The Union, a student-run music venue, strives to have radical hospitality, be locally focused, financially sustainable and socially aware.
This organization will no longer be hosting shows in its off-campus location downtown Naperville, which has been its home for 14 years. The grand opening of the new on-campus location, Larrance Academic Center (LAC), will be on April 26. It will include a performance by the folk/pop duo, Jenny & Tyler with Jen Rim and Jeremiah Higgins.
When it was in the original development stage, the tagline for The Union was, “an experience in transcendence,” said Whitney Roberts, faculty advisor of The Union. “It was this idea of… how do we converge the themes of art, beauty, spirituality and social impact.”
The locations where these concerts are held has varied over the years. Most recently, the venue was an off-campus location in partnership with the Calvary Church. Now, the organization has decided to move on-campus. This will allow them to have their own space and be more accessible to students.
“Having a partnership in another space that doesn’t belong to us brings its challenges… that was a great opportunity and we are so thankful for it, but it limits what we can do,” said Jimmy Bright, ’19, co-president of The Union.
LAC holds classrooms, a common area and an auditorium. The Union has been working to revamp the auditorium to make it more like a concert venue. Lights are being changed, the stage area has been repainted and expanded and a sound booth has been added.
“When we had the opportunity to move all of the programming into the Larrance Academic Center… it really was an offer we couldn’t refuse,” said Roberts.
This newly renovated auditorium will not only be used by The Union. Other organizations on campus that need a venue to hold events will be able to use this space as well.
The first show put on in the new location was the spring a cappella show, featuring performances by several a cappella groups on campus.
Photo courtesy of Jimmy Bright
To decide which genres of music to bring to The Union’s stage, students received a survey asking what they would like to hear. Among those who took the survey, the most popular choices of music are indie, alternative and hip-hop.
“We are trying to keep a diverse array of artists in our space for students to listen to,” said Upasna Barath, ’19, co-president of The Union.
Along with hosting artists, The Union will be in partnership with several other organizations on campus, one being Enactus. Enactus will be opening a coffee lab in the lobby of the auditorium. This will allow guests to have coffee during the shows.
With these improvements along with many more, The Union hopes to draw more of the campus community to its shows.
“Our goal isn’t to throw these crazy events, it’s more intimate,” said Bright.
Throughout the rest of the term, The Union will be putting on shows that include artists such as A.J. with Solo Sam, Harbour and Like Language.
