News

IC alumnus shares about his journey to The Second City on NPR Illinois

4.01.2022

John Love ’16 was recently featured on Community Voices where he discussed his passion for music and how it led him to become the music director at Chicago's The Second City.

*Photo Courtesy of John Love

Love spoke on his relationship with music and theatre and how his appreciation for both began with his mentor Ken Bradbury ’71 H’98, his experience traveling around Central Illinois playing with other local musicians, his time at Illinois College taking part in theatre and improv, and how the culmination of those experiences led him to The Second City.

Community Voices is a daily segment on NPR Illinois that highlights local talent, as well as events, from the Central Illinois area. The program aired earlier this week on NPR Illinois.

The full audio of the segment can be found here; an excerpt appears below:

“I was in third grade and Ken Bradbury approached me to be in the high school play at Triopia as Young Sampson, and at first I didn’t want to do it. I was so scared. I was so nervous, but I eventually was talked into doing it. But Ken was really the kickstart for me to become really passionate about acting, and about music, and even about writing.”

Love also writes his own music and recently released his debut single, “A Song For You” with his EP “LOVE” dropping on April 8. He is always working to create more music which is available on Spotify.

About Illinois College

Founded in 1829, Illinois College is a residential liberal arts college fostering academic excellence rooted in opportunities for experiential learning while preparing students for lifelong success. The college is located in Jacksonville, Illinois. With an enrollment of more than 1,000 students, the college offers over 50 undergraduate programs. In 1932, the society of Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at Illinois College, and it remains one of only 11 in the state.

Illinois College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.

Visit www.ic.edu for more information.

Media Contact Information
Emily Titsworth '19, Writer
Office of Marketing and Communication
217.245.3219 | emily.titsworth@ic.edu