Arts Festival
Kevin Kelly, host of WILL-FM’s Live and Local, hosts a series of interviews with people in central Illinois who are involved in the arts. Shorter versions of the interviews air on WILL-TV after each program in the PBS Arts Festival at 8 pm Fridays Oct. 14-Dec. 2, 2011. Longer versions of the interviews are archived below.
Gina Russell
Gina DeCroix Russell is an assistant instructional professor of ballet at Illinois State University, an instructor/choreographer at Dance Arts Studio, Inc., and ballet mistress for Springfield Ballet Company. She talks about the role of a ballet mistress and about her own early experiences as a dancer.
Stephen Fiol
Stephen Fiol recently retired from Millikin University, where he was, in turn, Director of Opera, Director of the School of Music, Dean of the College of Fine Arts, Vice President of Academic Affairs and founding Director of the Center for International Education. He has directed many operas and musicals at Millikin, Interlochen Center for the Arts, the University of Illinois and elsewhere in the Midwest. He talks about the current popularity of opera in our community and the role of the stage director and music director in opera.
Eva Hunter
Eva Hunter of Bloomington is a singer/songwriter and leader of The Eva Hunter Band (whose other members are based in Springfield). They play a fusion of country, folk, light jazz and what she calls orchestrated rock. She talks about how she got into singing—starting at the age of 8 with her three sisters as a doo-wop group—and some of her own early (female) influences. She also sings and plays one of her original songs.
Cynthia Oliver
Cynthia Oliver teaches dance at the University of Illinois and has herself danced with many companies, including the David Gordon Pick Up Co., Ronald Kevin Brown/Evidence, and Bebe Miller Co. She describes some of her own impressions of Bill T. Jones’ work, and her experience as a freelance dancer and choreographer.
Give me the banjo
Ken Holmes is a retired U of I Veterinary Medicine professor—not a vet, he hastens to add—and plays banjo with The Prairie Dogs. He’s a former member of the Nonesuch Mountain String Band, High Cross Road Band and Hickory Wind. Ken talks about what inspired him to pick up the banjo and some of the different types of banjos and banjo playing. He also gives us a couple of tunes!
Miami City Ballet
Deanna Doty, Artistic Director, Champaign Urbana Ballet, and Director, Champaign Ballet Academy. Deanna talks about her own early inspiration and experience, the pain and pleasure of achieving artistry and the appeal of the art form in our community.
Pogo Studio
Mark Rubel of Pogo Studio in Champaign talks about some of the well-known bands who have passed through our area and a bit of the history of the local rock music scene.
Prairie Fire Theatre
Robert Mangialardi, Managing Director, Prairie Fire Theatre, Normal, Illinois. Bob talks about the appeal of Gilbert & Sullivan, the balance between comedy and political satire and the company’s own experience producing HMS Pinafore this past summer.
