The King's Singers are among the world's most celebrated ensembles, with a repertory covering early to contemporary classical music as well as popular tunes. They're in our area twice this week, and I'll talk with one of their members on the Friday edition of "Live and Local." We'll also hear from Welsh singer-songwriter David Llewellyn, performing in Urbana Friday night.
The Bement Country Opry hosts music every Friday, including this week, Sondra Wooley and Mike Lathim in a Chet Atkins tribute show. Sondra will join me on the Thursday edition of "Live and Local." And I'll talk with organist Dana Robinson, who will solo with the University of Illinois Chamber Orchestra Friday night.
The King Family will be one of four East Central Illinois bands playing at the Indoor Bluegrass Festival this Saturday in Urbana, and five of their members join us live in the studio on today's edition. And we hear singers from the University of Illinois Opera Program's production of "Man of La Mancha," opening on Thursday.
The Piper's Hut Concert Series has brought prominent practitioners of Irish and other traditional music to Champaign-Urbana since 2005. Their next concert will take place Tuesday night, with a band called The Outside Track, boasting members from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver. They'll play for us live on the Tuesday edition of "Live and Local."
The University of Illinois will host a symposium on composer Dmitri Shostakovich Monday and Tuesday, culminating in the final installment of the Pacifica Quartet's traversal of the composer's fifteen string quartets. On the Monday edition of "Live and Local," I'll welcome two of the keynote speakers, Richard Taruskin and Simon Morrison, for a lively conversation.
Trumpet player Allen Vizzutti feels at home in multiple styles, especially jazz and classical. He will be featured with the Millikin University Jazz Band in Decatur Friday night, and he'll be my guest on the Friday edition of "Live and Local." And we'll hear about the Yonder Mountain String Band, who bring their not-so-traditional show to Urbana on Sunday.
Once Upon a Mattress is a musical take on the Hans Christian Andersen tale "The Princess and the Pea," and it's the next show this season for Parkland College Theatre. On the Thursday edition of "Live and Local," we'll hear a few songs from members of the cast. And the visiting jazz duo FourOnSix will play for us live before their evening gig in Urbana.
On the Wednesday edition of "Live and Local," I'll welcome back the Ahn Trio, who will play twice in Charleston this weekend: once in recital and once with the Eastern Symphony Orchestra. And we'll hear about White Ghost Shivers, a hokey, western swingy, hillbilly band that otherwise defies description, playing in Bloomington on Saturday.
On Saturday, the Krannert Center in Urbana will present Phil Kline's mass called John the Revelator, featuring the male vocal sextet Lionheart and the string quartet ETHEL. On the Tuesday edition of "Live and Local," I'll devote the hour to conversation about this work, with Kline himself and members of Lionheart and ETHEL.
The Emerald City Lounge is a new venue for jazz in Champaign, beginning Wednesday night with the Jim Pugh Trio. On today's edition of the show, Jim joins us live in the studio, with tenor sax player Phil Doyle, bassist Matt Hughes and Emerald City owner Tim Denoyer.
