Every Monday at 7 p.m., the Illini Union Courtyard Café’s Musical Mondays series brings students, faculty and professional artists together for free live music spanning every genre — from indie and jazz to acoustic and pop.
With the event’s casual atmosphere and rotating lineup, Musical Mondays gives students a chance to unwind, discover new music and start the week on a high note without ever leaving campus.
Janett Matthews, Courtyard Café program coordinator, shared that the magic of Musical Mondays lies in the connection between the performer and the audience.
“When you see music live, you can actually communicate with the artist,” Matthews said. “You get that one-on-one (experience) that you can’t get at a sold-out stadium.”
That connection is exactly what sets Musical Mondays apart.
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Instead of standing shoulder to shoulder in a crowded venue, audience members can grab a drink, settle into an open table and enjoy live music just a few feet away from the performers.
Matthews said her goal is for students to leave Monday nights feeling inspired and refreshed from a night of live music.
One of the performers who hopes to bring inspiration straight to campus is a professor in FAA, more specifically, in jazz saxophone, Charles (Chip) McNeill.
McNeill primarily plays jazz standards and some original jazz compositions in either a trio or quartet.
“(Musical Monday) is a great way to get music out to students who have no idea that there is jazz here at Illinois,” McNeill said. “Usually, I even play with students … and introduce them and the music that we play.”
For McNeill, the event is both a teaching tool and a creative outlet. He uses these gigs to give students genuine performance experience and build a musically knowledgeable atmosphere.
For many students, Musical Mondays is their first chance to perform for a live audience on campus — and for Lucas Ciocan, a performer for the event and sophomore in Engineering, it’s become a regular part of his semester.
Ciocan performs jazz, pop, funk and soul both solo and with his fusion band, The False Groove.
With his mix of singing, guitar, piano and saxophone, his sets bring an upbeat, genre-blending sound that highlights his creative control and versatility as a performer.
Whether performing alone or with his group, Ciocan says that each show offers a different kind of energy.
“Performing solo gives me more freedom to move around, dance, interact with the audience and make more out-of-the-box creative choices,” Ciocan wrote in an email to The Daily Illini. “However, performing with a group is fun because I get to feed off the energy of my band and create a more intense and exciting atmosphere. Ending the show in a sweat makes me feel alive.”
Between performing solo and with his band, Ciocan wrote that each setup offers its own rewards.
No matter the setting or crowd size, Ciocan believes the connection with the audience remains strong and genuine.
“On stage, I feel most like myself, no matter if people are there to cheer me on or just need some background music to study,” Ciocan wrote. “The atmosphere is what I make of it; it could be chill and interactive, or intense and energetic.”
For him, the Musical Mondays series has reinforced his passion for performing and confirmed that music is what he wants to do for the rest of his life.
Musical Mondays offers something for everyone — a break from studying, an easy way to spend time with friends or even a relaxed date night.
So, next Monday night, instead of reaching for your headphones, follow the sound of live music echoing from the Courtyard Café. You might walk in for a quick break, but you’ll leave feeling recharged and a part of something bigger than just another Monday.
