Paul Rudolph, now a three-time Emmy award-winning music editor and two-time Emmy-nominated vocal music director, was born in Normal, IL and educated at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before accepting his current role as vocal music director for the famed PBS/HBO television series Sesame Street.

In serving over thirteen years as vocal music director, Paul has collaborated with guest artists including Elvis Costello, Prince, Bruno Mars, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Baptiste, and Dave Grohl.

“Finding a musical passion outside of your daily routine, something that inspires you to create and practice, is so important.” For Paul, one of those passions is his found-object, percussion ensemble GLANK, which he formed in 2002. As Paul has described, “It was a long and winding road to Sesame Street, for sure.” He is glad that the road is leading him back to Bloomington-Normal (if just for a weekend) to share in his creative endeavors and successes.

Leslie Carrara-Rudolph is a multi-faceted entertainer, puppeteer, voice actor, artist, writer, creator, and five-time Emmy nominee. She is best known for performing Abby Cadabby on Sesame Street. You can also find Leslie in the new Muppets Mayhem series as Penny Waxman on Disney+.

A graduate of San Francisco State University with a BA in Child Development Through the Arts, Leslie got her start as a puppeteer on ABC’s Muppets Tonight and went on to develop her own signature character, candy-loving 5-year-old Lolly Lardpop.

“My work throughout my career in both teaching and entertainment has been focused on ‘spreading joy through the arts,’ helping people and communities navigate life creatively,” said Leslie. “Whether I’m performing for children or adults, in outreach programs or cabarets, I always try to shine a light on humanity with storytelling, music, art, and comedy. I’m excited to be starting a new adventure and introducing Humor With A Heart Productions co-created with my writing partner Jamie Donmoyer.”

This event is free to attend. No registration is required. Seating will be made available first come first served.

Sunny Days is brought to you by:

OSF Healthcare Children’s Hospital of Illinois
with Simantel & the Peoria Riverfront Museum,
and Straza Consulting, Blooming Tree Wealth Management, Broadleaf Video Production, Klean Korner, John & Marilyn Freese, Vrooman Mansion, Town of Normal, & Fox & Hounds Hair Studio & Day Spa