Live and Local with Kevin Kelly

It's Monday and we have some live choral music for you: madrigal singers from the High School of St. Thomas More in Champaign, AND members of Amasong, Champaign-Urbana's premier lesbian-feminist chorus.

The Champaign-Urbana Ballet and Sinfonia da Camera will present their annual production of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" Dec. 4-6 at the Krannert Center in Urbana. The cast includes company dancers and scores of children from the surrounding community. CU Ballet's Nutcracker will be the focus of our conversation on the Tuesday edition of "Live and Local.

Beginning Dec. 4, Bah Humbug Productions and Parkland College Theatre in Champaign will present their third annual production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" in their own musical adaptation. On the Monday edition of "Live and Local," I'll talk with the creators of this production, and we'll hear some of the songs live in our studio.

At 72 years and counting, Red Mask Players in Danville is one of the oldest community theaters in the state. They complete their run of Tom Jones this weekend, and we'll have two of their members on the Friday edition of "Live and Local." I'll also talk with Milton Scott, director of the choral group Opus 24, which gives its Fall concert in Decatur next week.

On the Thursday edition of "Live and Local," we'll meet members of the Arcadia Chamber Players, who give their fall concert Friday night. And we'll visit with the JACK Quartet, in residence at the University of Illinois this week. They've been called "a four man super squad armed with bows and strings," and one of their number was locally born and raised.

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company comes to the Krannert Center Wednesday night for a program on the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. On Wednesday's show, we'll talk with Bridget Lee-Calfas about that production. And we'll hear scenes from an adaptation by two local 13-year-olds of the Chet Gecko mystery "Give My Regrets to Broadway," in Champaign this weekend.

On Tuesday's show, I'll talk with Gary Shaw and Sharon Huff, directors of the Millikin University Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, about their Wednesday night concert. I'll also chat with Robin Kearton and Scott Schwartz about the "Granny's Porch" concert in Champaign Friday night.

Bossa Nuevo is a new band based in Urbana-Champaign that performs an eclectic mix of classic music by South American composers like Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and Astor Piazzolla. The band is giving a concert Friday at Urbana's Independent Media Center, and we'll have two band members on the Thursday edition of "Live and Local"