The inaugural DoCha Chamber Music Festival takes place this week in downtown Champaign. On the Tuesday edition of "Live and Local," we'll hear two festival performers, violinist Stefan Milenkovich and cellist Dmitry Kouzov. I'll also talk with David Vayo of Illinois Wesleyan University, and Nancy Brokaw, composer and librettist, respectively, of Fertile Ground, a new opera premiering in Bloomington this week.
On the Friday edition of "Live and Local," we'll have several musicians playing live in our studio. First will be a return appearance by the band Bossa Nuevo, who play Urbana's Independent Media Center on Sunday. And we'll hear Boulder-based singer-songwriter Dave Tamkin between gigs in Decatur and Palatine.
Celtic Crossroads is a touring show from Ireland that promises an energetic fusion of Eastern European gypsy, North American bluegrass, world classical and jazz, and the various forms of Celtic music from throughout the world. The show arrives in Charleston Thursday night, and they'll stop by our studio for the Thursday edition of "Live and Local" to play us some tunes.
The Danville Barbershop Chorus will present its annual spring concert Sunday afternoon, with favorite songs like "Hey, Look Me Over," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," and "As Time Goes By." On the Wednesday edition of "Live and Local," the Danville quartet Four on the Floor will join us for a couple of songs and to chat up the show. Also, I talk with soprano Kerry Walters of Bradley University, who, with pianist Denise Parr-Scanlin will give a concert of music in Charleston called "Girls' Night Out: The Music of Clara Schumann and Cecile Chaminade.
On the Monday edition of "Live and Local," I'll talk with members of the Vancouver-based Orchid Ensemble, playing traditional Asian music in Normal on Tuesday, part of the Illinois State University New Music Festival. And we'll check in with Scott Ferguson of the Illinois Wesleyan Collegiate Choir, giving a post-tour concert in Bloomington Tuesday.
On the Friday edition of "Live and Local," we'll hear about the Marchfest English-American Dance & Music Weekend, sponsored by the Central Illinois English Country Dancers, Illini Folk Dance Society and the Urbana Country Dancers. I'll also talk with Jonathan Bernard of the Vancouver-based Orchid Ensemble, playing traditional Asian music in Normal next Tuesday.
On the Thursday edition of "Live and Local," I'll visit with John Stephens of the Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan about their current production, 2 Pianos 4 Hands, a musical comedy about two boys trying for concert pianist stardom. And I'll talk with two star performers in Saturday's concert in Champaign by the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana.
On the Tuesday edition of "Live and Local," I'll talk with David Commanday, conductor of the Heartland Festival Orchestra, which gives a concert in Peoria on Saturday. And just in time for St. Patrick's Day, the Irish group Danú will perform in Urbana Tuesday night. I'll talk with one of their founders and play some of their tunes.
On the Wednesday edition of "Live and Local," we'll hear about Alegria, the touring production from Cirque du Soleil, playing all week in Urbana. And for St. Patrick's Day, I'll talk with Forrest Harris, a member of the good-time Irish band Exorna, who will play Wednesday night at pubs in Danville and Champaign.
On the Friday edition of "Live and Local," I'll talk with Randi Collins Hard, director of the current Parkland College Theatre production, "The Father of the Bride," in Champaign through this weekend. And we'll meet Margaret Jones, concertmaster of the Danville Symphony, who solos with the orchestra this Saturday. She'll play her violin a bit for us live. [NOTE: We regret that this program did not air.]
