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‘A happy return:’ New music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra has ties to state

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‘A happy return:’ New music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra has ties to state


Taichi Fukumura, the assistant conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra who has directed and worked with orchestras in Chicago, has been named music director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra after an international search.

The orchestra has home bases in Springfield and Bloomington-Normal.

One of four finalists to succeed Kenneth Lam, now the director of orchestral studies at the Tianjin Juilliard School and resident conductor of the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra in China, Fukumura guest conducted the ISO’s “Fire & Fanfare” season-opening concert in October and the “Holiday Pops in the Heartland” concert in December.

More: Sparking the magic: Springfield nonprofit helps with literacy projects

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The selection as director, Fukumura admitted earlier this week, marked “a happy return (to Illinois).”

“What was most attractive is the organization and the people itself,” Fukumura added. “This is a very unique orchestra in that it has a very dynamic setup being a double home orchestra, both in Springfield and Bloomington-Normal.”

In Chicago, Fukumura was the assistant conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Chicago Philharmonic, while directing two youth orchestras at the Merit School of Music. He also conducted the Northwestern Medical Orchestra, made up of students, faculty, residents, researchers and staff members in the Northwestern medical community.

Fukumura joined the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as its assistant conductor in 2022. He is the music director finalist for the Eugene (Ore.) Symphony, the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and will guest conduct each during the 2024-25 season.

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A native of Tokyo who grew up in Boston and started his musical studies on the violin at age 3, Fukumura is acclaimed for his dynamic stage presence and musical finesse.

At the “Fire & Fanfare” concert, Fukumura led the Illinois Symphony Orchestra through Márquez’s “Danzón No. 2,” Shostakovich’s “First Cello Concerto” and Tchaikovsky’s “Fourth Symphony.”

Springfield concertgoers, he said, can expect a mixture of traditional works and newly written works or pieces the orchestra has never played before.

“I think longtime concertgoers of the Illinois Symphony will really find the season special and it’s going to be an attractive season for newcomers as well,” Fukumura said. “My goal is to really bring everybody in the room together and make an impact, create an evening of experience. I do that in many ways. I do speak with the audience and share with them what it is we love about what we do, why we chose to perform what we chose and why we feel it is important for people to hear it is what we do.”

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More: SHS senior left Afghanistan for ‘safety and opportunities’; now he’s a scholarship winner

Post-pandemic concertgoers, Fukumura said, are choosier about what they are going out for and are more likely to show up to something they know is going to be an enjoyable experience.

“I think that is something we should keep in mind as performers and presenters, that every event we put together matters because what that experience felt like is going to be the determining factor for people to return in the future,” he said.

The challenge now, Orthmann added, is “how can we make (the orchestra) relevant and important in the communities.”

Immediate tasks at hand for Fukumura are filling a number of orchestra players’ seats and programming for the upcoming season which starts Oct. 18.

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“Both of those have been fun and fruitful discussions,” Fukumura said. “They are just the first steps. We are looking years down the road of how to do we get there? How do we make sure this orchestra is thriving and growing and doing very, very well in years to come?”

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.





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Johnson scores 14, UIC takes down Southern Illinois 70-57

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Johnson scores 14, UIC takes down Southern Illinois 70-57


Thursday, January 8, 2026 4:14AM

CHICAGO — – Andy Johnson’s 14 points helped UIC defeat Southern Illinois 70-57 on Wednesday night.

Johnson had five rebounds for the Flames (6-10, 1-4 Missouri Valley Conference). Ahmad Henderson II added 13 points and Elijah Crawford scored 11.

Damien Mayo Jr. led the way for the Salukis (8-9, 2-4) with 17 points, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Jalen Haynes added seven points for Southern Illinois. Rolyns Aligbe had six points and two blocks.

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UIC took the lead with 14:56 left in the first half and did not trail again. Henderson scored nine points in the first half to help put the Flames up 31-21 at the break.

——

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.br/]

Copyright © 2026 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.



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Illinois Democrats express outrage, seek full investigation into ICE fatal shooting of Minnesota woman

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Illinois Democrats express outrage, seek full investigation into ICE fatal shooting of Minnesota woman


Illinois Democrats are demanding a full investigation into the death of a woman at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, with some calling it a “murder” and an “execution.”

The woman was fatally shot Wednesday during a traffic stop in a residential neighborhood just south of downtown Minneapolis. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called it “an act of domestic terrorism” by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle.”

Noem said an officer “acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”

Videos taken by witnesses show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the vehicle at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him, according to the Associated Press. It’s unclear whether the vehicle made contact with the officer.

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The woman, whose name wasn’t immediately released, is at least the fifth death linked to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations. Silverio Villegas González died on Sept. 12 after being shot as he allegedly tried to flee from ICE agents in suburban Franklin Park. Body camera footage first obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows the federal agent telling local police he was “dragged a little bit.” Speaking over the radio, his partner relays the agent suffered “a left knee injury and some lacerations to his hands.”

Villegas González had no criminal history, but DHS has said he had “a history of reckless driving” and was in the country without legal status.

U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia said he is “heartbroken and outraged” by what he called a “murder.” U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson called it “an execution in our streets.”

“This tragedy occurred less than a mile from the hallowed ground where George Floyd was murdered during Donald Trump’s first term,” Jackson said in a statement. “It is a chilling and devastating reminder that the cycle of state-sanctioned violence against our communities has not only continued but has been weaponized under this administration’s ‘Operation Metro Surge.’”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth is calling for an immediate investigation into the ICE officer who fired the shot. She wrote on X, “ICE is clearly not making us safer. This needs to stop.” And Sen. Dick Durbin called the death “tragic, heartbreaking and enraging” but urged protesters to “remain peaceful.”

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“A full investigation must be completed so the truth can be revealed,” Durbin said in a statement. “Video of the incident starkly contradicts DHS’s narrative, and the fact that DHS has jumped to characterize this shooting in ‘self-defense’ is rushed, at best, and a lie, at worst.”

Three top Democrats vying to replace Durbin in the March 17 primary all said they would push for answers about the death.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said he will be “demanding full answers and accountability from the Trump administration” over a “horrific loss of life.”

“This is Donald Trump’s America: a woman is dead because ICE is operating with impunity in our neighborhoods,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “…When federal agents are unleashed without restraint or oversight, the consequences are deadly — and the responsibility for this killing is on their hands.”

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly evoked Villegas’ death in commenting on the Minnesota shooting.

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“The city of Chicago knows all too well that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem only lies. After the deadly shooting of Silverio Villegas González during a traffic stop, Secretary Noem tried to hide the truth, but bodycam footage disproved injuries sustained by the ICE officer,” Kelly said. “The Minneapolis Mayor has already said that video disputes Secretary Noem’s claims. It’s clear that to achieve public safety, ICE must leave our cities immediately.”

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton called the shooting “horrific.”

“Rejecting authoritarianism should not be a death sentence in the United States of America,” Stratton said. “We need answers and we need ICE out of our communities.”

Rep. Brad Schneider called the fatal shooting “a stain on our entire nation.”

“Sending strength to the Minneapolis community. Chicagoland knows all too well the trauma and terror Trump’s chaotic immigration operations bring to otherwise peaceful communities,” Schneider said. “Our President should be making America and Americans safer. He is failing.”

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Illinois Inexplicably Drops in ESPN’s Updated Bracketology From Joe Lunardi

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Illinois Inexplicably Drops in ESPN’s Updated Bracketology From Joe Lunardi


Illinois’ win over Penn State at The Palestra was anything but flawless. A horrid shooting night and a stagnant offensive performance – specifically when freshman guard Keaton Wagler was off the floor – characterized the whole affair.

Defensively, the Illini were fairly stout, but they gave up far too many second-chance opportunities to the Nittany Lions – who parlayed 14 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points. 

But to steal a win on the road – technically, the game was played in neutral-site Philadelphia – against a Big Ten opponent is an accomplishment in itself. (It was just lowly Penn State, you say? Tell that to Michigan, which squeaked by the Nittany Lions by two on Tuesday night.)

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In a college basketball season of more than 30 games, it’s inevitable that a two-hour window will overlap here and there when the shots simply don’t fall – no matter how open the looks are. That happened on Saturday, yet the Illini still triumphed.

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That’s glass half full. The glass-half-empty perspective goes something like this: putting up 73 points on 39.3 percent shooting against a Penn State team that entered the game outside of the top 200 in defensive efficiency (per KenPom) is embarrassing. And as a team that prides itself on controlling the glass, giving up 14 offensive rebounds to the Nittany Lions is entirely unacceptable.

Where Illinois landed in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology

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Dec 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts to a call during the second hal against the Nebraska Cornhuskersf at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Perhaps ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is a pessimist, as that latter line of rationale could be the only possible explanation for his decision in Tuesday’s edition of Bracketology. In it, he dropped the Illini a seed line, moving them down from a three seed to a four seed.

Since Lunardi’s previous update, Illinois has played exactly one game – against Penn State. Were the Illini really exposed that badly in Philly? In any case, they have two full months to bolster their resume, and the Big Ten schedule provides plenty of prime opportunities: In the next 32 days alone, the Illini have road meetings at No. 19 Iowa, No. 5 Purdue, No. 10 Nebraska – a key chance at vengeance – and No. 12 Michigan State.

Split those contests and Illinois may find itself sitting firmly as a three seed. Win three out of four and the Illini are suddenly a borderline two seed. But until they prove themselves with a few more statement victories, it appears they will be stuck as a four – an excellent “consolation” prize for the time being.

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Every Big Ten team in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology for ESPN

Mar 5, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood chat before the start of the game at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
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Ohio State (No. 11 seed)
Indiana (No. 10)
UCLA (No. 9)
USC (No. 8)
Iowa (No. 6)
Michigan State (No. 4)
Illinois (No. 4)
Nebraska (No. 3)
Purdue (No. 2)
Michigan (No. 1)



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