarkably ambitious for a city of this size, and tickets are much cheaper than equivalent performances in major cities. The university's music school is among the best in the country, which means the student performances — particularly in opera and chamber music — can be genuinely excellent. The lobby café is a good spot for a coffee before an evening performance.