On the Friday edition of "Live and Local," we'll meet members of the local bluegrass band High Cotton, and Dave King-the Duke of Uke-all playing outside at the Research Park in Champaign Friday night. Then we have Ricardo Herrerra and Yvonne Redman, the vocal stars of Astor Piazzolla's opera Maria de Buenos Aires at the Allerton Music Barn Festival in September.
On the Thursday edition of "Live and Local," I'll talk with a couple of folks involved with the Crossroads Music Festival, happening this weekend at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Champaign. And it's time for the annual ACE Awards for arts, culture and entertainment in Champaign County. Steven Bentz of 40 North 88 West will join us on the show.
The Allerton Music Barn Festival at Allerton Park in Monticello was the brainchild of Karl Kramer, director of the School of Music at the University of Illinois. Karl will be my guest on the Wednesday edition of "Live and Local" to talk about the Festival and this year's concerts, and to share some recordings as well.
Scott Schwartz of the Sousa Archives at the University of Illinois will bring a quintet of players with Civil War era over-the-shoulder horns for today's program. They'll play selections from the Humboldt Brass Band collection in advance of their performance at the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival and the Allerton Music Barn Festival in Monticello.
On today's edition of "Live and Local," we'll meet Natalie Ellis, founder and creative director of Class Act Interactive Education and Events in Champaign, an "applied theater" company that uses improvisation, character creation, costume and design to engage children and adults. And I'll talk with David Commanday, music director of the newly created Heartland Festival Orchestra in Peoria, and pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi, who appears with the orchestra in their inaugural concert this Friday night.
USA Ballet, based in Bloomington-Normal, will appear at the art deco Watseka Theatre this weekend, with an unusual presentation involving area dance students. On Thursday's "Live and Local," I'll talk with Chuck Gomez, manager of the Watseka Theatre, and Kenneth Bello, USA Ballet's choreographer, about the performance and its affiliated offerings.
Kathy Murphy was a founding member of the Champaign Urbana Theatre Company and its unifying life force. This Saturday in Champaign, a group of friends and colleagues will present Kathy Murphy Encore, an evening of entertainment and appreciation, to raise money for a scholarship in her name. A few of those friends will join us on the Friday edition of "Live and Local.
Jeffrey Magee heads the musicology department at the University of Illinois and teaches and writes about music in the United States. He is the author of "The Uncrowned King of Swing: Fletcher Henderson" and "Big Band Jazz" and is now writing a book about Irving Berlin. Jeff Magee will be my guest on the Wednesday edition of "Live and Local.
Tom Turino is a musicology and anthropology professor at the University of Illinois, but listeners will more likely encounter him playing Cajun or other roots music on banjo, accordion and guitar. He and his son Matt, himself a fiddler and guitarist, have recently released a CD called "Here and Far Away." The Turinos will join us live in our studio on the Tuesday edition of "Live and Local.
On the Monday edition of "Live and Local," I'll talk with Melissa Merli, longtime arts and entertainment writer at Champaign-Urbana's News-Gazette and author of its weekly "Arts Beat" column. Melissa will give us a peek at her reporter's life and share some of her favorite recordings.
