North Central College is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding with a star-studded 2011-2012 Fine & Performing Arts Sesquicentennial Season that features some of the world’s finest classical, jazz and contemporary artists and offers something for all audiences to enjoy.

Yo-Yo Ma, The Beach Boys, Herbie Hancock, Bernadette Peters, Jim Brickman, Charlie Daniels Band, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, The Manhattan Transfer and Celtic Woman are among the world-renowned artists coming to Naperville during North Central College’s most astounding season to date.

April 22, 2011—Patrons are getting their first look at North Central College’s 2011-2012 Fine and Performing Arts Sesquicentennial Season.

The stellar lineup includes Yo-Yo Ma, The Beach Boys, Herbie Hancock, Bernadette Peters, The Manhattan Transfer, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Canadian Brass, the Charlie Daniels Band, Celtic Woman, the Chicago Sinfonietta, Air Supply and many others.

“We always try to get the best, but this time we’ve kicked it up a notch for our Sesquicentennial,” says Fine Arts Director Brian Lynch.

March 16, 2011—“Life in Shades of Gray,” an exhibit of charcoal drawings by artist Randy Simmons, will be shown May 20 through June 19 at North Central College.

The exhibit is free and open to the public in the College’s Schoenherr Gallery at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. The artist will greet visitors during a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 17. Complimentary refreshments will be served.

Simmons has had a number of solo shows throughout the country. His work explores a variety of themes.

The Ides of March will rock the house and energize their Chicago-area fans with a May 21 show in North Central College’s Pfeiffer Hall.

The Ides of March burst onto the national scene in 1970 with the million-selling single “Vehicle,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts. The Ides toured with bands such as Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead. The Ides are that rare commodity that still has all their original members some 30 years later and a special chemistry that makes every show a memorable experience.